Mauritania is a country in the Sahara region. Part of the
Maghreb, Mauritania borders Algeria, Senegal and Mali, as well as
the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
Mauritania is
basically made up of desert and ocean. It is not surprising that the
main attractions for tourists are the desert, in the Adrar and
Tagant areas (around Atar), and the ocean, in the Arguim Bank (a
nature reserve full of dunes, with millions of birds and protected
by the UNESCO). The Adrar region is exactly how you imagine the
Sahara: endless ergs (dunes) and regs (rocky desert) with small
mountains. Most tourists stay on the west coast of the country,
although there are some attractions inland (for example, the rock
formations of Aioun). If you decide to travel to these regions, you
better have plenty of time.
Mauritania is an Islamic
Republic. Don't be intimidated by the political status - most
Mauritanians are not extremists, even though most people in the
north of the country are very conservative and reserved. The
southern part is full of friendly people, and very hospitable, even
if they are not used to tourists.
Traveling to Mauritania has
already been easier, with flights from France to Atar during the
winter, although today they are suspended. Guides and tourist
agencies are easy to find. However, Mauritania is not connected to
the international banking system. A Visa card will only work at some
international ATMs such as Atijari or the Société Générale in
Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. Apart from these, credit cards are not
accepted anywhere else. It is easy to exchange euros, dollars and
CFA to ouguiya in Nouakchott, however.
Nouakchott, the capital and largest city of Mauritania.
Highlights of the city include the Nouakchott Museum, various markets
such as the Nouakchott Silver Market, and the beaches.
Atar - Known
as a gateway to visit the ancient Moorish towns of Ouadane and
Chinguetti (see below), it is also an important stop on the Dakar rally.
Chinguetti - Along with Ouadane, Oualata and Tichit, it's been a world
heritage site since 1996. It's a former ksar, or medieval merchant town,
center of the trans-Saharan routes. It continues to attract visitors who
come to see its architecture, its old libraries and its exotic
atmosphere.
Nouadhibou, a major fishing center and industrial port,
as well as the second largest city in the country. Nouadhibou's tourist
attractions include the Table Remarquable, several markets, a boat
graveyard and Mediterranean monk seals.
Tichit, a partially abandoned
city known for its ancient architecture. The small town also has a
museum.
Other destinations
Banco de Arguim National Park - A
national park on the Mauritanian coast, which is home to several species
of birds (which, incidentally, are the main attraction of the park. It
is close to Nouadhibou and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ouadane
and Oualata - Along with Tichit and Chinguetti (see above) constitute a
UNESCO World Heritage Site due to their importance as ancient merchant
towns. They contain a well-preserved historical heritage.
All citizens of western nations need a visa to enter. People holding
West African passports do not need a visa.
In 2009, visas to
Mauritania could not be bought on arrival, so foreigners had to get them
outside the country (eg Rabat). A single entry visa costs 37 euros,
double entry is 52 euros. Two passport-sized photos are required, as
well as a copy of the passport information pages. Visas are available
the next day.
For most people, no vaccinations are needed to
travel to Mauritania. Only people coming from yellow fever endemic areas
need to present a vaccination certificate.
By airplane
Nouakchott International Airport is the only international airport in
the country and the base of Mauritanian Airways, which flies from Paris
(approximately five hours), Dakar, Abidjan and Nouadhibou. It also
receives flights from Algiers through Air Algérie and from Paris through
Air France. There are options for Tunes or Las Palmas. Another
alternative is to take a charter flight, which costs around €400.
Of boat
The main port is Nouadhibou and there is also a small
port at Nouakchott, while St. Louis in Senegal also serves Mauritania.
By car
You can enter Mauritania by land crossing the borders with
Western Sahara, Mali or Senegal. These borders can be crossed by own
vehicle or by bicycle.
The road from Western Sahara/Morocco
enters the country near Nouadhibou. The road is paved all the way to the
Moroccan border post of Fort Guerguarat, where you have to cross about
seven kilometers on a winding and stony, yet simple, road until you
reach the Mauritanian border, where the tarmac road starts again.
Although the trip is simple, you have to be careful not to leave the
road between the two border posts, because the region is a minefield.
This danger is still present until you cross the train line, already on
the Mauritanian side.
There are numerous roads that cross the
border between Mauritania and Mali. The best choice is the one that
connects Nara, in Mali to Ayoun al Atrous in Mauritania. Border
formalities in Mali are carried out at various buildings around Nara
(local children will take you to the police or customs in exchange for a
small gift). Mauritanian formalities are carried out in a series of
buildings along the border road.
An alternative route runs
directly from Mauritania to Timbuktu, Mali. Travel to the road southeast
of Néma, which is at the end of a tarred road leading from Nouakchott.
This road continues to Bassekounou before crossing the border near Léré,
Mali, then to Niafunké and on to Timbuktu.
By bus/coach or collective taxi
From Morocco: There are currently
no buses, although CTM (the national bus company is planning to
establish a service from Dakhla to Nouakchott. Access from Morocco is
currently only available by hitchhiking (you can try Camping Moussafir
north of Dakhla ) or by paying a passage from Mauritanian traders (which
can be found north of Dakhla), costing between 250-380Dhs (negotiable).
The journey should start very early and will take most of the day, and
the border post is closed at night Cars driven by experienced drivers
can be booked at Hotel Sahara This costs about 250Dhs per person Be
careful and avoid a driver with an obvious disorder of facial
pigmentation Has a reputation for being aggressive towards passengers
For Morocco: Cars and drivers can be arranged to cross the minefield
from Mauritania to Western Sahara at hotels in Nouadhibou.
