Mauritania

Mauritania

area:	1,025,520sq km (395,953sq mi) 2,548,157
capital (population):	Nouakchott (611,883)
government:	Multi-party Islamic republic
ethnic groups:	Moor (Arab-Berber) 70%, Wolof 7%, Tukulor 5%, Soninke 3%, Fulani 1%
languages:	Arabic (official)
religions:	Sunni Muslim 99%
currency:	Ouguiya = 5 khoums

Republic in nw Africa; the capital is Nouakchott. The low-lying Sahara Desert covers most of Mauritania. A sandstone plateau runs n to s through the centre of Mauritania. In the se lies the Hodh basin. The majority of Mauritanians live in the semi-arid sw region of Sahel. Tropical savanna covers much of the rainier south.

History and Politics

Berbers migrated to the region in the first millennium ad. The Hodh basin lay at the heart of the ancient Ghana Empire (700–1200), and towns grew up along the trans-Saharan caravan routes. Mauritania was the cradle of the Almoravid dynasty, which spread Islam among the Saharan tribes. In the 14th and 15th century, the region formed part of the ancient Mali Empire. Portuguese mariners explored the coast in the 1440s, but European colonialism did not begin until the 17th century, when trade in gum arabic became important. Britain, France, and the Netherlands were all interested in this trade, and France set up a protectorate in 1903. In 1920, the region became a separate colony within French West Africa. In 1958, Mauritania became a self-governing territory in the French Union. It achieved full independence in 1960, and Mokhtar Ould Daddah was elected president. He was re-elected in 1966 and 1971. Mauritania became a one-party state. Devastating drought increased dissatisfaction with Ould Daddah's regime. In 1973, Mauritania withdrew from the franc zone and joined the Arab League. In 1976, Spain withdrew from Spanish Sahara: Morocco occupied the n 66% of the territory, while Mauritania took the rest. Nationalists, led by the guerrillas of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saharan Territories (POLISARIO), began an armed struggle for independence that drained Mauritania's resources. In 1978, an army coup overthrew Ould Daddah, and a military committee assumed control. In 1979, Mauritania withdrew from Western Sahara, and Morocco assumed sole authority (for political developments, see Western Sahara). In 1984, recognition of Western Sahara's independence provoked civil unrest, and Ould Taya came to power. A new constitution was adopted in 1991, and Ould Taya became president in 1992 multi-party elections. He was re-elected in 1997 after a boycott by opposition parties. Tension continues between the black African minority in s Mauritania and Arabs and Berbers in the n.

Economy

Mauritania is a low-income developing country (2000 GDP per capita, US$2000). The chief resource and export is iron ore. Agriculture employs 69% of the workforce. Droughts forced many nomadic herdsmen to migrate to the urban areas. Farmers in the se grow crops such as beans, dates, millet, rice, and sorghum.

Political map

Physical map

Websites

http://www.ambarim-dc.org