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"

Republik Moldau

name: Chisinau in Romanian (Kishinev in Russian)

geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 28 51 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: origin unclear but may derive from the archaic Romanian word chisla ("spring" or "water source") and noua ("new") because the original settlement was built at the site of a small spring

note: pronounced KEE-shee-now (KIH-shi-nyov)

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

Republik Moldau

citizenship by birth: no

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

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Legal system

Mauretanien

mixed legal system of Islamic and French civil law

Republik Moldau

civil law system with Germanic law influences; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts

Suffrage

Mauretanien

18 years of age; universal

Republik Moldau

18 years of age; universal

Area

Mauretanien

total: 1,030,700 sq km

land: 1,030,700 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Republik Moldau

total: 33,851 sq km

land: 32,891 sq km

water: 960 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.)

Republik Moldau

agricultural land: 74.9% (2018 est.)

arable land: 55.1% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 9.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 11.9% (2018 est.)

other: 13.2% (2018 est.)

Location

Mauretanien

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

Republik Moldau

Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania

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)

Republik Moldau

0-14 years: 18.01% (male 301,432/female 284,034)

15-64 years: 66.37% (male 1,087,397/female 1,069,902)

65 years and over: 15.62% (2023 est.) (male 203,889/female 303,878)

Birth rate

Mauretanien

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

Republik Moldau

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

Death rate

Mauretanien

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

Republik Moldau

14.4 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.

Republik Moldau

Moldovan/Romanian 80.2% (official) (56.7% identify their mother tongue as Moldovan, which is virtually the same as Romanian; 23.5% identify Romanian as their mother tongue), Russian 9.7%, Gagauz 4.2% (a Turkish language), Ukrainian 3.9%, Bulgarian 1.5%, Romani 0.3%, other 0.2% (2014 est.); note - data represent mother tongue; as of March 2023, Romanian replaced Moldovan as the name of Moldova's official language

major-language sample(s):
Cartea informativa a lumii, sursa indispensabila pentru informatii de baza. (Moldovan/Romanian)

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

Republik Moldau

total population: 69.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 65.8 years

female: 73.9 years

Major urban areas - population

Mauretanien

1.492 million NOUAKCHOTT (capital) (2023)

Republik Moldau

488,000 CHISINAU (capital) (2023)

Median age

Mauretanien

total: 21.9 years (2023 est.)

male: 20.9 years

female: 22.8 years

Republik Moldau

total: 39.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 38.1 years

female: 40.8 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

Republik Moldau

25.2 years (2019 est.)

Net migration rate

Mauretanien

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

Republik Moldau

0 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

Republik Moldau

pockets of agglomeration exist throughout the country, the largest being in the center of the country around the capital of Chisinau, followed by Tiraspol and Balti

Population growth rate

Mauretanien

1.96% (2023 est.)

Republik Moldau

-0.58% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Mauretanien

3.46 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Republik Moldau

1.25 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.)

Republik Moldau

urban population: 43.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Mauretanien

1.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

Republik Moldau

6.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Mauretanien

total: 9 years

male: 8 years

female: 9 years (2020)

Republik Moldau

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2021)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Mauretanien

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

Republik Moldau

-0.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Mauretanien

-6.61% (2021 est.)

Republik Moldau

-0.67% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Mauretanien

1.197 million (2021 est.)

Republik Moldau

810,000 (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Mauretanien

31% (2014 est.)

Republik Moldau

7.3% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate

Mauretanien

11.46% (2021 est.)

11.27% (2020 est.)

10.39% (2019 est.)

Republik Moldau

3.96% (2021 est.)

3.82% (2020 est.)

5.1% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Mauretanien

96.6% of GDP (2017 est.)

100% of GDP (2016 est.)

Republik Moldau

33.01% of GDP (2020 est.)

24.95% of GDP (2019 est.)

27.02% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Mauretanien

3.57% (2021 est.)

2.39% (2020 est.)

2.3% (2019 est.)

Republik Moldau

5.11% (2021 est.)

3.77% (2020 est.)

4.84% (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.)

Republik Moldau

$4.197 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.222 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.662 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Mauretanien

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

Republik Moldau

Romania 27%, Russia 9%, Italy 9%, Germany 9%, Turkey 6%, Poland 5% (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.)

Republik Moldau

$7.915 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$5.918 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$6.608 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Mauretanien

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

Republik Moldau

Romania 20%, Russia 10%, Ukraine 9%, Germany 8%, China 7%, Turkey 6%, Italy 6% (2019)

Airports

Mauretanien

30 (2021)

Republik Moldau

7 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Mauretanien

total: 18,457 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.4 (2020 est.)

Republik Moldau

total: 719,001 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Mauretanien

total: 2.714 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 59% (2021 est.)

Republik Moldau

total: 1.891 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 61% (2021 est.)

Railways

Mauretanien

total: 728 km (2014)

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

Republik Moldau

total: 1,171 km (2014)

standard gauge: 14 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

broad gauge: 1,157 km (2014) 1.520-m gauge

Roadways

Mauretanien

total: 12,253 km (2018)

paved: 3,988 km (2018)

unpaved: 8,265 km (2018)

Republik Moldau

total: 9,352 km (2012)

paved: 8,835 km (2012)

unpaved: 517 km (2012)

Telephones - fixed lines

Mauretanien

total subscriptions: 58,094 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2021 est.)

Republik Moldau

total subscriptions: 1,000,228 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Mauretanien

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

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 141 (2021 est.)

Republik Moldau

total subscriptions: 3,900,179 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 127 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Mauretanien

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

Republik Moldau

558 km (2011) (in public use on Danube, Dniester and Prut Rivers)

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

Republik Moldau

Moldova-Romania: none identified

Moldova-Ukraine: Ukraine and Moldova signed an agreement officially delimiting their border in 1999, but the border has not been demarcated due to Moldova's difficulties with the break-away region of Transnistria; Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor the transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria region, which remains under the auspices of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe-mandated peacekeeping mission comprised of Moldovan, Transnistrian, Russian, and Ukrainian troops