United States and Western Sahara Compared: NationMaster.com

Country vs country: Compare key data on United States & Western Sahara and Compare key data on United States & Western Sahara compared

STAT	United States	Western Sahara
Geography > Area > Comparative	about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union	about the size of Colorado
Geography > Area > Land	9.16 million sq km Ranked 4th. 34 times more than Western Sahara	266,000 sq km Ranked 74th.
Geography > Area > Total	9.83 million sq km Ranked 4th. 37 times more than Western Sahara	266,000 sq km Ranked 79th.
Geography > Climate	mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains	hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Geography > Geographic coordinates	38 00 N, 97 00 W	24 30 N, 13 00 W
Government > Government type	Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition	legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ
Government > Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	none; (residents of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara participate in Moroccan elections)
Health > Births and maternity > Total fertility rate	1.99% Ranked 33th. 9% more than Western Sahara	1.82% Ranked 165th.
People > Age distribution > Population aged 0-14	16.71% Ranked 62nd. 4% more than Western Sahara	16.12% Ranked 81st.
People > Age distribution > Population aged 15-24 > Percent	11.22% Ranked 80th.	11.22% Ranked 79th. The same as United States
People > Birth rate	13.66 births/1,000 population Ranked 147th.	31.18 births/1,000 population Ranked 41st. 2 times more than United States
People > Ethnic groups	white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate)	Arab, Berber
People > Population	316.67 million Ranked 3rd. 588 times more than Western Sahara	538,811 Ranked 171st.
People > Population > Population growth, past and future	0.122 Ranked 53th.	-0.286 Ranked 153th.
Religion > Religions	Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4%	Muslim
People > Population growth	0.122% Ranked 53th.	-0.286% Ranked 153th.
People > Age distribution > Median age	44.38 years Ranked 117th. About the same as Western Sahara	44.22 years Ranked 119th.
Economy > GDP > Per capita > PPP	$51,700.00 Ranked 6th. 21 times more than Western Sahara	$2,500.00 Ranked 9th.
Economy > Economy > Overview	The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $49,800. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment; their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. Since 1996, dividends and capital gains have grown faster than wages or any other category of after-tax income. Imported oil accounts for nearly 55% of US consumption. Crude oil prices doubled between 2001 and 2006, the year home prices peaked; higher gasoline prices ate into consumers' budgets and many individuals fell behind in their mortgage payments. Oil prices climbed another 50% between 2006 and 2008, and bank foreclosures more than doubled in the same period. Besides dampening the housing market, soaring oil prices caused a drop in the value of the dollar and a deterioration in the US merchandise trade deficit, which peaked at $840 billion in 2008. The sub-prime mortgage crisis, falling home prices, investment bank failures, tight credit, and the global economic downturn pushed the United States into a recession by mid-2008. GDP contracted until the third quarter of 2009, making this the deepest and longest downturn since the Great Depression. To help stabilize financial markets, in October 2008 the US Congress established a $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The government used some of these funds to purchase equity in US banks and industrial corporations, much of which had been returned to the government by early 2011. In January 2009 the US Congress passed and President Barack OBAMA signed a bill providing an additional $787 billion fiscal stimulus to be used over 10 years - two-thirds on additional spending and one-third on tax cuts - to create jobs and to help the economy recover. In 2010 and 2011, the federal budget deficit reached nearly 9% of GDP. In 2012 the federal government reduced the growth of spending and the deficit shrank to 7.6% of GDP. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan required major shifts in national resources from civilian to military purposes and contributed to the growth of the budget deficit and public debt. Through 2011, the direct costs of the wars totaled nearly $900 billion, according to US government figures. US revenues from taxes and other sources are lower, as a percentage of GDP, than those of most other countries. In March 2010, President OBAMA signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a health insurance reform that was designed to extend coverage to an additional 32 million American citizens by 2016, through private health insurance for the general population and Medicaid for the impoverished. Total spending on health care - public plus private - rose from 9.0% of GDP in 1980 