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Mauritania is a North African country. Located in the
western section of the Sahara desert, it occupies an
area of 1 030 700 km2. It is bathed by the
Atlantic Ocean to the west and borders Western Sahara to
the northwest and north, Algeria to the northeast, Mali
to the east and southeast, and Senegal to the
southwest. The main cities are Nouakchott, the capital,
with 678,700 inhabitants (2004), Nouadhibou (82,500
inhabitants), Kaédi (52,800 inhabitants), Kiffa (71,000
inhabitants) and Rosso (51,900 inhabitants). The
Mauritanian territory consists predominantly of desert
plains.
Climate
With a predominantly hot desert climate, Mauritania,
however, presents a dry tropical climate in the South,
with a short and irregular rainy season from July to
October.
Economy
Economically, Mauritania has its main activities in
agriculture and mining, after fishing. The main
cultivation areas are found next to the Senegal River
(in the South) and in the oases, mainly producing maize,
beans, sorghum, rice and cotton. Agriculture contributes
1/3 to GDP and employs 2/3 of the available labor,
although its productivity is dependent on climatic
conditions. Mining is strongly implemented in the cities
of Zouirât and Akjoujt, where there are extensive
deposits of iron and copper that are transported to the
port of Nouadhibou via rail links.
On the other hand, the coast of Mauritania is very
rich in fish, being exploited jointly by Mauritania and
countries like Iraq, South Korea, Romania and the
European Union. This wealth also ends up being
beneficial for the industrial sector, namely for the
canning and processing industries, for which much of
what is fished is destined. 50% of export earnings come
from fisheries. Mauritania's main trading partners are
France, Japan, Spain and Italy.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide
emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is
1.2.
Population
The population was, in 2006, 3 177 388 inhabitants, with
a population density of 3 inhabitants km2. The
birth and death rates are respectively 40.99% and
12.16%. Average life expectancy is 53.12 years. The
value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.454 and
the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG)
is 0.445 (2001). It is estimated that, in 2025, the
population will be 5 292 000 inhabitants.
The main ethnic groups are Moors (70%) and blacks
(30%). Of the total population, 1/4 are nomadic. The
Sunni Islamic religion is followed by almost the entire
population. The official language is Arabic.
History
Mauritania was first occupied by blacks and the Berbers
Sanhadja, who gave rise to the Berbers Almoravids
between the 11th and 12th centuries, responsible for the
Islamization of neighboring territories. However, and
through existing routes between Mauritania and Morocco,
the Arabs would subdue the power of the Almoravids in
the 15th century, when the Portuguese arrived on the
Mauritanian coast, where they built the Arguim fort in
1448. But it would be France to become the colonizer of
Mauritania, a process that has its origin in the
establishment of the French in Saint-Louis, at the mouth
of the Senegal River, culminating in 1920, the year in
which Mauritania moved to West African territory French,
being ruled from Saint-Louis, Senegal. In 1946
Mauritania became an overseas territory, in 1957, after
defeating Morocco in a small war in the North of the
country, this country elected a government under the
leadership of Moktar Ould Daddah, who established the
capital in Nouakchott. Mauritania, which had meanwhile
applied for entry into the Francophone Community in
1958, declared total independence on November 28, 1960.
Until he was overthrown by a military coup d'état on
July 10, 1978, Moktar Ould Daddah guided his entire
policy on the parameters of his excellent relationship
with France, as well as his active participation in the
United Africa Organization instead of approaching
Morocco , which in 1969 recognized Mauritania's
independence. However, due to Mauritania's interference
in the conflict between Morocco and the guerrillas of
the Western Sahara Polisario Front, Ould Daddah was
overthrown through a coup led by Col. Mustapha Ould
Salek. Moktar Ould Daddah was replaced by Lieutenant
Colonel Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly, who would be
replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Khouna Ould
Haidalla as Prime Minister in 1980. Four years later,
Colonel Maaouya Ould Taya led a peaceful coup.
assuming, either the post of president or the post of
prime minister, emerging victorious from the first
multi-party elections held in 1992. Two years later, on
January 20, just eight days before the elections for the
local government, the interior minister announced the
arrest of a group of voter card counterfeiters, which
included members of the government party PRDS
(Democratic and Social Republican Party) and opposition
parties. Even so, the PRDS won a landslide victory,
which was followed by countless complaints from the
opposition regarding the credibility of the electoral
process. That same year, while negotiations were
underway to transfer nearly 20,000 Tuareg refugees to
Mali, the Government of Mauritania was beginning to
tighten control over Islamic organizations, they even
arrested 60 leaders of some of these organizations,
accused of creating a climate of fear and undermining
the country's security. This action would have its
climax when, on October 19 of that year, the Government
ordered the suspension of all activities by the
militants of all Islamic organizations in Mauritania.
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