From
Senegal: You can take a collective taxi from Dakar (6,000 CFA) and
Saint-Louis (2,000 CFA) (among others) to Rosso, where a ferry makes the
journey across the Senegal River, and other collective taxis can be
taken as far as Nouakchott (about 2,000 UM). Beware of collective taxis
offering deals that seem too good to be true. There may be illegal taxis
and they can be a dangerous means of transport. There will likely be a
few drivers waiting. Ask and find out the standard rate. Other border
points with Senegal include the Diama Dam north of Saint-Louis.
From
Mali: There are vans that leave Kayes for Selibaby daily. It is also
possible to enter Nema, and across the southern border at several
points.
by train/train
There are no trains between Mauritania
and its neighbours.
By airplane
Air Mauritanie (MR) operates flights between
Nouakchott and Nouadhibou.
By car
There are good roads that
connect Nouakchott with Rosso in the south of the country, Néma in the
southeast and Akjoujt in the north. The Route de l'Espoir, a paved
motorway runs from Nouakchott to Mali. All other routes are dust roads.
In some regions during and after the rainy season, roads can be
impassable. In the dry season the paths can be obscured by sand; a guide
is highly recommended, if not essential.
It is recommended that
you have an International Driving Permit, although it is not legally
required.
Tourists should not attempt a desert trip without a
spare set of parts and essential safety equipment. The Direction du
Tourisme in Nouakchott, part of the Ministère du Commerce de l'Artisanat
et du Tourisme, can provide further information and advice on trips of
this type.
car hire
Available in Nouakchott, Nouadhibou and
Atar. You can rent 4x4 vehicles and these are recommended, although they
are expensive.
by bus/coach
Several companies (El Bouragh, El
Gavileh, Global, Al-Moussavir, As-Salaam, Somtir, Sonef and LTM) operate
the Nouakchott-Nouadhibou route, most of them making one trip per day.
by train/train
There is only one train line in the country,
connecting Nouadhibou, Choum and Zouerat, which is a tourist attraction
in itself. The train is said to be the longest in the world, with over
150 carriages and running over two kilometres. It is used to transport
iron ore from the Zouerat mine to the port of Nouadhibou.
There
is only one passenger carriage, but you can travel in one of the
carriages carrying the iron ore (which is advisable as the passenger
carriage is crowded). The ticket price is 1500 ougiyas if you go in the
passenger car, while if you go in one of the other cars it's free.
Remember to take a scarf to cover your face, as there is a lot of dust
in the air.
Hassaniya Arabic is the language of the Moorish majority, while other
languages are spoken by black southern Africans, including Pulaar,
Wolof, and Soninke (especially in the Guidimakha region around
Selibaby). French is the second official language and is spoken by many,
particularly near cities. In the countryside, people often speak several
languages but not French.
It is considered polite to say Salaam
aleikum when entering a taxi, office or when greeting someone. It is the
greeting for many of the region's dialects.
Traditional villages in the interior of the country, such as Ouadane,
Oualata, Tichitt and Chinguetti - In the interior of the country you can
find old villages, forgotten by time and that have changed little over
the centuries. They are one of the biggest attractions in the country,
and well worth a visit.
Desert - The desert is one of the most
characteristic elements of the country, and at sunset the dunes gain a
new range of colors, and become much more beautiful. Very beautiful, one
of the must-visit spots, especially during the cooler parts of the day
(dawn and dusk; of course you could go at night, but you couldn't see
anything).
Fishing villages - Scattered along the coast, these
villages have a unique character. See the men pulling the fish and buy
the freshest seafood in the country. Don't forget to haggle!
You can buy souvenirs at Marche Capital or Marche Sixieme in
Nouakchott, or in tourist shops on Adrar. Fabric is sold in boutiques
across the country, but Kaedi is famous for its dyeing technique.
Overall, the quality of most Mauritanian souvenirs is not as high as
one might expect. You can find leather products, pipes, wooden bowls,
teapots and silver jewelry, among other things (be careful with the
quality of the jewelry). The fabric, however, is hand-dyed and can be
very beautiful. The fabric will be sold as a mulafa (veil) - usually
transparent - or as material for a boubou, with two separate pieces, for
a skirt and a top. Fabric costs between CU1500 to CU8000, depending on
the quality and work involved.
When buying anything in
Mauritania, try to negotiate the price. Sometimes the initial price can
be up to three times more than the real price. Be nice, but don't worry
if you insult someone by asking for a lower price.
There is a decent variety of restaurants in Nouakchott with dishes
ranging from 1000 to 2500 UM. Most restaurants in the capital offer
pretty much the same menu - simple pizzas, hamburgers, sandwiches, and
salads. There are a number of restaurants on the road from the Stade
Olympique to the French Embassy. Some good restaurants on this road are:
Pizza Lina, Cafe Liban, and Le Petit Cafe. Sahara Cafe, on the other
side of the stadium, is also a good place for pizza, sandwiches or
Lebanese food, and has some of the most reasonable prices in town. Close
to the Marche Capitale, there is a street of sandwich shops offering
almost identical menus, the best of which is Prince (which taxi drivers
know by name).
Outside of Nouakchott, it is possible to find
burgers in Atar. In addition, you only have traditional dishes to choose
from: fish and rice (chebujin) in the south and meat with rice or
couscous in the north. Mechui, or grilled sheep, is also delicious,
although a bit more expensive. Some fruit can be found in most regional
capitals. Most restaurants outside of Nouakchott are not very sanitary,
so be careful. If you want, in the absence of a restaurant, you can pay
a family to prepare the food for you, which should be relatively cheap
(no more than 1500 one), although it takes a while (about two hours to
buy the food and prepare it -there).
Bottled water can be
purchased for 200 UM and is a good idea for people not used to Africa.
If none of the ideas appeal to you, you can go to a supermarket and
buy bread, crackers and drinks.
