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 Mauritania Travel Tips |
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Find important informations
about Mauritania
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| OVERVIEW |
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Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976, but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984. Opposition parties were legalized and a new constitution approved in 1991.
In 1992, Taya won the nation's first multiparty presidential election, which opponents charged was rigged. Taya's attempts to restructure the economy provoked periodic protests, the most serious of which were the bread riots in Nouakchott in 1995.
In 2002, the government banned a political party, Action for Change (AC), which has campaigned for greater rights for blacks, calling it racist and violent. Two other opposition parties have been banned in the past few years. The IMF granted Mauritania debt relief in June 2002, wiping out $1.1 billion, half of Mauritania's overall debt.
Coup attempts in June 2003 and Aug. 2004 were thwarted. Taya's crackdown on Islamists and his support for Israel and the U.S. were believed to have sparked the attempts to overthrow him. In Aug. 2005, however, President Taya was deposed by military officers while out of the country.
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| GEOGRAPHY |
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Mauritania, three times the size of Arizona, is situated in northwest Africa with about 350 mi (592 km) of coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Morocco on the north, Algeria and Mali on the east, and Senegal on the south. The country is mostly desert, with the exception of the fertile Senegal River valley in the south and grazing land in the north.
Location: |
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara |
Coordinates: |
20 00 N, 12 00 W |
Area: |
total: 1,030,700 sq km
land: 1,030,400 sq km
water: 300 sq km |
Area comparative: |
slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico |
Land boundaries: |
total: 5,074 km
border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km |
Coastline: |
754 km |
Maritime claims: |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
Climate: |
desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty |
Terrain: |
mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills |
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Sebkha de Ndrhamcha -3 m
highest point: Kediet Ijill 910 m |
Natural resources: |
iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish |
Natural hazards: |
hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts |
Environment current issues: |
overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Senegal, which is the only perennial river |
Geography - note: |
most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country. |
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| POPULATION |
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Population: |
3,177,388 (July 2006 est.) |
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 45.6% (male 726,376/female 723,013)
15-64 years: 52.2% (male 818,408/female 839,832)
65 years and over: 2.2% (male 28,042/female 41,717) |
Median age: |
17 years |
Growth rate: |
2.88% |
Infant mortality: |
69.48 deaths/1,000 live births |
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 53.12 years
male: 50.88 years
female: 55.42 years |
Fertility rate: |
5.86 children born/woman |
Nationality: |
noun: Mauritanian(s)
adjective: Mauritanian |
Ethnic groups: |
mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30% |
Religions: |
Muslim 100% |
Languages: |
Hassaniya Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (official), French |
Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 41.7%
male: 51.8%
female: 31.9% (2003 est.) |
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| GOVERNMENT |
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Country name: |
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
local short form: Muritaniyah
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah |
Government type: |
republic |
Capital: |
Nouakchott |
Administrative divisions: |
12 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital district*; Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott*, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza |
Independence: |
28 November 1960 (from France) |
National holiday: |
Independence Day, 28 November (1960) |
Constitution: |
12 July 1991 |
Legal system: |
a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law |
Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
Executive branch: |
chief of state: Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL, whose Military Council for Justice and Democracy deposed longtime President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA in a coup on 3 August 2005
head of government: Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould BOUBAKAR
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); note - passage of a constitutional reform referendum in July 2006 limits president to two five-year terms; prime minister appointed by the president |
Legislative branch: |
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; a portion of seats up for election every two years; members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (81 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) |
Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts |
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| ECONOMY |
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Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for nearly 40% of total exports. The decline in world demand for this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. In the past, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in a buildup of foreign debt which now stands at more than three times the level of annual exports. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and in December 2001 received strong support from donor and lending countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. A new investment code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment. Ongoing negotiations with the IMF involve problems of economic reforms and fiscal discipline. In 2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicated potential extraction at current world oil prices.
GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $6.198 billion; per capita $2,000. Real growth rate: 5.5%. Inflation: 7% (2003 est.). Unemployment: 20% (2004 est.). Arable land: 0.5%. Agriculture: dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep. Labor force: 786,000 (2001); agriculture 50%, services 40%, industry 10% (2001 est.). Industries: fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum. Natural resources: iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish. Exports: $784 million f.o.b. (2004 est.): iron ore, fish and fish products, gold. Imports: $1.124 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.): machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods. Major trading partners: Japan, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Côte d'Ivoire, China, Russia, U.S., UK (2004).
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