Mauritania

**//__MAURITANIA__//**

Mauritania's flag was recently adopted on April 1, 1959.The flag is green with a yellow cresent moon and star. The yellow is said to symbolize the Sahara Desert. The color green and the crescent and star represent the Islamic faith. **//__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 and ruled Mauritania with a heavy hand for more than two decades. A series of presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule. Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. His term ended prematurely in August 2008 when a military junta deposed him and ushered in a military council government. Meanwhile, the country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and White and Black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities. The relative location of Mauritania Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara.
 * //__Location:__//**

The total area of Mauritania is 1,030,700.0 km². The land area is 1,030,400 km² and the water area is 300 km².
 * //__ Area: __//**

The countries that border Mauritania are Western Sahara, Senegal, Mali, and Algeria.
 * //__ Borders: __//**

The climate of Mauritania is desertly, constantly, hot, dry, and dusty. //__**Ethnic Groups:**__// In Mauritania there is a combination of mixed Moor/black which is 40%, Moor which is 30%, and black which is 30%. __//**Government Type:**//__ They follow a government type called Military Junta.
 * //__ Climate: __//**

Mauritania takes the universal suffrage of 18 years old.
 * //__ Suffrage: __//**[[image:https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/maps/large/mr-map.gif align="right" caption="Map of Mauritania"]]

__//**GDP per Capita:**//__ $2,100 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: [|186]

**//__ Agriculture Products: __//** Mauritania exports these supplies dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, shee.

__//** Imports (commodities): **//__ They spent $1.475 billion in the year 2006 which is the 160th is the world. They import mostly machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, and consumer goods. Their trade partners are France 16.3%, China 8.4%, Netherlands 6.2%, Spain 5.9%, Belgium 5.2%, US 4.9%, Brazil 4.4% in 2008.

Mauritania is a 100% Muslim nation with no other reported religion.
 * //__ Religion: __//**

Their terrain consists of mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara, and with some central hills.
 * //__ Terrain: __//**

They have several natural resources including iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, and fish.
 * //__ Natural Resource: __//**

Mauritania is a bit of arable land: 0.2%, a little permanent crops: 0.01% , and mostly other: 99.79% taken in 2005.
 * //__ Land Use: __//**

Some of the natural hazards are hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April, and they suffer from periodic droughts.
 * //__ Natural Hazards: __//**

Their environmental issues are overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by droughts are contributing to desertification; limited natural fresh water resources away from the Senegal, which is the only perennial river; locust infestation.
 * //__ Environmental Issues: __//**

They speak a variety of languages including Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French, and Hassaniya.
 * //__ Languages: __//**

The name of Mauritania's capital city is Nouakchott and their coordinates are 18 07 N, 16 02 W. They have a time difference of 5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time
 * //__ Capital: __//**

Mauritania's chief of state is President Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ elected August 5th 2009 and their head of government is Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed LAGHDAF elected on since August 14th 2008.
 * //__ Leader: __//**

They have a military expenditures of 5.5% of GDP in 2006 and is 14th in comparison to the world.
 * //__ Military Expenditures: __//**

They have several different industries including fish processing, oil production, mining of iron ore, gold, copper, and gypsum deposits have never been exploited.
 * //__ Industries: __//**

Their currency is Ouguiya and its exchange rate is 265.989 Ouguiya for every 1 U.S. Dollar.
 * //__ Currency/Exchange Rate: __//**

Mauritania had a 2.9% of GDP in 2006 which in comparison to the world it is 149th.
 * //__ Education: __//**

As of July 2009 their population is 3,129,486 and they're 136th in comparison to the world.
 * //__ Population: __//**

 Their population growth is 2.339% and it is 33rd in comparison to the world.
 * //__ Population Growth Rate: __//**

They have a net migration rate of -0.96 migrants/1,000 population in 2009 and compared to the world they are 122nd.
 * //__ Net Migration Rate: __//**[[image:mauritania_chinguetti_mosque.jpg align="right" caption="Mauritania Chinguetti Mosque"]]

__//**Infant Mortality Rate:**//__  There is a total of 63.42 deaths/1,000 live births which is 35 in comparison to the world. There are 68.65 deaths/1,000 live births of males and 58.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.) in females.