Tea is normally served after a
meal, but is not included with a meal in a restaurant. If you're offered
tea at someone's house, it's not polite to leave until at least the
second or third cup.
Despite being an Islamic
country there are some fun bars in the capital. Drinking can be
expensive, however: beers can cost around 4.50 euros! There is a
nightclub within the French Embassy complex. You can also try Salamander
or Club VIP. Next to this is Casablanca, a bar with live music on
weekends.
Note: It is illegal to import alcohol
You can find accommodation of all
types, although there are only higher class hotels in Nouakchott and
Atar. "Auberges" and campsites can rent beds/mattresses for around 1500
ouguiya in Adrar and Nouadhibou.
There is usually at least one
hotel in every regional capital, although they can be expensive. If
possible, become friends with the locals and try to get invited to stay
with the family. As long as you don't mind a) sleeping on the floor or a
foam mattress b) sleeping/eating near animals, you're likely to have a
memorable stay.
The area near Western Sahara is a
minefield, and traveling through this area is highly inadvisable. The
border areas with Algeria and Mali are known for the number of robbers.
In other areas, you should avoid showing money or expensive things.
Although it can be intimidating, a little research and common sense will
ensure a good trip to Mauritania.
Seek advice from your embassy
or consulate. Due to the increasing number of attacks on Westerners in
recent years, most Eastern nations advise great caution.
For most Westerners, the local water is not safe to drink.
Tourists should only drink bottled water if they don't have access to
some sort of water filtration or purification system. The Sahara is a
very dry climate. You can get dehydrated very easily, and not even
realize it. In the hottest part of the year you may need to drink
several liters of water a day.
The south of the country is an
endemic area for malaria, and tourists should always use a mosquito net
in this area. Mosquitoes are less common in the dry desert of the north
of the country, but they exist all year round in the south, although
there are fewer in the dry season (December-May).
Learn to say Salaam alaykum and greet people like that. If you're a man,
don't try to shake a woman's hand, and vice versa (some African women
have no problem shaking a man's hand, but it's best not to try to
initiate contact). You can, however, say hello and touch your heart with
your hand.
Be careful to eat with your right hand, especially
outside of Nouakchott, as you may not be offered cutlery there. As
elsewhere in the Arab world, the left hand is reserved for the toilet.
If you're left-handed... try harder.
Covering your head isn't
necessary, but it's polite. Westerners, especially women, can be targets
of unwanted attention and harassment. Know, however, that many
Mauritanians, both men and women, think that eye contact is a sexual
invitation.
If you are traveling with someone of the opposite
sex, avoid touching each other in public. It is much more common to see
two men holding hands than a man and a woman. As for clothing, the more
skin you show, the more negative attention you get. In Nouakchott, women
can wear trousers, but avoid tops and knee-length skirts. Long skirts
are the best choice for women. It's also a good idea to cover your arms.
If you are a woman there is no non-sexual reason to be private with
a man. If they ask you to go into an office or go to the back of a store
or something like that, don't go. If you stay private with a man,
however briefly, everyone will assume you're going to have sex, and
they'll judge you for it.
If you are gay or lesbian, do not
reveal your sexuality to any Mauritanian. They would react very harshly
to this. Don't do anything in public that implies you are, or you will
be put to death.
If you are white, Nasrani, Toubac and Toubab are
words referring to you. Small children, and sometimes naughty adults,
may refer to you by this name. Nasrani means person from Nazareth. Since
Christians follow the teachings of Christ, and Christ is from Nazareth,
all Christians are Nazarenes.
Beware of people who take advantage
of your good education to make a sale. Know that in markets, almost
everyone will try to be your friend to sell you something for a higher
price. They've tried various tricks to get him to buy (including
"gifting"), and some might even accuse him of not liking Africans if he
doesn't want to look into their shop.
There are
two GSM network operators: Mattel and Mauritel Mobiles. For more
information on coverage and roaming, see GSM-World.
If you are
traveling through the desert, where there is no network, you can use a
satellite phone. Thuraya, Iridium or Inmarsat. Thuraya is the cheapest
and easiest to use. Equipment is also available for hire.
You can
find internet cafes with DSL internet in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou for
200-300 UM an hour. There are also "cybercafes" with slower internet
spread across the country.
The surface of Mauritania presents a fairly uniform picture. The coastal strip, in the south between the mouth of the Senegal and Cap Timiris, is a flat, level coast, in the north a steep coast with bays and islands, and inland there is an extensive lowland, which forms the western edge of the Sahara with its sand dune fields. A short steep climb leads to the largely flat highland (300-500 m above sea level) in the central part of the country. Here lie the sandstone plateaus of Adrar, Tagant and Affollé as well as individual inselbergs, including Kediet Ijill, the highest elevation in the country at 915 m. The natural wonder of Guelb er Richat is located in the center of the Sahara, on the border between the administrative regions of Tiris Zemmour and Adrar. To the east, the plateaus, which are mainly covered with scree fields, descend to the sand-filled El Djouf basin, which has no outlet. The only river in Mauritania that has a constant flow of water is the Senegal, which forms the border with its neighbouring country of the same name to the south.
Located in the Tropic of Capricorn, Mauritania has a mostly dry, hot desert climate. The only source of cooling is the cold Canary Current off the coast, which often causes fog in the coastal area. In the northern half of the country, precipitation falls in winter, but rarely more than 100 mm per year; in the far south, it is 300–400 mm, mainly from July to October. Average January temperatures are 20–24 °C, July temperatures 30–34 °C, with maximum summer temperatures reaching 50 °C.
