Capital

Mauretanien

name: Nouakchott

geographic coordinates: 18 04 N, 15 58 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: may derive from the Berber "nawakshut" meaning "place of the winds"

Libanon

name: Beirut

geographic coordinates: 33 52 N, 35 30 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: derived from the Canaanite or Phoenician word "ber'ot," meaning "the wells" or "fountain," which referred to the site's accessible water table

Citizenship

Mauretanien

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Mauritania

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Libanon

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Lebanon

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: unknown

Legal system

Mauretanien

mixed legal system of Islamic and French civil law

Libanon

mixed legal system of civil law based on the French civil code, Ottoman legal tradition, and religious laws covering personal status, marriage, divorce, and other family relations of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities

Suffrage

Mauretanien

18 years of age; universal

Libanon

21 years of age; authorized for all men and women regardless of religion; excludes persons convicted of felonies and other crimes or those imprisoned; excludes all military and security service personnel regardless of rank

Area

Mauretanien

total: 1,030,700 sq km

land: 1,030,700 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Libanon

total: 10,400 sq km

land: 10,230 sq km

water: 170 sq km

Land use

Mauretanien

agricultural land: 38.5% (2018 est.)

arable land: 0.4% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 38.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 0.2% (2018 est.)

other: 61.3% (2018 est.)

Libanon

agricultural land: 63.3% (2018 est.)

arable land: 11.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 12.3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 39.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 13.4% (2018 est.)

other: 23.3% (2018 est.)

Location

Mauretanien

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara

Libanon

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria

Age structure

Mauretanien

0-14 years: 36.11% (male 769,229/female 763,465)

15-64 years: 59.58% (male 1,197,311/female 1,331,815)

65 years and over: 4.31% (2023 est.) (male 77,123/female 105,935)

Libanon

0-14 years: 19.21% (male 524,172/female 500,185)

15-64 years: 71.69% (male 1,929,150/female 1,892,806)

65 years and over: 9.1% (2023 est.) (male 208,436/female 276,454)

Birth rate

Mauretanien

27.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Libanon

12.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Mauretanien

7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Libanon

5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Mauretanien

Arabic (official and national), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French; note - the spoken Arabic in Mauritania differs considerably from the Modern Standard Arabic used for official written purposes or in the media; the Mauritanian dialect, which incorporates many Berber words, is referred to as Hassaniya

major-language sample(s):
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Libanon

Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

major-language sample(s):
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Mauretanien

total population: 65.6 years (2023 est.)

male: 63.1 years

female: 68.1 years

Libanon

total population: 79 years (2023 est.)

male: 77.6 years

female: 80.5 years

Major urban areas - population

Mauretanien

1.492 million NOUAKCHOTT (capital) (2023)

Libanon

2.421 million BEIRUT (capital) (2023)

Median age

Mauretanien

total: 21.9 years (2023 est.)

male: 20.9 years

female: 22.8 years

Libanon

total: 35.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 35.1 years

female: 36.4 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Mauretanien

21.8 years (2019/21)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Net migration rate

Mauretanien

-0.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Libanon

-0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Mauretanien

with most of the country being a desert, vast areas of the country, particularly in the central, northern, and eastern areas, are without sizeable population clusters; half the population lives in or around the coastal capital of Nouakchott; smaller clusters are found near the southern border with Mali and Senegal as shown in this population distribution map

Libanon

the majority of the people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, and of these most live in and around the capital, Beirut; favorable growing conditions in the Bekaa Valley, on the southeastern side of the Lebanon Mountains, have attracted farmers and thus the area exhibits a smaller population density

Population growth rate

Mauretanien

1.96% (2023 est.)

Libanon

0.64% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Mauretanien

3.46 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Libanon

1.71 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Mauretanien

urban population: 57.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 3.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Libanon

urban population: 89.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: -1.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Mauretanien

1.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

Libanon

1.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Mauretanien

total: 9 years

male: 8 years

female: 9 years (2020)

Libanon

total: 11 years

male: 12 years

female: 11 years (2014)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Mauretanien

-0.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Libanon

-6.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Mauretanien

-6.61% (2021 est.)

