Islamic Republic of Mauritania

الجمهورية الإسلامية الموريتانية République Islamique de Mauritanie Republik bu Lislaamu bu Gànnaar Islamic Republic of Mauritania


Motto شرف إخاء عدل Honor, Fraternity, Justice
Anthem National Anthem of Mauritania


Capital	Nouakchott

Government	Islamic republic
President
- From 2009	Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
Prime Minister
- From 2008	Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf

Legislature	Parliament
- Upper house	Senate
- Lower house	National Assembly

History
- November 28, 1958	Autonomy
- November 28, 1960	Independence

Area	1,030,700 km²

Population
- 2009	3,069,000
Density	2.9/km²

GDP	2009 (PPP)
- Total	US$ 6.4 billion
- Per capita	US$ 2,093

Currency	Ouguiya

Overseas territory of Mauretania
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The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a republic in Western Africa.

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 led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ deposed him and ushered in a military council government. AZIZ was subsequently elected president in July 2009 and sworn in the following month. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and white and black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities, and is having to confront a growing terrorism threat by al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).^[1]

Economy

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. 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. Mauritania made satisfactory progress, but the IMF, World Bank, and other international actors suspended assistance and investment in Mauritania after the August 2008 coup. Since the presidential election in July 2009, donors have resumed assistance. Oil prospects, while initially promising, have largely failed to materialize, and the government has placed a priority on attracting private investment to spur economic growth. The Government also emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and privatization of the economy.^[2]