Grass and bush areas as well as acacias mark the transition from the
desert steppe to the thorn savannah of the Sahel. Date palms grow mainly
in the oases, and in the floodplain savannah of Senegal there are also
raffia palms, baobabs and bamboo. There are extensive salt marshes in
the coastal region.
Originally, the savannahs were home to large
animals such as antelopes, elephants, lions and hyenas; the desert
steppe provided sufficient food for gazelles, ostriches, warthogs,
cheetahs and wild cats. However, most of the country's larger animal
species are extinct. Various scorpions and snakes can be found in the
dunes.
Nile crocodiles have also been discovered in Mauritania,
which mostly live on gueltas and make the best use of the low rainfall
to retreat into cool crevices underground during the dry season. They
reduce their metabolism to a minimum and fall into a state of torpor
that allows them to survive for months without water or food.
Between 1990 and 2000, the forest cover decreased by 2.7 percent.
There are two national parks in Mauritania:
Banc d’Arguin National
Park (designated in 1976)
Diawling National Park (designated in 1990)
The earliest evidence of settlement by nomadic Berbers and black
African peoples dates back to 10,000 BC. The country's name is derived
from the Saharan tribe of the Moors. This is also where the names of the
Roman provinces on the African Mediterranean coast, Mauretania Tingitana
and Mauretania Caesariensis, come from, which have nothing to do with
the present-day country of Mauritania.
When Arab warriors brought
Islam to the Maghreb in the 7th century, nothing changed in the life of
the community of peoples south of the Sahara. Islam spread along the
trade and caravan routes through the Sahara, but remained a religion of
"foreign traders" for centuries until the upper classes in the African
urban communities also became interested in this religion and converted
to Islam. Even when the great empires of West Africa converted to Islam
in the 11th century and Islam penetrated further into the region from
Lake Chad (Kanem-Bornu) and the Niger (Gana, Songhai, Mali), the life of
the rural population, which was shaped by traditional religions and
animism, was preserved. Muslims had their own city apart from the royal
city - as is reported from the Niger Arc, for example - they led an
independent life within the kingdoms, and when the ruler and his family
converted to Islam, this did not simultaneously mean the Islamization of
the entire state. Chinguetti was considered the seventh holiest site in
Islam and was for a long time the religious center of a large area and a
meeting point for pilgrims on their way to Mecca.
At the
beginning of the 11th century, Islamized Moors founded the Almoravid
Empire, which in its heyday in the 11th and 12th centuries also
incorporated the kingdom of Gana and extended as far as the Ebro in
Spain. This empire collapsed in 1147; the north of Mauritania remained
loosely connected to Morocco, the south to Mali. Towards the end of the
15th century, the nomadic Kunta Arabs began to preach the doctrine of
Islam again. Around the middle of the 16th century, the Qadiriyya
brotherhood, to which the Kunta Arabs belonged, began to spread Islam
throughout western Sudan. It was only during this period that Islam
changed from a mere "religion of rule" to the religion of the
individual, but non-Islamic ruling houses ruled in old Muslim
strongholds until the 18th century. Then a reform of Islam began among
the Fulbe and other tribes, which was accompanied by ideologization and
radicalization.
Since the country's coast was difficult to access and the colonial
powers had no knowledge of the natural resources available for
centuries, they showed little interest in Mauritania until the end of
the 19th century (see Arguin). At the turn of the 20th century, the
French began to subjugate the country from the south, which was of
strategic importance to them as a link between West and North African
possessions. In 1904, the area became French territory as part of French
West Africa (AOF), and in 1920 a French colony, but it was not until
1934 that the French succeeded in suppressing the last uprisings in the
north. After the Second World War, Mauritania became an overseas
province as part of the French decolonization policy and thus a member
of the Union française.
According to the Loi Lamine Guèye of
1946, all citizens had the right to vote in elections to the French
parliament and also in local elections. The right to stand for election
was not explicitly mentioned in the law, but was not excluded either. In
French West Africa, which included Mauritania, there was no two-class
voting system for elections to the Paris Parliament as in other French
colonies, but there was for all local elections. Until 1955, there were
still areas in the east of the country that were unknown to Europeans:
that year, the Frenchman Théodore Monod was the first European to cross
the El Djouf region. On June 23, 1956, while still under French
administration, the loi-cadre Defferre was introduced, confirming
universal suffrage. The first elections took place in 1957. In 1959,
Mokhtar Ould Daddah became head of government.
Despite Moroccan claims to Mauritania, the country gained its independence on November 28 (National Day) 1960. On May 20, 1961, women's active and passive suffrage was adopted in the now independent state. Ould Daddah, who also called himself "Father of the Fatherland", was also President from 1961 and Secretary General of the Mauritanian People's Party (PPM) from 1964. The disputes between the neighboring countries over ownership of the former Spanish overseas province of Spanish Sahara (Western Sahara), which had existed since around 1970, ended in 1976 after Spain withdrew from the territory with its annexation by Morocco and Mauritania. Since then, the Saharan guerrilla movement Polisario has been fighting to establish its own state. This conflict had catastrophic economic consequences for Mauritania, which ultimately led to the overthrow of Ould Daddah and the banning of the PPM in 1978. In August 1979, Mauritania gave up all claims to the Western Sahara territory. In the years that followed, Mauritania experienced several coups and government reshuffles. Colonels Mustafa Ould Salek (1978–1979), Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly (1979–1980) and Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla (1980–1984) ruled in succession. On December 12, 1984, Colonel Maaouya Ould Sid’Ahmed Taya came to power. At the beginning of 1991, he announced a democratic transformation of the country. In accordance with a constitution adopted in July 1991, free parliamentary and presidential elections were held in 1992, although these were contested by the opposition.
