Background:Independent fromFrance in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the formerSpanish Sahara (nowWestern Sahara) in 1976, but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. 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. Mauritania remains, in reality, a one-party state.
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Geographic coordinates: 20 00 N, 12 00 W
Area:1,030,700 sq Km
Coastline: 754 km
Climate: desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Population: 2,998,563(July 2004 est.)
Ethnic groups: mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30%
Languages: Hassaniya Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (official), French
Economy:Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for half of total exports. The decline in world demand for this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. Mauritania withdrew its membership in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2000 and subsequently increased commercial ties with Arab Maghreb Union members Morocco and Tunisia, most notably in telecommunications. A new Investment Code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment.
Conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Government type: republic
Capital: Nouakchott
Administrative divisions:12 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital district*; Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott*, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza
Legal system:a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law
Rligion:Muslim 100%
Natural resources: iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate
