Mauritania

National name: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah

Government
Military rule. The legal system is based on Islam.

Geography
Mauritania, is situated in northwest Africa with about 350 mi (592 km) of coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. The country is mostly desert, with the exception of the fertile Senegal River valley in the south and grazing land in the north.

Historical Background
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. Two multiparty presidential elections since then were widely seen as flawed, but October 2001 legislative and municipal elections were generally free and open. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council headed by Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL, which declared it would remain in power for up to two years while it created conditions for genuine democratic institutions and organized elections. For now, however, Mauritania remains an autocratic state, and the country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population and different Moor (Arab-Berber) communities. In July 2008, the country's top four military leaders deposed Prime Minister Boubacar and President Abdellahi in a bloodless coup. Some of the same military leaders were involved in the 2005 coup that brought Abdellahi to power. In recent months, the country's legislature has criticized Abdellahi's handling of rising food prices and accused the government of corruption.

Facts & Figures

Name

MAURITANIA

Capital

Nouakchott

Government

Islamic republic2

Language

Arabic1

Religion

100% [27] Muslim, most of whom are Sunnis.

Area

1,030,700 km2 (29th)397,954 sq mi 

Population

3,291,000[1] (135th)

National Anthem

National Anthem of Mauritania