Due to the constant stagnation and the lack of reforms, there were
repeated coup attempts against Taya, which finally succeeded on August
3, 2005. On that day, a group of officers calling themselves the
Military Council for Justice and Democracy (Conseil Militaire pour la
Justice et la Démocratie CMJD) occupied the army headquarters, the
headquarters of the state radio and television, as well as the
ministries and the presidential palace in Nouakchott and declared
President Taya deposed. The putschists had taken advantage of Taya's
stay abroad in Saudi Arabia for the funeral of King Fahd and suspended
the constitution. Taya did not return to Mauritania, but after stops in
Niger and Gambia, found refuge in Qatar. The putschists appointed the
long-serving police and intelligence chief, Colonel Ely Ould Mohammed
Vall, as the new leader of the country. The new military government
announced that it would introduce democratic conditions in Mauritania
within two years. Colonel Vall was appointed chairman of the 17-member
military council and thus head of state and government. On August 5,
Mauritania was temporarily excluded from the African Union (AU) "until
constitutional order is restored."
A new, more democratic
constitution was approved by the population in a constitutional
referendum in June 2006. The first round of parliamentary elections took
place on November 19 with a turnout of 69.5%, and the second round on
December 3, 2006. Members of the military government had promised in the
run-up to the elections not to run for public office themselves. Almost
half of the seats were won by independent candidates, including many
members of the former ruling party who did not want to be associated
with the overthrown regime, as well as Islamists whose parties had been
banned. In the run-up to the elections, the opposition and civil society
groups had accused the military government of weakening the established
parties and promoting independent candidacies in order to maintain
greater influence on the political process. Election observers described
the elections as free and fair. On January 21 and February 4, 2007, the
Senate was elected in indirect elections by 3,688 local councils.
In the presidential elections on March 11, none of the 20 candidates
was able to achieve the necessary absolute majority. The former finance
minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, who had lived abroad for 15
years and was considered the candidate of the military government,
achieved the best result with 24.8% of the vote in a voter turnout of
70.2%, just ahead of the candidate of the opposition CFCD, Ahmed Ould
Daddah, with 20.7%. Daddah is a half-brother of Mauritania's first
president after independence, Mokhtar Ould Daddah. Since 2000, Daddah
had become the most important opponent of the deposed President Taya and
had been imprisoned several times. The third strongest candidate was the
former head of the central bank, Zeine Ould Zeidane. While the two
candidates from the black African minority did surprisingly well with
eight to almost ten percent, the two candidates from the Islamist camp
fell well short of expectations with just under two to almost eight
percent. The runoff election on March 25 ended with a voter turnout of
67.4% and Abdallahi won, receiving 52.9% of the vote after Zeidane and
other candidates recommended his election to their supporters. Daddah
acknowledged his defeat. On April 19, Abdallahi appointed Zeidane as the
new prime minister.
After the 2006 parliamentary elections, the Coalition des Forces du Changement Démocratique (CFCD) won a total of 41 seats, the former ruling party Parti Républicain, Démocrate et Social (PRDS) only seven, and other parties and independent candidates a total of 47 seats. In the Senate, the independents have 38 seats and the CFCD 15.
On August 6, 2008, there was another military coup against the country's president and head of government. The military had taken both politicians into custody in the capital Nouakchott. The French Foreign Office initially reported that a group of Mauritanian generals had arrested the head of government, Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef. Eyewitnesses reported troop movements in Nouakchott to foreign press representatives. Radio and television stations stopped broadcasting as a result. The military junta was led by four high-ranking officers who had recently been dismissed for opposing an increasing turn to Islamist forces. The self-proclaimed "State Council" of eleven members of the army was led by the former commander of the presidential guard, General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. Previously, 69 of the 95 members of parliament had called for President Abdallahi to resign.
On July 18, 2009, presidential elections were held for the first time
since the coup. There were nine candidates, including the former junta
leader Aziz. The election was monitored by 250 international observers.
On July 20, the Interior Ministry announced that Abdel Aziz had won 52.6
percent of the vote. He was thus the election winner. The four most
promising competitors accused Aziz of electoral fraud.
In the
second presidential election after the coup, which took place in June
2014, Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz received more than 80 percent of the
votes cast according to the official count. Voter turnout this time was
more than 56 percent. Aziz had four opponents, with the larger
opposition parties calling for a boycott of the election.
Mauritania has been relatively safe since 2011, mainly due to the stable
security situation and effective measures against terrorism. There has
not been a single attack in the Islamic Republic since then. Security is
largely ensured by the Méharistes, dromedary-riding patrols that patrol
the borders and play an important role in protecting the country. This
unit not only supports national security, but also interacts with the
local population (and supplies them with medicine, for example) to build
trust and gather information, which contributes to stability in the
region. Mauritania also enjoys the trust of the West because it is
considered a reliable partner in the fight against terrorism.
The culture of the Moors is shaped by the formerly dominant nomadic way of life. The highly developed handicraft tradition produced jewelry and household items (wooden bowl gdah) that are intended for life in the tent (chaima) and for transport by camel (riding saddle rahla). In the tent, luggage is stored on a rack (amchaqab). The armrest cushion surmije was adopted from the tent into the living rooms of the houses. The centers of handicrafts are Boutilimit (silver and leather goods) and Mederdra (wood carvings and blacksmithing) in the administrative region of Trarza.
The sophisticated music of the Bidhan historically belongs to the
ruling class of the Hassani (warrior caste) and is influenced by Arabic
music. The complex music theory is based on the musical possibilities of
the internal spike lute tidinit, which is only played by men. Women play
the bow harp ardin as the only melodic instrument. The usual rhythm
instrument used by women is the kettle drum t'bol. Professional
musicians traditionally belong to the Iggāwen (sing. iggīw) caste of
musicians, who are counted among the West African Griots due to their
social function as storytellers. In today's urban music scene, the
tidinit has largely been replaced by the louder-sounding electric
guitar.
