MAURITANIA – Country Information

Population:
Mauritania has a population of 4,005,475 as of 2020.

Size:
1,030,698 sq km / 397,955 sq mi (roughly half the size of Alaska)

Capital City:
The capital city, Nouakchott, lies on a plateau near what was originally a village on a desert trail.

Ethnic Groups:
40% Black African-Arab-Berber (Black Moor)
30% Arab-Berber (White Moor)
30% Black African

Religion:
99.1% Suuni Muslim
0.9% Traditional / Christian / Other / Nonreligious

Mauritania is a Islamic State limiting religious freedom.

Languages:
Arabic
Fula
Soninke
Wolof

Geography:
Mauritania is a country along the Atlantic coast of Africa and has acted as a geographical and cultural bridge between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. It is mostly made up of desert and coastal lands.

Economy:
Mauritania’s economy is largely made up of extractive industries and agriculture. Profitable exports are iron ore, gold, copper, gypsum, and phosphate rock.

Interesting Fact:
Mauritania was one of the last countries to abolish slavery in 1981.

Important Facts:
In the 1400s, Europeans arrived and began mining gold and buying slaves. France established their control in Mauritania in 1904, and they gained their independence on July 28, 1960.