Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in northwest Africa. The capital city, which is also the biggest city in the country, is Nouakchott. It is on the Atlantic coast. Its president is General Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.
Islamic Republic of Mauritania | |
|---|---|
| Motto: | |
| Anthem: | |
| Location of Mauritania (dark green) in western Africa Location of Mauritania (dark green) in western Africa | |
| Capital and largest city | Nouakchott 18°09′N 15°58′W / 18.150°N 15.967°W |
| Official languages | Arabic |
| English, Italian, Spanish | |
| Ethnic groups | |
| Religion | Islam (Sunni) |
| Demonym(s) | Mauritanian |
| Government | Unitary semi-presidential Islamic republic |
| Mohamed Ould Ghazouani | |
| Mokhtar Ould Djay | |
| Mohamed Ould Meguett[1] | |
| Legislature | National Assembly |
| Independence | |
• Republic established | 28 November 1958 |
• Independence from France | 28 November 1960 |
• Current constitution | 12 July 1991 |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,030,000 km2 (400,000 sq mi)[2] (28th) |
• Water (%) | 0.03 |
| Population | |
• 2016 estimate | 4,301,018[3] |
• 2013 census | 3,537,368[2] |
• Density | 3.4/km2 (8.8/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2018 estimate |
• Total | $18.117 billion[4] (134th) |
• Per capita | $4,563[4] (140th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2018 estimate |
• Total | $5.200 billion[4] (154th) |
• Per capita | $1,309[4] (149th) |
| Gini (2014) | ▼ 32.6[5] medium |
| HDI (2019) |  0.546[6]low · 157th |
| Currency | Ouguiya (MRU) |
| Time zone | UTC (GMT) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +222 |
| ISO 3166 code | MR |
| Internet TLD | .mr |
At 1,030,700 km² (397,929 mi²),[7] Mauritania is the world's 29th-largest country (after Bolivia). It is similar in size to Egypt. The land is flat in most places.
Demographics
Religion
| Mauritania Religion | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islam | 100% | |||
Mauritania is almost 100% Muslim, most of whom are Sunni. People can be killed in Mauritania for being an atheist.[8] On 27 April 2018, The National Assembly passed a law that allows for the death penalty for certain apostasy-related crimes.[9]
Language
Afro-Asiatic languages
Modern Standard Arabic is the official language of Mauritania. Hassaniya is the Arabic dialect that is widely spoken throughout the country. It is mostly used in daily life.
Berber languages
There are also some Berber languages that are spoken in Mauritania. In the south Zenaga is spoken and close to the border with Mali in the southeast Tamasheq (a variety of Tuareg) is spoken. Zenaga is only spoken by a few hundred people and seems to be close to disappearance.[10]
Foreign languages
As Mauritania is a former colony of France, it is now part of the Francophonie. French is spoken including African French and Maghreb French.
Niger-Congo languages
There are several Niger-Congo languages that are spoken in Mauritania. These are Wolof, Soninke, Pulaar and Bambara.[11]
Economy
Mauritania is rich in natural resources but has a low GDP.[12] Many people living in Mauritania depend on farming and livestock. Mauritania has a large deposit of iron ore, which is almost half of the country's total exports.
Mauritania Media
The Mauritanian national anthem performed by the United States Navy Band. Converted from MP3 to OGG.
Map of Mauritania
Rock art in the Sahara Desert
The Portuguese Empire ruled Arguin (Portuguese: Arguim) from 1445, after Prince Henry the Navigator set up a feitoria, until 1633.
Nouakchott is the capital and the largest city of Mauritania. It is one of the largest cities in the Sahara.
Chinguetti was a center of Islamic scholarship in West Africa.
- Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.jpg
- Mauritania-aziz-in-his-home-city-Akjoujt-15mar09 1.jpg
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz in his hometown, Akjoujt, on 15 March 2009.
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References
- ↑ Ould Baya élu président du parlement mauritanien. 9 October 2018. https://www.bbc.com/afrique/region-45793286. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
Other websites
Media related to Mauritania at Wikimedia Commons
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