The Arab-West African-influenced folk music of the
Haratin and craftsmen (maʿllemīn) differs from the music of the Bidhan.
Their musical instruments for private entertainment are the one-stringed
calabash lute gambra (cf. gimbri) and the one-stringed bowed lute rbāb
(cf. ribāb). There are also various flutes and percussion instruments,
such as the calabash rattle daghumma. The music of the black African
Soudans is based on the musical styles of Mali and Senegal.
Due to the dry, hot desert climate, vegetables usually have to be
imported to Mauritania at great expense, which is why they are rarely on
the menu in Mauritanian cuisine. Fish and seafood are also rarely on the
table, even though Mauritania is on the Atlantic. Popular types of meat
are beef, lamb and chicken, but pigeons and antelopes are also popular.
In Mauritania, couscous is considered a national dish. Other typical
Mauritanian specialties are Maru we-llham (rice with meat) and Al mechwi
(meat cooked in heated sand). Popular drinks are tea, which is usually
heavily sweetened, as well as milk, curds and zrig, a chilled drink made
from yoghurt or milk, water and sugar. A cooking culture could not
develop in a nomadic everyday life that was characterized by the search
for pastureland, water and constant scarcity. The basis of nutrition in
the desert is camel milk or cow's milk and dates. It was not until the
beginning of the 20th century that the tea culture from Morocco spread
throughout the country and green tea with peppermint became the national
drink.
Until 2007, the Dakar Rally and since 2009 the Africa Eco Race have
passed through Mauritania.
Special Olympics Mauritania was
founded in 1997 and has taken part in the Special Olympics World Games
several times.
Mauritania had 4.9 million inhabitants in 2023. Annual population growth was + 2.6%. A surplus of births contributed to population growth (birth rate: 33.0 per 1000 inhabitants vs. death rate: 7.2 per 1000 inhabitants). The number of births per woman was statistically 4.3 in 2022. Starting from a high level of almost 7 children per woman, the fertility rate has been falling continuously since the 1960s. The life expectancy of Mauritania's inhabitants from birth was 64.7 years in 2022. The median age of the population in 2021 was 17.6 years. In 2023, 41.2 percent of the population was under 15 years old, while the proportion of people over 64 was 3.2 percent of the population.
The previously high proportion of nomads has declined sharply. In
1957, 90% of the population still lived as nomads in tents; there were
no larger cities. In contrast, by 2020, 55% of the population already
lived in cities. Four fifths of the population live on 15% of the
country's surface area, mainly in the south.
More than other
cities, Nouakchott reflects the problems caused by rapid and
uncontrolled urbanization. Initially built as a small central
administrative center with around 30,000 inhabitants in 1959, it reached
more than 40,000 inhabitants by 1970 and grew by 15 to 20% per year in
the 1970s. This rapid growth continues at the beginning of the 21st
century: in 2013, the city had almost a million inhabitants. The
resulting lack of water and housing is a major problem. Most of the new
arrivals end up in so-called kebbas (suburban districts) that have
sprung up in the vicinity of the capital. In 1983, a French researcher
estimated that more than 40% of Nouakchott's population lived in kebbas
and that the proportion would continue to rise. The Mauritanian
government tried to solve this problem by offering land and seeds as
well as transport to all those willing to return to the rural areas.
However, the implementation of this ambitious program proved difficult
in view of the persistent drought.
A significant number of
foreigners - more than 15% of the workforce in modern economic sectors -
are necessary to meet the demand for skilled workers. At the same time,
more than 600,000 Mauritanians left their country in search of
employment in West Africa, the Middle East and Western Europe.
In Mauritania, Arab, Berber and black African ethnic groups come
together, which have mixed so much with each other that it is almost
impossible to give percentages for individual ethnic groups. Around 70%
of the population speak Hassania. They belong to the Arab-Berber Moors.
Around half of these Hassania speakers are called Bidhan or White Moors
and belong to the two upper classes of the traditionally highly
hierarchical Mauritanian society, the Hassani (warriors) and Marabout
(Islamic scholars). The other half are called Haratin. These people, who
are on average somewhat darker-skinned, have ancestors who were formerly
slaves. The remaining 30% of the total population is shared by several
black African peoples (together known as Soudans), who live
predominantly along the Senegal River in the south. A similar
classification estimates roughly 30% (white) Moors, 40% dark-skinned
Moors and 30% blacks for 2010. The black African peoples include the
predominantly agricultural Tukulor and the Fulbe, traditionally cattle
herders. Both are grouped together as Halpulaaren because of their
common language, Pulaar. Smaller ethnic groups are the Sarakolé, Wolof
and Bambara. Around 5,000 Europeans (mostly French) live in the country.
The compromise between the different cultures of Mauritania is
important for the cohesion of the nation. Traditionally, the country is
divided - also geographically - according to these ethnic groups into
the so-called Ard al-Bīdān, which means "land of the whites", and Ard
as-Sūdān, "land of the blacks". However, these frequently used terms are
not intended to be pejorative. The division is more of an economic and
traditional origin than an ethnic one. In fact, many black Africans
belong to the nomadic world, and the term "Moors" or "Bīdān" applies to
all nomadic groups that have been culturally Arabized - regardless of
their ethnic origin, i.e. including the "Moors" with a black African
background. The category "black Africans" (négro africains) includes all
non-Arabic-speaking Mauritanians. An even broader classification
propagated by black nationalists also includes the Arabic-speaking
Haratins as "black Mauritanians" (négro-mauritaniens), with the
intention of being able to form a larger front against the "white"
Mauritanians. Today, Islam is seen as a bond between the different
ethnic groups and is the only legitimization of any law recognized by
the people.
