The West African nation of Mauritania was most likely named for its dominant ethnic group, the Moors, called Mauri in Latin. Most of the vast country forms part of the Sahara. A former French colony, Mauritania achieved independence in 1960. The capital is Nouakchott. Geography - Boats travel on the Senegal River past Kaédi, Mauritania (at back).
Mauritania covers an area of 398,000 square miles (1,030,700 square kilometers). It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to the north and northwest, Algeria to the northeast, Mali to the east and south, and Senegal to the southwest. Most of Mauritania's land is low and sandy. The average elevation is about 500 feet (150 meters) above sea level. Sand dunes cover about half of the land. The country has large reserves of iron ore, copper, and gypsum. Plants and animalsVegetation increases from north to south. The northern part of the country is arid desert with little vegetation. The desert gradually gives way in the south-central region to a belt of sparse grasses and a few acacia trees. The grassy savanna in the south has baobab and palm trees. The savanna once was home to large populations of lions, elephants, gazelles, ostriches, panthers, and other animals. The numbers of these animals have been greatly reduced by hunting, however. Wildlife is also threatened by the increasing use of land for farming or livestock raising. People and cultureMore than two thirds of the people are Moors, or of mixed Arab and Berber descent. The rest of the population consists almost entirely of other black Africans. They belong mostly to the Tukulor, Soninke, Fulani, and Wolof ethnic groups. The official language is Arabic, and Fulani, Soninke, and Wolof are national languages. French is also widely used. Most of the population lives in the south, especially along the Atlantic coast and in the Senegal River valley along the Senegal border. Settlements are mainly rural. A significant portion of the population still follows the traditional nomadic (wandering) lifestyle. Urban areas are growing rapidly, however, particularly the capital, Nouakchott. Islam is the official religion of Mauritania. Virtually all of the people are Muslims. The Arab and Muslim heritage of Mauritania's Moorish society is reflected in its arts. Goldsmithing (the making of gold articles) and jewelry making are among the country's fine-arts traditions. Islamic poetry and music flourish. EconomyMauritania's economy is based largely on farming and livestock raising. The chief crops are rice, sorghum, cowpeas, pulses, millet, and roots and tubers. Dates are grown in the oases. Sheep and goats are the most important livestock, followed by cattle and camels. Fish are caught in the Atlantic. They are sold domestically and are also among the country's main exports. Years of overfishing threaten this important revenue source, however. Mauritania's other important source of wealth is iron-ore production. Although mining employs less than 5 percent of the workforce, iron ore accounts for about half of the country's exports. Mauritania has little industry outside of mining and fish processing. HistoryThe earliest inhabitants of Mauritania were blacks and Berbers. In the 11th and 12th centuries the Almoravids, an alliance of Berber tribes, converted most of the people to Islam. In the 15th century nomadic Arab tribes moved into the area and dominated the Berbers. The first Europeans to reach Mauritania were the Portuguese in the 15th century. France established settlements in the area in the 19th century. The region became part of French West Africa in 1904 and was made a colony in 1920. Mauritania achieved independence in 1960. The country's first president was Moktar Ould Daddah. In 1976 the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara was divided between Mauritania and Morocco. The government of Mauritania battled rebel forces who were seeking independence for Western Sahara. In 1978 Ould Daddah was ousted in a military coup. The new military government signed a peace accord with the rebels and gave up Mauritania's claims to the Western Sahara. In 1980 a civilian government was established in Mauritania. Slavery of blacks, practiced by northern nomads, was officially abolished. In 1984 Colonel. Maaouya Ould Sidi Ahmed Taya became prime minister after a bloodless military coup. In 1992 Taya was elected president in the country's first democratic presidential elections. He remained president into the 21st century with little change to the nation's economic or political situation. International groups accused Taya's government of human-rights violations, including the continued permission of slavery. The country also experienced ethnic tensions between black Africans and the dominant Moors. Population (2001 estimate), 2,591,000. |