Portal:Mauritania

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The Mauritania Portal - بوابة موريتانيا

Flag of Mauritania Seal of Mauritania

Mauritania, formally the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Northwest Africa. 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 southeast, and Senegal to the southwest. By land area Mauritania is the 11th-largest country in Africa and 28th-largest in the world; 90% of its territory is in the Sahara. Most of its population of some 4.3 million lives in the temperate south of the country, with roughly a third concentrated in the capital and largest city, Nouakchott, on the Atlantic coast.

The country's name derives from Mauretania, the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It extended from central present-day Algeria to the Atlantic. Berbers occupied what is now Mauritania by the beginning of the third century AD. Groups of Arab tribes migrated to this area in the late seventh century, bringing with them Islam, Arab culture, and the Arabic language. In the early 20th century, Mauritania was colonized by France as part of French West Africa. It achieved independence in 1960, but has since experienced recurrent coups and periods of military dictatorship. The 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état was led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who won subsequent presidential elections in 2009 and 2014. He was succeeded by General Mohamed Ould Ghazouani following the 2019 elections, head of an autocratic government with a very poor human rights record, particularly because of its perpetuation of slavery; the 2018 Global Slavery Index estimates there are about 90,000 slaves in the country (or 2.1% of the population).

Despite an abundance of natural resources, including iron ore and petroleum, Mauritania remains poor; its economy is based primarily on agriculture, livestock, and fishing. Mauritania is culturally and politically part of the Arab world; it is a member of the Arab League and Arabic is the official language. The official religion is Islam, and almost all inhabitants are Sunni Muslims. Despite its prevailing Arab identity, Mauritanian society is multiethnic; the Bidhan, or so-called "white moors", make up 30% of the population, while the Haratin, or so-called "black moors", comprise 40%. Both groups reflect a fusion of Arab-Berber ethnicity, language, and culture. The remaining 30% of the population comprises various sub-Saharan ethnic groups. (Full article...)

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Al-Taya in 2003

Mu'awiya Ould Sid'Ahmed al-Taya (born 28 November 1941) is a Mauritanian military officer and politician who served as the President of Mauritania from 1984 to 2005. He also served as the fifth Prime minister of Mauritania from 1981 to 1992 except for a brief period in 1984.

Born in Atar, French Mauritania, al-Taya studied at Franco-Arab school and then French military school. He participated in the Western Sahara War against the Polisario Front. Al-Taya was appointed Chief of the Army staff in July 1980 and then as Prime minister in April 1981 after an unsuccessful coup attempt against Mohamed Haidalla.

Having come to power through a bloodless military coup, he won the 2003 elections and was ousted by a military coup in 2005. During his presidency, he pursued policies of Arab nationalism and deepening ties with the United States. He established close relations with Saddam Hussein of Iraq and had a pro-Iraqi stance on the Gulf War. Mu'awiya al-Taya himself is sometimes termed "Saddam Hussein of Africa". (Full article...)

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Mauritania competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. The country's participation at Athens marked its sixth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut in the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation included two track and field athletes, Youba Hmeida and Aminata Kamissoko, who were both selected by wildcards after both failed to meet either the "A" or "B" qualifying standards. Hmeida was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Neither of the Mauritanians progressed beyond the heats. (Full article...)

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Nouakchott Ten Hamadi Malouma Mauritania at the 2012 Summer Olympics Mauritania at the 2008 Summer Olympics Mauritania at the 2000 Summer Olympics

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The following are images from various Mauritania-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Portuguese Empire ruled Arguin (Portuguese: Arguim) from 1445, after Prince Henry the Navigator set up a feitoria, until 1633. (from Mauritania)
Image 2Qur'an collection in a library in Chinguetti (from Mauritania)
Image 3After the Portuguese, the Dutch, and then the French, took control of Arguin until abandoning it in 1685. (from Mauritania)
Image 4French West Africa, circa 1913. (from History of Mauritania)
Image 5Sandy area west of Chinguetti (from Mauritania)
Image 6Camel market in Nouakchott (from Mauritania)
Image 72011–12 Mauritanian protests. (from Mauritania)
Image 8Nouakchott is the capital and the largest city of Mauritania. It is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. (from Mauritania)
Image 9Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi (from Mauritania)
Image 10A Moorish family in the Adrar Plateau. (from Mauritania)
Image 11Rock art in the Sahara Desert (from Mauritania)
Image 12Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz in his hometown, Akjoujt, on 15 March 2009. (from Mauritania)
Image 13Terjit oasis in the Adrar Region (from Mauritania)
Image 14Mauritanian blogger and political prisoner Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir. (from Mauritania)
Image 15Chinguetti was a center of Islamic scholarship in West Africa. (from Mauritania)

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Related portals

Religions in Mauritania

Arab states

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WikiProjects

You are invited to participate in WikiProject Mauritania, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Mauritania.

WikiProject Africa

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Topics in Mauritania

Cities and towns

v t e Largest cities or towns in Mauritania National Agency for Statistics, Demographic and Economic Analysis (2023 census)
	Rank	Name	Region	Pop.	Rank	Name	Region	Pop.
Nouakchott Nouadhibou	1	Nouakchott	Nouakchott	1,446,761	11	Adel Bagrou	Hodh Ech Chargui	37,048	Kiffa
	2	Nouadhibou	Dakhlet Nouadhibou	173,525	12	Aïoun el Atrous	Hodh El Gharbi	36,517
	3	Kiffa	Assaba	84,101	13	Hamed	Assaba	36,448
	4	Vassala	Hodh Ech Chargui	79,508	14	Tintane	Hodh El Gharbi	35,995
	5	Kaédi	Gorgol	62,790	15	Atar	Adrar	35,171
	6	Zouérat	Tiris Zemmour	62,380	16	Néma	Hodh Ech Chargui	35,042
	7	Rosso	Trarza	61,156	17	Gouraye	Guidimagha	35,021
	8	Boghé	Brakna	50,205	18	Timbédra	Hodh Ech Chargui	34,244
	9	Sélibaby	Guidimagha	44,966	19	Voum Legleita	Gorgol	33,314
	10	Guerou	Assaba	40,315	20	Boutilimit	Trarza	32,347