In 2017, 3.8% of the population was born abroad. Most
foreigners come from Mali, Senegal and France.
The only official language today is Arabic; French, which was
officially spoken during the colonial period, has been preserved as a
working, commercial and educational language. French is the language of
instruction alongside Arabic.
The majority of the language spoken
is Hassania, the Moorish variety of Arabic. The West Atlantic languages
Pulaar and Wolof and the Mande language Soninke are also recognized
national languages. The Berber languages Imeraguen and Zenaga are also
spoken, but they are almost extinct.
Almost 100% of the population are now Sunni Muslims who belong to the Maliki school of law. The tiny minority of Mauritanian Christians, mainly Catholics, play no role in public life. There are hardly any followers of the Jewish religion.
Although there is compulsory schooling for 6- to 11-year-olds, only
around 75% of children are enrolled in school. Around 46.5% of the
population are illiterate despite increasing primary school attendance
(2017). The average length of schooling for those over 25 in 2020 was
only 4.7 years, while the expected length of schooling for the next
generation is 8.6 years. In 2013, the country spent only 2.9% of its
already small economic output on education. The school system used to be
divided into a (dominant) Arabic-speaking branch and a (smaller)
French-speaking branch. Since 1999, all teaching in the first year of
primary school has been in Arabic, but French lessons have become
compulsory for all pupils and students. Science subjects are generally
taught in French at universities.
The country has had the
University of Nouakchott, the École Normale Superieure de Nouakchott and
the Chinguetti Modern University since 1983.
The country's health expenditure amounted to 4.1% of gross domestic
product in 2021. In 2020, there were 2.1 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants
practicing in Mauritania. The mortality rate for children under 5 was
39.2 per 1,000 live births in 2022. The life expectancy of Mauritania's
inhabitants from birth was 64.7 years in 2022 (women: 66.4, men: 63).
Life expectancy increased by 6% from 61 years in 2000 to 2022.
The largest and most modern hospital is the Centre Hospitalier National
de Nouakchott (National Hospital) in the country's capital, completed in
2001. The regional hospital in Kaédi (Hôpital de Kaédi) received an
architecture award in 1995 for its ecologically adapted construction.
Different ethnic groups in Mauritania practice female genital
mutilation to varying degrees. From the results of the Mauritanian
population and health study (EDSM - Enquête Démographique et de la
Santé) of 2000/01, the GTZ concludes that 71% of women and girls are
affected. A law from December 2005 now criminalizes "intervention on the
genital organs of a female child" "if the child has suffered harm as a
result". The Association of Imams and Oulémas issued a fatwa against
female genital mutilation in 2006. In contrast to most other African
countries, AIDS is not a major problem in Mauritania. In 2020, less than
0.3% of the population was affected.
According to the 2006 constitution, Mauritania is an Islamic
presidential republic. The head of state is elected directly by the
people every five years for a maximum of two terms. He appoints and
dismisses the government.
In the presidential elections on June
22, 2019, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was elected with 52% in the first round
to succeed Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, whose second term ended. Both are
members of the Union for the Republic (Union pour la république, UPR)
and are considered close political confidants. Although election
observers found irregularities, they nevertheless assessed the election
as peaceful and overall satisfactory. For the first time in the
country's history, a non-violent transition was achieved. Since the
election, the new president has increasingly distanced himself from his
predecessor and isolated him from political influence. At the same time,
Ghazouani is pursuing a more inclusive political style by consulting
more frequently with representatives of civil society and the
opposition. In August 2019, he appointed Ismaïl Ould Bedda Ould Cheikh
Sidiya (UPR) as prime minister, whose government resigned after just one
year. He was succeeded by Mohamed Ould Bilal.
Parliament consists
of the National Assembly, whose 157 members are elected every five years
in a mixture of majority and proportional representation. Four MPs are
elected by Mauritanians abroad. Men and women have the right to vote
from the age of 18. Almost 100 parties took part in the last election in
September 2018, including opposition parties that boycotted previous
elections. The ruling UPR won a majority of 89 seats. The largest
opposition party is the Islamist Tawassoul party. Election observers
from the African Union criticized inconsistencies, but did not call into
question the validity of the election.
A bicameral parliament
existed until 2017. However, the Senate was abolished in a
constitutional referendum. Its 56 members (three representatives of
Mauritanians living abroad) were elected indirectly every six years.
Islam is the state religion. Islamic law (Shari'a) applies. A Muslim
who converts to another religion is threatened with the death penalty
under Article 306 of the criminal law for apostasy (Ridda), but this has
not yet been imposed.
In its 2010 annual report, the human rights
organization Amnesty International particularly pointed to
disproportionate violence and systematic torture against demonstrators,
prisoners and the civilian population. Amnesty International also
received reports in 2009 of harsh and arbitrary punishments. The prisons
are overcrowded.
A UN special rapporteur who deals with modern
forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, visited
Mauritania in October and November 2009. She praised the efforts of the
government and civil society to abolish slavery. At the same time,
however, she stressed that an approach to combating all forms of
discrimination and poverty must be found that is based on more holistic
thinking, cooperation and sustainability. This approach must also
encompass the whole of society. Slavery has been officially abolished
since 1980, but is still practiced throughout the country. According to
estimates by the anti-slavery organization SOS Esclaves, there were
600,000 slaves in Mauritania in 2010. The proportion of slaves in the
total population is the highest in the world. Despite its repeated
official abolition - most recently in 2007 - slavery in Mauritania
continues and affects the descendants of people who were enslaved
generations ago and have not yet been freed, the majority of whom are
black. Many of these people include children. The proportion of working
children among ten to fifteen year olds was estimated at 20% in 2019.