Mauritania's total average life expectancy is 60.37 years which is 182nd in the world. The male expectancy is 58.22 years and the female expectancy is 62.59 years in 2009. 
 * //__ Life Expectancy: __//**

The total average population that can read is 51.2%. For males 59.5% of them can read and 43.3% of females can read. This was taken in the 2000 census.
 * //__ Literacy: __//**

**//__Independence:__//** Mauritania became an independent country in 1960 on November 28 from France.

Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for nearly 40% of total exports. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. Before 2000, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in a buildup of foreign debt. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and nearly all of its foreign debt has since been forgiven. In December 2007 donors pledged $2.1 billion at a triennial Consultative Group review. A new investment code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment. Mauritania and the IMF agreed to a three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement in 2006 and Mauritania made satisfactory progress, but IMF and World Bank suspended their programs in Mauritania following the August 2008 coup; following the July 2009 Presidential elections, the IMF and World Bank agreed to meet with the Government to discuss a resumption. Oil prospects, while initially promising, have largely failed to materialize. The Government continues to emphasize reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and privatization of the economy.
 * //__ Economic Overview: __//**

The unemployment rate in Mauritania was 30% in 2008 and compared to the rest of the world it is the 177th. Which has increased since 2004 when it was only 20%.
 * //__ Unemployment: __//**

They export iron ore, fish and fish products, gold, copper, and petroleum.
 * //__ Exports (commodities): __//**

There is no illicit drugs in Mauritania.
 * //__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 180%;">Illicit Drugs: __//**

They had an average of 30,000 internet users in 2006.
 * //__ Internet Access: __//**

Mauritania is a charming and energetic country with lots to offer visitors, including the ancient Mauritanian historical monuments, the renaissance beauty and fashion metropolis cities.
 * //__ Tourist Information: __//**

__ November 28, 1960: __ The Islamic Republic of Mauritania proclaimed independence with Moktar Ould Daddah as president. __ October 27, 1961 __ Outer Mongolia and Mauritania become the 102nd and 103rd members of UN. __ 1980 __ Slavery was technically abolished. __ August 1997 __ A plague from Chad, that consists of locusts began to spread across Mauritania with as many as 200 locusts per square yard. __ October 28, 1999 __ Mauritania established full diplomatic relations with Israel. __ September 1, 2002 __ Mauritania appealed for international aid, saying lack of rain was causing a food crisis that has put at risk nearly 1 million people and half of the desert nation's cattle. __ June 9, 2003 __ In Mauritania heavy explosions shook Nouakchott, the capital of the Arab-dominated west African nation for a 2nd day as Pres. Maaouya Sid'ahmed Ould Taya, the pro-Western leader, battled a coup attempt. Army officers were reported to be angry over a campaign against Islamic extremists. Pres. Maaouya Sid'Ahmed Ould Taya said the government had regained control. __ October 22, 2003 __ The Arab-dominated West African nation of Mauritania opened its first real presidential campaign in more than a decade, with the grandson of black African slaves of the Arabs among five opposition candidates competing. __ January 7, 2004 __ Mauritania armed security force members stopped racers from the famed Paris-Dakar Rally, demanding $65 from each vehicle to pass the border. The 26th Paris-Dakar race crosses 6,920.4-miles, seven countries and the Sahara Desert, ending Jan. 18 outside the Senegalese capital, Dakar. __ January 10, 2004 __ A US anti-terror team arrived in Mauritania. The US had received information of threats against American interests in the West African nations of Mauritania and Senegal.
 * //__ Time line: __//**

Farmers in Mauritania will receive financial help to turn milk into butter and cheese, to clean and package the vegetables they grow and to add value to other raw products under a $12 million programme unveiled by the United Nations agency tasked with eradicating rural poverty.
 * //__ Current Event: __//**

**//__Works Cited:__//** http://timelines.ws/countries/MAURITANIA.HTML https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mr.html#top http://online.culturegrams.com/world/world_country.php?contid=1&wmn=Africa&cid=100&cn=Mauritania http://mauritania.embassyhomepage.com/mauritania_tourist_information_nouakchott_tourist_attractions_kaedi_flights_mauritania_holiday_resorts_nema_mauritanian_hotels.htm http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/mauritania/mauritania-10.JPG http://allafrica.com/stories/200910051612.html http://www.africatower.com/wma/mauritania_chinguetti_mosque.jpg