Moorish post. Mauritania form of government. State structure and politics
Where is Mauritania located on the world map. Detailed map of Mauritania in Russian online. Satellite map of Mauritania with cities and resorts. Mauritania on the world map is a state in the northwestern region of Africa with its capital in the city of Nouakchott. The official languages of the country are French, Arabic and some other dialects and dialects of the provincial population.
In the west, Mauritania is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the territory (about 60%) is occupied by stony lands and deserts. Mountains in Mauritania are not observed, plains and hilly terrain prevail.
Map of Mauritania in Russian:
Mauritania - Wikipedia:
Population of Mauritania- 4 301 018 people (2016)
Capital of Mauritania- Nouakchott
Mauritania dialing code - 222
The language used in Mauritania- Arabic
Climate of Mauritania- desert tropical. In winter, average temperatures are from + 17 ... + 20, in summer it is much hotter - up to + 40 ... + 43 C.
Although capital Nouakchott- one of the youngest capitals in the world, the city has sights and interesting places that will tell about the culture and history of this African state. One of them is the National Museum, located in the center of Nouakchott, as well as the Carpet Center, which has a permanent exhibition of handmade carpets.
To get acquainted with the culture and foundations of life of the Berber peoples, you should go to ghost town Tishit, which is located in the heart of the desert. The population of the city is small - only 500 people live in it permanently, the rest of the inhabitants lead a nomadic lifestyle for 10 months a year.
Among natural attractions especially interesting is the national Park Bank d'Argen... It is unique in that it is on its territory that the migration flows of many birds from Africa, Asia and European territories intersect.
Thanks to Mauritania has access to the Atlantic Ocean, there are a lot of good sandy beaches on the territory of the country, where the infrastructure of tourism and recreation is rapidly developing. However, tourism in Mauritania is still not as developed as in many other African countries.
What to see in Mauritania:
Ban d'Argen National Park, Dowling National Park, Ancient Capital of the Ghana Empire Kumbi Saleh, Mauritanian Capital Nouakchott, Saudi Mosque, French Embassy Cultural District, Port Nouakchott, National Museum, Chinghetti, Chingetta Cathedral Mosque, Mauritanian Railway, Tishit, Chemama, Mount Kediyet Ijil, El-Juf, Atar, Ben-Amera, Tergit, Adrar Plateau.
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Mauritania on Africa map
(all pictures are clickable)
Geographical position
Mauritania is a state in West Africa. Neighbors with Western Sahara, Algeria, Mali and Senegal; the western coast of the country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic, the length of the coastline is 754 km. The relief is represented mainly by the sandy and stony plains of the Western Sahara; in the extreme southwest, the desert gives way to savannah. The area of the country is more than 1 million km².
The climate is tropical desert, with sharp changes in daily temperatures. In winter, there are frosts at night, and during the day the temperature can rise to + 30-40 ° C and higher. The precipitation is negligible - no more than 100 mm per year. During periods of drought, dust storms come from the Sahara. The inhabitants of the country are constantly faced with the problem of a shortage of fresh water.
Flora and fauna
The vegetation is predominantly desert and semi-desert.
The fauna is represented by antelopes, mountain goats, sand foxes and jackals. Reptiles and arthropods are found in large numbers.
State structure
Mauritania Map
By state structure Mauritania- a republic divided into twelve regions and one autonomous capital district. The president is at the head of the state and government. The local currency is Mauritanian ouguiya. The capital is the city of Nouakchott.
Population
The population is 3.5 million people, of which 80% are Moors (descendants of Arabs and Berbers), 20% are black representatives of the Fulbe peoples. The state language is Arabic, and French is also widely used. Almost 99% of the population is Sunni Muslim.
Economy
Mauritania is an agrarian state. In the agricultural sphere, pastoralism prevails. In a few oases for domestic consumption, cereals are cultivated. Export of iron ore accounts for a significant share of GDP. Fishing and seafood fishing are developed on the coast (the lion's share of products is exported).
The colonization of the territories of modern Mauritania by Europeans began in the 15th century, when the Spanish and French erected the first trading fortress cities and began to export gold and black slaves from these lands. By the beginning of the 20s. XX century Mauritania became part of French West Africa. The country gained independence in 1960.
sights
You can learn about the history and culture of nomadic peoples at the National Museum in the center of Nouakchott.
Mauritania is famous for its carpets. There is a Carpet Center in the capital, where the most worthy handicrafts from all over the country are brought to the exhibition and sale.
Export of handmade carpets, woven in local workshops, abroad is possible only with the presence of a receipt or the seller's account.
Mauritania photos
Travel notes. Day 5
Today our expedition has set a record! We drove 934 kilometers through the desert. 934 kilometers of the same boring road, not a single tree, just a few villages and a couple of cities. Everything ... There is nothing more boring than the desert.