to 17.9% in 2010. In July 2010, the president signed the DODD-FRANK Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a law designed to promote financial stability by protecting consumers from financial abuses, ending taxpayer bailouts of financial firms, dealing with troubled banks that are "too big to fail," and improving accountability and transparency in the financial system - in particular, by requiring certain financial derivatives to be traded in markets that are subject to government regulation and oversight. In December 2012, the Federal Reserve Board announced plans to purchase $85 billion per month of mortgage-backed and Treasury securities in an effort to hold down long-term interest rates, and to keep short term rates near zero until unemployment drops to 6.5% from the December rate of 7.8%, or until inflation rises above 2.5%. Long-term problems include stagnation of wages for lower-income families, inadequate investment in deteriorating infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, energy shortages, and sizable current account and budget deficits - including significant budget shortages for state governments.	Western Sahara has a small market-based economy whose main industries are fishing, phosphate mining, and pastoral nomadism. The territory's arid desert climate makes sedentary agriculture difficult, and Western Sahara imports much of its food. The Moroccan Government administers Western Sahara's economy and is a key source of employment, infrastructure development, and social spending in the territory. Western Sahara''s unresolved legal status makes the exploitation of its natural resources a contentious issue between Morocco and the Polisario. Morocco and the EU in July 2006 signed a four-year agreement allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara, but this agreement was terminated in 2011. Oil has never been found in Western Sahara in commercially significant quantities, but Morocco and the Polisario have quarreled over who has the right to authorize and benefit from oil exploration in the territory. Western Sahara''s main long-term economic challenge is the development of a more diverse set of industries capable of providing greater employment and income to the territory.
People > Gender > Female population	231.19 million Ranked 4th. 585 times more than Western Sahara	395,467 Ranked 162nd.
People > Age distribution > Population aged 0-14 > Total	77.19 million Ranked 4th. 612 times more than Western Sahara	126,180 Ranked 161st.
Agriculture > Rural population	15,540 Ranked 170th. 9 times more than Western Sahara	1,762 Ranked 211th.
Energy > Electricity > Consumption > Per capita	12,747.49 kWh per capita Ranked 3rd. 42 times more than Western Sahara	306.58 kWh per capita Ranked 140th.
People > Death rate	8.39 deaths/1,000 population Ranked 88th.	8.64 deaths/1,000 population Ranked 76th. 3% more than United States
Government > Political pressure groups and leaders	environmentalists; business groups; labor unions; churches; ethnic groups; political action committees or PACs; health groups; education groups; civic groups; youth groups; transportation groups; agricultural groups; veterans groups; women's groups; reform lobbies	none
Geography > Natural resources	coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber	phosphates, iron ore
Energy > Electricity > Consumption	3.89 trillion kWh Ranked 1st. 46428 times more than Western Sahara	83.7 million kWh Ranked 151st.
People > Age distribution > Total dependency ratio	76.73% Ranked 93th. 16% more than Western Sahara	66.35% Ranked 124th.
People > Population growth rate	0.9% Ranked 124th.	2.96% Ranked 11th. 3 times more than United States
Geography > Area > Land > Per capita	30.16 sq km per 1,000 people Ranked 60th.	675.42 sq km per 1,000 people Ranked 4th. 22 times more than United States
Agriculture > Agricultural growth	107 Ranked 105th. 10% more than Western Sahara	97 Ranked 159th.
Language > Languages	English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7%; <i>note:</i> Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii	Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Economy > GDP > Composition, by sector of origin > Services	79.7% Ranked 14th. Twice as much as Western Sahara	40% Ranked 2nd.
People > Age distribution > Population aged 15-24 > Total	51.86 million Ranked 4th. 590 times more than Western Sahara	87,863 Ranked 161st.
People > Age distribution > Population aged 60 or over > Percent	32.24% Ranked 107th. 8% more than Western Sahara	29.93% Ranked 122nd.
Government > Administrative divisions	50 states and 1 district; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming	none (territory west of the berm under de facto Moroccan control)
People > Age distribution > Population aged 15-64 > Total	261.45 million Ranked 4th. 556 times more than Western Sahara	470,591 Ranked 161st.
People > Age distribution > Population aged 0-4 > Total	25.57 million Ranked 4th. 621 times more than Western Sahara	41,186 Ranked 162nd.