A UN special reporter on modern forms of racism expressed concern
about the ongoing discrimination against the black population of
Mauritania in politics, the economy and society. The white Moor elite
has long held most of the political power, while hundreds of thousands
of black Moors still live in slavery and the Sudanese have been
oppressed. Conflicts between white Moors and Sudanese culminated in
1989, when tens of thousands of Sudanese fled across the border to
Senegal after attacks. In 2007, the new Mauritanian government signed an
agreement with Senegal to enable the return of these refugees.
Although Mauritania signed the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 2000, targeted attacks
continue to occur. On April 19, 2009, for example, security forces
kicked and beat numerous women, including former ministers, MPs and
human rights defenders. They used sticks and belts. The women had
gathered in front of the United Nations representation in Nouakchott for
a sit-in. The former education minister Nebghouha Mint Mohamed Vall and
her daughter were beaten by the police. Another woman, who was also
beaten, lost consciousness and had to be taken to hospital.
The
situation of homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people in Mauritania
is threatening; they are persecuted, threatened and punished with death.
The Mauritanian armed forces comprise 15,870 soldiers. The military is divided into the army, air force and navy. The defense budget in 2020 was an estimated 200 million US dollars, which corresponds to 2.5% of the gross domestic product.
Mauritania is a member of the United Nations, the African Union (AU), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the Arab Maghreb Union (UAM) and the Arab League. It was one of the few member states of the Arab League to maintain diplomatic relations with the State of Israel. Israel had an embassy in the capital of Mauritania until it was closed under pressure from the Arab League following previous protests against the Gaza War in 2009 and has not yet been reopened.
Mauritania is divided into 15 regions, three of which form the
capital Nouakchott. The following list shows the names of the regions
and the corresponding capitals in brackets.
Adrar (Atar)
Assaba
(Kiffa)
Brakna (Aleg)
Dakhlet Nouadhibou (Nouadhibou)
Gorgol
(Kaedi)
Guidimaka (Sélibaby)
Hodh Ech Chargui (Néma)
Hodh El
Gharbi (Ayoun el-Atroûs)
Inchiri (Akjoujt)
Nouakchott North
Nouakchott Ouest
Nouakchott Sud
Tagant (Tidjikja)
Tiris Zemmour
(Zouérat)
Trarza (Rosso)
Mauritania is one of the poorest countries in the world and suffers
from rural exodus, inadequate infrastructure in the cities, poor
transport conditions and an uncertain political situation that
discourages foreign investment. The main economic sectors in Mauritania
are agriculture, fishing and ore mining. The most important mineral
resources are iron ore mining in the F’dérik/Zouérat area, while copper
and gold mining take place on a smaller scale near Akjoujt. Since 2006,
oil has been extracted from the Chinguetti oil field off the coast in
the Atlantic. Using traditional methods, millet, pulses, rice and maize
are grown in the Senegal Valley, mainly for self-sufficiency; the
cultivated area is limited to just 0.2% of the country's surface area.
New dam projects on the Senegal River are intended to open up new
irrigation areas. Livestock farming with sheep, goats, cattle and camels
was the main economic sector until 1960 and is run by nomads and, in the
south, by semi-nomadic farmers.
Mauritania's coastal waters are
very rich in fish, but their ability to regenerate is threatened by
excessive catches. In 1975, the state began to develop its own fishing
industry, which was intended to find a way out of the economic crisis
caused by years of drought and the conflict in the Western Sahara. The
fishing zone was extended to 200 miles. Through joint ventures with
foreign fishing companies, which the Mauritanian state entered into from
1979, the income from the fishing industry exceeded the income from iron
ore exports in the 1980s and 1990s. Having its own fleet proved to be
less profitable than granting concessions to European, Russian and
Chinese fishing companies.
In 2017, agriculture contributed
22.5%, industry 37.8% and the service sector 39.7% to the gross domestic
product (GDP), which grew by 3.8% that year. In 2014, however, 50% of
the workforce was employed in agriculture and only 1.9% in industry. In
2017, goods worth US$2,190 million were imported, mainly petroleum
products and industrial products; export products were iron ore, fish
and fish products, gold and copper. Mauritania imported 21% of its
imports from Belgium, 11.5% from the UAE, 9.2% from the USA and 7.5%
from China. Exports amounted to US$1,606 million and went 31.2% to
China, 14.4% to Switzerland, 10.1% to Spain and 8.2% to Germany.
Inflation was 2.1% in 2017, and unemployment was 11.7% in 2016.
Underemployment is very high.
In the Global Competitiveness
Index, which measures a country's competitiveness, Mauritania ranked
137th out of 138 countries (as of 2016-17). In the Index of Economic
Freedom, the country ranked 131st out of 180 countries in 2017.
The state budget in 2016 included expenditure of the equivalent of 1,430 million US dollars, compared to revenues of the equivalent of 1,143 million US dollars. This corresponds to a budget deficit of 8.1% of GDP. The national debt in 2016 was 99.6% of GDP.
The entire road network in 2010 covered around 10,628 km, of which
3,158 km are paved.
The only railway line runs from a mine near
F’dérik in the north of the country across the Sahara to the port city
of Nouadhibou. The trains that run here are among the longest and
heaviest in the world. Over 200 wagons are pulled by up to four
locomotives. They carry up to 21,000 tons of iron ore. The railway
line’s biggest enemy is sand. A sand removal team is stationed every
hundred kilometers, whose job it is to clear the tracks that have been
covered in sand. The sand is so aggressive that the tracks and the
train's wear and tear parts only have a sixth of their normal lifespan.
The only international airport with regular flights from abroad is
in Nouakchott. Nouadhibou and the oasis town of Atar have international
airports with irregular or seasonal connections abroad.