Portal:Mauritania

The Mauritania Portal - بوابة موريتانيا

Flag of Mauritania Seal of Mauritania

Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to the north and northwest, Algeria to the northeast, Mali to the east and southeast, and Senegal to the southwest. By land area Mauritania is the 11th-largest country in Africa and the 28th-largest in the world; 90% of its territory is in the Sahara desert. Most of its population of some 4.3 million live in the temperate south of the country; roughly a third of the population is concentrated in the capital and largest city, Nouakchott, on the Atlantic coast.

The country's name derives from Mauretania, the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It extended from central present-day Algeria to the Atlantic. Berbers occupied what is now Mauritania by the beginning of the 3rd century CE. Groups of Arab tribes migrated to this area in the late 7th century, bringing with them Islam, Arab culture, and the Arabic language. In the early 20th century, Mauritania was colonized by France as part of French West Africa. It achieved independence in 1960. However, the country has since experienced recurrent coups and periods of military dictatorship. The 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état was led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who won subsequent presidential elections in 2009 and 2014. He was succeeded by General Mohamed Ould Ghazouani following the 2019 elections, in what was considered the country's first peaceful transition of power since independence. Mauritania has a poor human rights record, particularly because of its perpetuation of slavery; the 2018 Global Slavery Index estimates there are about 90,000 slaves in the country (or 2.1% of the population).

Despite an abundance of natural resources, Mauritania remains poor; its economy is based primarily on agriculture and fishing. Mauritania is culturally and politically part of the Arab world as a member of the Arab League. Arabic is the official language, while Pulaar, Soninke and Wolof are recognized as national languages. The state religion is Islam, and almost all inhabitants are Sunni Muslims. Despite its prevailing Arab identity, Mauritanian society is multiethnic. The Haratin, or so-called "black moors", comprise 40%, while the Bidhan, or so-called "white moors", make up 30% of the population. The remaining 30% of the population comprises various sub-Saharan ethnic groups. (Full article...)

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Mohamed in 2014

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (Arabic: محمد ولد عبد العزيز, romanized: Muḥammad Wald 'Abd al-'Azīz; born 20 December 1956) is a retired Mauritanian military officer and politician who served as the 8th President of Mauritania from 2009 to 2019.

A career soldier and high-ranking officer, he was a leading figure in the August 2005 coup that ousted President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, and later in August 2008, he led another coup, that removed President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. After the 2008 coup, Mohamed became president of the High Council of State as part of what was described as a political transition leading to a new election. He resigned from that post in April 2009 in order to stand as a candidate in the July 2009 presidential election, which he won. He took office in August 2009. He was subsequently re-elected in 2014, then did not seek re-election in 2019. He was succeeded by Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who assumed office in August 2019.

Mohamed also held the role of chairman of the African Union from 2014 to 2015.

In June 2021, Mohamed was arrested and detained on charges of corruption. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in December 2023, which was extended to 15 years in May 2025. (Full article...)

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Mauritania competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. The country's participation at Athens marked its sixth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut in the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation included two track and field athletes, Youba Hmeida and Aminata Kamissoko, who were both selected by wildcards after both failed to meet either the "A" or "B" qualifying standards. Hmeida was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Neither of the Mauritanians progressed beyond the heats. (Full article...)

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General images -

The following are images from various Mauritania-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1French West Africa, circa 1913. (from History of Mauritania)
Image 2Camel market in Nouakchott (from Mauritania)
Image 3Terjit oasis in the Adrar Region (from Mauritania)
Image 4Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz in his hometown, Akjoujt, on 15 March 2009. (from Mauritania)
Image 52011–12 Mauritanian protests. (from Mauritania)
Image 6After the Portuguese, the Dutch, and then the French, took control of Arguin until abandoning it in 1685. (from Mauritania)
Image 7Qur'an collection in a library in Chinguetti (from Mauritania)
Image 8Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi (from Mauritania)
Image 9The Portuguese Empire ruled Arguin (Portuguese: Arguim) from 1445, after Prince Henry the Navigator set up a feitoria, until 1633. (from Mauritania)
Image 10Rock art in the Sahara Desert (from Mauritania)
Image 11Chinguetti was a center of Islamic scholarship in West Africa. (from Mauritania)
Image 12Nouakchott is the capital and largest city of Mauritania. It is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. (from Mauritania)
Image 13Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani with US President Donald Trump, 9 July 2025 (from Mauritania)
Image 14A Moorish family in the Adrar Plateau. (from Mauritania)
Image 15Mauritanian blogger and political prisoner Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir. (from Mauritania)
Image 16Sandy area west of Chinguetti (from Mauritania)
Image 17Semi-desert in Mauritania (from Mauritania)
Image 18Saudi Mosque in Nouakchott (from Mauritania)

Related portals

Religions in Mauritania

Arab states

Other countries

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WikiProjects

You are invited to participate in WikiProject Mauritania, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Mauritania.

WikiProject Africa

Topics in Mauritania

Cities and towns

Largest cities or towns in Mauritania National Agency for Statistics, Demographic and Economic Analysis (2023 census)
Rank	Name	Region	Pop.	Rank	Name	Region	Pop.
1	Nouakchott	Nouakchott	1,446,761	11	Adel Bagrou	Hodh Ech Chargui	37,048
2	Nouadhibou	Dakhlet Nouadhibou	173,525	12	Aïoun el Atrous	Hodh El Gharbi	36,517
3	Kiffa	Assaba	84,101	13	Hamed	Assaba	36,448
4	Vassala	Hodh Ech Chargui	79,508	14	Tintane	Hodh El Gharbi	35,995
5	Kaédi	Gorgol	62,790	15	Atar	Adrar	35,171
6	Zouérat	Tiris Zemmour	62,380	16	Néma	Hodh Ech Chargui	35,042
7	Rosso	Trarza	61,156	17	Gouraye	Guidimagha	35,021
8	Boghé	Brakna	50,205	18	Timbédra	Hodh Ech Chargui	34,244
9	Sélibaby	Guidimagha	44,966	19	Voum Legleita	Gorgol	33,314
10	Guerou	Assaba	40,315	20	Boutilimit	Trarza	32,347