Religion > Religions > All	Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, other 10%, none 10% (2002 est.)	Muslim
Health > Births and maternity > Future births	5,124.49 Ranked 4th. 617 times more than Western Sahara	8.31 Ranked 162nd.
Energy > Oil > Consumption > Per capita	68.67 bbl/day per 1,000 peopl Ranked 7th. 11 times more than Western Sahara	6.45 bbl/day per 1,000 peopl Ranked 95th.
People > Age distribution > Population aged 15-59	51.06% Ranked 99th.	53.95% Ranked 73th. 6% more than United States
People > Population in 2015	325,723 thousand Ranked 3rd. 619 times more than Western Sahara	526 thousand Ranked 163th.
Geography > Terrain	vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii	mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Health > Life expectancy at birth > Total population	78.37 years Ranked 47th. 45% more than Western Sahara	53.92 years Ranked 189th.
Geography > Location	North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico	Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Labor > Labor force > By occupation	farming, forestry, and fishing 0.7%, manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.9%, managerial, professional, and technical 34.9%, sales and office 25%, other services 16.5%; <i>note:</i> figures exclude the unemployed	animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%
Geography > Coastline	19,924 km Ranked 9th. 18 times more than Western Sahara	1,110 km Ranked 83th.
Labor > Labor force	154.9 million Ranked 4th. 12908 times more than Western Sahara	12,000 Ranked 124th.
Environment > Current issues	air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification	sparse water and lack of arable land
Energy > Oil > Consumption	18.69 million bbl/day Ranked 1st. 10619 times more than Western Sahara	1,760 bbl/day Ranked 147th.
People > Total fertility rate	2.06 children born/woman Ranked 116th.	4.15 children born/woman Ranked 36th. 2 times more than United States
People > Age distribution > Population aged 65 or over > Percent	26.71% Ranked 104th. 12% more than Western Sahara	23.77% Ranked 122nd.
Economy > GDP > Purchasing power parity	$16.24 trillion Ranked 1st. 17915 times more than Western Sahara	$906.50 million Ranked 6th.
Government > International organization participation	ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), ANZUS, APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CICA (observer), CP, EAPC, EAS, EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNSC (permanent), UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC	AU, CAN (observer), WFTU (NGOs)
Geography > Area > Water	664,709 sq km Ranked 3rd.	0.0 Ranked 177th.
People > Age structure > 0-14 years	20% Ranked 156th.	38.4% Ranked 46th. 92% more than United States
Media > Broadcast media	4 m	Morocco's state-owned broadcaster, Radio-Television Marocaine (RTM), operates a radio service from Laayoune and relays TV service; a Polisario-backed radio station also broadcasts
Transport > Airports	13,513 Ranked 1st. 2252 times more than Western Sahara	6 Ranked 171st.
Geography > Area > Comparative to US places	about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union	about the size of Colorado
People > Gender > Male population	230.88 million Ranked 4th. 596 times more than Western Sahara	387,349 Ranked 162nd.
People > Age distribution > Population aged 60 or over > Total	148.96 million Ranked 3rd. 636 times more than Western Sahara	234,282 Ranked 165th.
People > Age distribution > Population aged 15-64	56.58% Ranked 104th.	60.12% Ranked 73th. 6% more than United States
Economy > Fiscal year	1	calendar year
People > Age structure > 65 years and over	13.9% Ranked 51st. 4 times more than Western Sahara	3.6% Ranked 176th.
People > Nationality > Noun	American(s)	Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
Health > Infant mortality rate > Total	6.06 deaths/1,000 live births Ranked 171st.	71.13 deaths/1,000 live births Ranked 25th. 12 times more than United States
People > Age distribution > Elderly dependency ratio	47.21% Ranked 101st. 19% more than Western Sahara	39.53% Ranked 123th.
Geography > Elevation extremes > Highest point	Mount McKinley (Denali) 6,194 m (highest point in North America)	unnamed elevation 805 m
Agriculture > Agricultural growth per capita	100 Int. $ Ranked 93th. 56% more than Western Sahara	64 Int. $ Ranked 196th.
