Mauritania flag
Basic facts of Mauritania
Official name: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Capital: Nouakchott
Area 1,031,000 sq km 398,000 sq mi
Population: 3,364,940 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate: 2.85 percent
Population density 3.3 persons per sq km, 8.5 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 64 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 36 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities: Nouakchott, Nouadhibou
Languages: Arabic (official), Fulfulde, Soninke, Wolof, French
Religious affiliations:
Muslim (Islam is the official religion; almost all Sunni Muslim) 99 percent
Other 1 percent
Life expectancy:
Total 53.9 years (2008 estimate)
Female 56.3 years (2008 estimate)
Male 51.6 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 42.6 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 33 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 52.5 percent (2005 estimate)
Form of government: Republic
Total number of military personnel 15,870 (2004)
Introduction:
Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, country in northwestern Africa. It is bounded on the north by Western Sahara and Algeria, on the east by Mali, on the south by Mali and Senegal, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The country has a total area of 1,031,000 sq km (398,000 sq mi).
Official name: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Capital: Nouakchott
Area 1,031,000 sq km 398,000 sq mi
Population: 3,364,940 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate: 2.85 percent
Population density 3.3 persons per sq km, 8.5 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 64 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 36 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities: Nouakchott, Nouadhibou
Languages: Arabic (official), Fulfulde, Soninke, Wolof, French
Religious affiliations:
Muslim (Islam is the official religion; almost all Sunni Muslim) 99 percent
Other 1 percent
Life expectancy:
Total 53.9 years (2008 estimate)
Female 56.3 years (2008 estimate)
Male 51.6 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 42.6 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 33 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 52.5 percent (2005 estimate)
Form of government: Republic
Total number of military personnel 15,870 (2004)
Introduction:
Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, country in northwestern Africa. It is bounded on the north by Western Sahara and Algeria, on the east by Mali, on the south by Mali and Senegal, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The country has a total area of 1,031,000 sq km (398,000 sq mi).
Street Scene in Mauritania
On a street in Kîfa, a town in south central Mauritania, people in traditional West African garments walk in the evening light. Most people in Mauritania are Moors (of mixed Arab and Berber ancestry), many of whom lead a nomadic existence.