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Mauritania - People (Notes)

People Nationality: Noun and adjective--Mauritanian(s). Population (2005): 2,906,000. Annual growth rate: 2.7%. Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber (White Moor), Arab-Berber-Negroid (Black Moor), Haalpulaar, Soninke, Wolof (Black African Mauritanians). Religion: Islam. Languages: Arabic (official), Hassaniya (Arabic dialect), French, Pulaar, Wolof, and Soninke. Education: Years compulsory--six. Attendance (student population enrolled in primary school)--82%. Adult literacy (% of population age 15+)--59%. Health: Infant mortality rate--77/1,000. Life expectancy--51 yrs. Work force: Agriculture and fisheries--50%. Services and commerce--20%. Government--20%. Industry and transportation--10%. Government Type: Republic. Independence: November 28, 1960. Constitution: Approved 1991. Original constitution promulgated 1961. Branches: Executive--president (head of state). Legislative--bicameral national assembly, directly elected lower house (81 members), and upper house (56 members) chosen indirectly by municipal councilors. Judicial--a supreme court and lower courts are nominally independent but subject to control of executive branch; judicial decisions are rendered mainly on the basis of Shari'a (Islamic law) for social/family matters and a western style legal code, applied in commercial and some criminal cases. Political parties: 21. Suffrage: Universal at 18. National day: November 28, Independence Day.