People > Age distribution > Population aged 0-4 > Percent	5.53% Ranked 57th. 5% more than Western Sahara	5.26% Ranked 80th.
People > Marriage, divorce and children > Total divorces	877,000 Ranked 2nd. 5516 times more than Western Sahara	159 Ranked 51st.
Energy > Electricity > Installed generating capacity per thousand people	3,358.91 kW Ranked 9th. 28 times more than Western Sahara	118 kW Ranked 135th.
People > Age distribution > Population aged 65 or over > Total	123.43 million Ranked 3rd. 663 times more than Western Sahara	186,045 Ranked 166th.
Economy > Exports > Commodities	agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0%	phosphates 62%
People > Age distribution > Population aged 15-59 > Total	235.92 million Ranked 4th. 559 times more than Western Sahara	422,354 Ranked 161st.
Religion > Seventh-day Adventist Membership	948,892 Ranked 2nd.	0.0 Ranked 213th.
Energy > Electricity > Production	4.1 trillion kWh Ranked 2nd. 45544 times more than Western Sahara	90 million kWh Ranked 146th.
Government > Country name > Conventional long form	United States of America	none
Transport > Highways > Total > Per capita	22.22 km per 1,000 people Ranked 2nd.	22.71 km per 1,000 people Ranked 2nd. 2% more than United States
People > Age distribution > Population aged 80 or over > Total	51.64 million Ranked 3rd. 928 times more than Western Sahara	55,640 Ranked 175th.
People > Cities > Urban population	84,460 Ranked 54th.	98,238 Ranked 13th. 16% more than United States
Geography > Land use > Arable land	16.29% Ranked 65th. 814 times more than Western Sahara	0.02% Ranked 214th.
Geography > Land boundaries > Border countries	Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km	Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
People > Nationality > Adjective	American	Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Media > Radio broadcast stations	AM 4,789, FM 8,961, shortwave 19	AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0
People > Sex ratio > Total population	0.97 male(s)/female Ranked 143th.	0.98 male(s)/female Ranked 122nd. 1% more than United States
People > Age distribution > Population aged 5-14 > Percent	11.17% Ranked 64th. 3% more than Western Sahara	10.86% Ranked 80th.
People > Sex ratio > At birth	1.05 male(s)/female Ranked 94th. 1% more than Western Sahara	1.04 male(s)/female Ranked 160th.
Energy > Crude oil > Production	11.11 million bbl/day Ranked 2nd.	0.0 Ranked 156th.
People > Marriage, divorce and children > Marriages	2.12 million Ranked 2nd. 4614 times more than Western Sahara	459 Ranked 72nd.
Transport > Rail > Railway length	224,792 km Ranked 1st. 44958 times more than Western Sahara	5 km Ranked 142nd.
Military > Manpower fit for military service > Males age 16-49	None	None
People > Age distribution > Population aged 80 or over > Percent	11.18% Ranked 93th. 57% more than Western Sahara	7.11% Ranked 135th.
Education > Child care (preschool) > Duration	3 Ranked 47th. 50% more than Western Sahara	2 Ranked 135th.
Religion > Muslim > Muslim percentage of total population	0.8% Ranked 132nd.	99.6% Ranked 5th. 124 times more than United States
Religion > Islam > Percentage Muslim	1.4% Ranked 114th.	99.8% Ranked 5th. 71 times more than United States
Environment > Proportion of land area under protection	13.82% Ranked 111th. 2 times more than Western Sahara	5.77% Ranked 160th.
Geography > Natural hazards	tsunamis; volcanoes; earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development	hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Media > Televisions	219 million Ranked 2nd. 36500 times more than Western Sahara	6,000 Ranked 192nd.
Economy > GDP > Composition by sector > Services	79.7% Ranked 15th. Twice as much as Western Sahara	40% Ranked 9th.
Energy > Electricity > Production > Per capita	13,527.54 kWh per capita Ranked 3rd. 41 times more than Western Sahara	329.66 kWh per capita Ranked 98th.

Country vs country: Compare key data on United States & Western Sahara and Compare key data on United States & Western Sahara compared

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