Libanon

-6.85% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Mauretanien

1.197 million (2021 est.)

Libanon

1.719 million (2021 est.)

note: excludes as many as 1 million foreign workers and refugees

Population below poverty line

Mauretanien

31% (2014 est.)

Libanon

27.4% (2011 est.)

Unemployment rate

Mauretanien

11.46% (2021 est.)

11.27% (2020 est.)

10.39% (2019 est.)

Libanon

14.49% (2021 est.)

13.3% (2020 est.)

11.35% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Mauretanien

96.6% of GDP (2017 est.)

100% of GDP (2016 est.)

Libanon

146.8% of GDP (2017 est.)

145.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: data cover central government debt and exclude debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Mauretanien

3.57% (2021 est.)

2.39% (2020 est.)

2.3% (2019 est.)

Libanon

154.76% (2021 est.)

84.86% (2020 est.)

3.01% (2019 est.)

Exports

Mauretanien

$3.18 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$2.784 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$2.525 billion (2019 est.)

Libanon

$10.147 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$8.773 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$18.208 billion (2019 est.)

Exports - partners

Mauretanien

China 32%, Switzerland 13%, Spain 9%, Japan 9%, Italy 5% (2019)

Libanon

Switzerland 27%, United Arab Emirates 15%, South Korea 11%, Saudi Arabia 7%, Kuwait 6% (2019)

Imports

Mauretanien

$4.312 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.675 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.683 billion (2019 est.)

Libanon

$17.383 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$15.206 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$31.147 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

Mauretanien

China 26%, France 6%, Spain 6%, Morocco 6%, United Arab Emirates 5% (2019)

Libanon

United Arab Emirates 11%, China 10%, Italy 8%, Greece 8%, Turkey 7%, United States 6% (2019)

Airports

Mauretanien

30 (2021)

Libanon

8 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Mauretanien

total: 18,457 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.4 (2020 est.)

Libanon

total: 432,070 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 6 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Mauretanien

total: 2.714 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 59% (2021 est.)

Libanon

total: 4.872 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 87% (2021 est.)

Railways

Mauretanien

total: 728 km (2014)

standard gauge: 728 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

Libanon

total: 401 km (2017)

standard gauge: 319 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 82 km (2017) 1.050-m gauge

note: rail system is still unusable due to damage sustained from fighting in the 1980s and in 2006

Roadways

Mauretanien

total: 12,253 km (2018)

paved: 3,988 km (2018)

unpaved: 8,265 km (2018)

Libanon

total: 21,705 km (2017)

Telephones - fixed lines

Mauretanien

total subscriptions: 58,094 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2021 est.)

Libanon

total subscriptions: 880,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Mauretanien

total subscriptions: 6,512,361 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 141 (2021 est.)

Libanon

total subscriptions: 4.3 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 77 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Mauretanien

1,086 km (2022) (some navigation possible on the Senegal River)

Disputes - international

Mauretanien

Mauritania-Algeria: none identified

Mauritania-Mali: there are no border disputes, but the border has not been demarcated; talks on demarcation were reportedly being held in February 2022

Mauritania-Morocco: Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant; tensions arose in 2016 when Mauritanian soldiers were deployed to Lagouira, a city in the southernmost part of Morocco, and raised their flag

Mauritania-Senegal: none identified

Libanon

Lebanon-Syria: lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; in March 2021, Syria signed a contract with a Russian company for oil and gas exploration in a maritime area Lebanon claims as its own based on a 2011 map sent to the UN

Lebanon-Israel: Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms area in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights; Lebanon and Israel resumed negotiations over their maritime border in 2020, but their efforts were derailed when Lebanon argued that the map the UN was using needed modifications