Mauritania is an African nation located in the western region of the continent. It has an area of 1,030,700 square kilometers and a population of approximately 4 million people. The ethnic composition of Mauritania is mainly Moors, with other minority groups including Soninke, Wolof and Fulani. The majority of the population are Muslim, with around 99% following Islam and the rest being either Christian or other religions. Education is compulsory for children up to the age of 16 and the literacy rate is estimated to be around 50%. The official language is Arabic but Pulaar, Soninke and Wolof are also widely spoken throughout the country. The capital city Nouakchott has an estimated population of over 1 million people making it the largest city in Mauritania. Check hyperrestaurant to learn more about Mauritania in 2009.
Social conditions
Unemployment in Mauritania was estimated to be about 30% of the labor force at the end of the 1990s. Visit AbbreviationFinder to see the definitions of MRT and acronym for Mauritania. Almost half the population lives in poverty (under US $ 2 per day). Barely every other Mauretanese has access to clean water.
During normal years, nutritional intake is satisfactory, but the recurring years of drought cause nutritional deficiencies and increased spread of disease. Common causes of death are respiratory diseases, diarrhea and malaria. About 1% of the population aged 15-49 are estimated to be affected by HIV/AIDS (2009). Access to health care is poor; there are four hospital beds (2006) and one doctor (2009) per 10,000 residents. Qualified personnel are available at 60% of deliveries. In 2009, 5% of government spending was spent on health care.
Although women are still discriminated against in different ways, the trend seems to be towards greater equality. The man is considered the head of the family and polygamy is common in some of the country’s ethnic groups. However, the woman has the right to request a divorce and is usually given custody of the children. Despite poverty in the country, obesity among women is a problem linked to beauty ideals. Even though the mill has declined following repeated campaigns by the government, a large proportion of the country’s girls are still forced to feed. The government is also trying to fight the still-common tradition of genital mutilation (female circumcision). Education is available to girls as much as to boys. Of the country’s MPs, 22% are women. Check to see Mauritania population.
Country data
Area: 1,030,700 km2 (world rank: 28)
Residents: 4,420,000
Population density: 4 per km2 (as of 2017, world rank: 126)
Capital: Nuwahsut (Nouakchott)
Official languages: Arabic
Gross domestic product: 5.0 billion US $; Real growth: 3.5%
Gross national product (GNP, per resident and year): 1100 US$
Currency: 1 new Ouguiya (UM) = 5 Khoums
Embassy
Kommandantenstr. 80, 10117 Berlin
Telephone 030 2065883,
Fax 030 20674750www.mauretanien-embassy.de
Government
Head of State: Mohamed Ould Abdel Asis, Head of Government: Yahya Ould Hademine, Outside: Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed
National holiday: 28.11.
Administrative divisions
13 regions
Form of Government
Constitution of 1991- Islamic presidential republic
state religion: Islam
Islamic law (Sharia)
Parliament. National Assembly (Al-Dschamija al-Watanijah) with 146 Members Rank (. 106 wt direct), elections every 5 years
Fastfinder Head of state every 5 years (one re-election) Right to
vote from 18 years.
Population: Mauritanians, last census 2013: 3,537,368 residents
70% Arab-Berber Moors (Bidhan and Haratin); Black Africans (7% Wolof, 5% Toucouleur, 3% Sarakolé, 1% Fulbe; Bambara, Soninke etc.)
Cities (with population): (As of 2013) Nuwahsut (Nouakchott) 958,399 pop., Nouâdhibou 118,167, Fassale 65,927, Kiffa 60,005, Rosso 51,026, Kaédi 49,152, Adel Bagrou 47,829
Religions: 99% Muslims (Sunnis); Minorities of Christians and Jews (as of 2006)
Languages: Arabic (Hassaniya); Niger and Congo languages (Pular, Wolof and Soninke as national languages); French
Workers by economic sector: Agriculture. 76%, industry 7%, business 17% (2017)
Unemployment (in% of all labor force): 2017: 9.9%
Inflation rate (in%): 2017: 2.3%
Foreign trade: Import: 2.3 billion US $ (2017); Export: 1.6 billion US $ (2017)
Climate
Located in the northern tropic, Mauritania has a largely dry and hot desert climate. Only the cold Canary Current off the coast brings cooling, which often leads to fog formation 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 extreme south it is 300–400 mm, mainly from July to October.
The average January temperatures are around 20–24 ° C, the July temperatures around 30–34 ° C, with summer maximum values of up to 50 ° C.