For some reason it seemed to me that Mauritania is some kind of beautiful country with beautiful landscapes, paradise beaches and cities that are old as time. The very name of this beautiful country sounds like a song. The reality was very disappointing. So far, Mauritania is one continuous dirty desert. Perfectly flat, without a single tree, only the skeletons of old cars sometimes dilute the dull landscape.
Today, too, has not been without losses. I lost my dream, the dream of beautiful Mauritania. Apparently, I need to find myself another country, which in my subconscious mind will now illustrate heaven on Earth.
Mauritania has not only upset me. All the participants of the rally went down. Pyotr Lovygin almost did not get his camera and spent the whole day looking out the window with his big eyes. On his face there was a mask of grief and despair, because at the border all supplies of alcohol were confiscated from us. The head of the protocol service, Wheel, was also in a very bad mood, I forced him to write posts about all the diplomatic formalities that he settles on the road. The man and the steamer Resnyansky did not leave his back seat all day, where he equipped his office. He covered the car windows with jackets and enjoyed the solitude. By the way, we managed to find out another gift from Resnyansky - he composes music! I would not be surprised if tomorrow it turns out that he is professionally waltzing or solving a Rubik's cube while blindfolded. Resnyansky's music is wonderful. You know, if somewhere there is paradise, then something from Resnyansky will certainly play there. At least my subconscious has taken some of its melodies to illustrate paradise.
Oh yeah, I forgot to say why all this has gone down with us. To save money, I didn’t feed anyone today!
01. Road in Western Sahara ... 
02. Beaches ... 
03. Paradise wild coast, the entire coast of Africa is generously polluted by man. falsely imagine how many plastic bottles and other debris float in the ocean. 
04. This is a village. Not a camp, but a village with a pointer and a place on the map. 
05. We reach the border. There were no problems on the Moroccan side. We filled out the forms, received a stamp, the customs officer did not even begin to inspect the bags and wished them a good journey.
Right outside the gates of the Moroccan customs, the road suddenly ended. Instead, it is a white desert littered with debris and dozens of dirt roads, now fanning out, then again flowing into one wide dusty road. We drove to the Moorish border for about a kilometer. The entire neutral zone is littered with debris, for some reason there are a lot of old televisions, it seems that a television factory nearby exploded and the entire desert was filled up. 
06. As explained by the Moorish customs official, televisions here are thrown away by rich Moroccans for their poor neighbors to the south. It is not clear who throws cars here, but there are also a lot of them here. 
07. First thing asked by the Moorish policeman. do we have alcohol. There was alcohol. 5 bottles of wine and 3 cans of beer became the prey of customs. The importation of alcohol into Mauritania is strictly prohibited. The whole car was searched very thoroughly, we got into all the bags. Then it was necessary to collect a bunch of stamps, fill out some papers. 
08. As a result, it took us 2 hours to complete 2 borders. Not as bad as expected. 
09. The Mauritanian policeman sits on a chain ... "The chain dog of the regime" - commented Lovygin. 
10. We stopped at Nouadhiba. It is the third largest city in Mauritania. We would be ashamed to call it a city, so, 3 streets and a dozen houses. 
11. Restaurant. 
12. Upon learning that you are from Russia, everyone reacts differently. Someone breaks into a smile: "Ooo! Russia! Vladimir Putin!" Someone even remembered the swimmer Popov and the tennis player Sharapova. In general, most associations with Russia are related to sports, Africans are very fond of football and closely follow sports news. 
13. Mauritania is an Islamic country, where everything is very strict. It is correct to call it al-Jumhuriya al-Islamiya al-Muritania. 
14. By the way, Mauritania is the last state in the world where slavery is still preserved. Despite the official abolition of slavery, first in July 1980, and then in 2007. de facto, about 20% of the population of Mauritania (600 thousand people in 2011) are slaves. The bulk of the slaves are negroes, belonging to the ruling class of Berbers. Slaves do not have any personal, economic and political rights, while the children born become the property of the slave owners. 
15. Street school. 
16. Moorish fashion. 
17.
18. Nouadhibou is famous for its shipwreck cemetery. 
19. Not long ago the entire coast was strewn with rusty ships. 
20. Now their number is greatly reduced. Illegal sawmills work on the shore, pulling ships ashore, sawing them and selling scrap. 
21. Such a tractor pulls a ship ashore. 
22.
23. Filming is strictly prohibited. As soon as they saw the camera, they immediately ran up and kicked out. In general, everyone is very nervous here. 
24. Security. 
26. Local residents. 
27. Shop. Unfortunately, we did not manage to get food, we had to dine with store food. We eat bread all day ( 
28. Mr. Resnyansky is working. 
29. Many residents live in makeshift barns. It is considered special chic to get yourself an old camping. 
30. An ordinary village looks like this. 
31. Mauritania looks like this. Hundreds of kilometers of this desert. 
32. Kruzenshtern-Resnyansky rushes south! 
33. Sunset in the desert. More than 60% of the country's territory is occupied by rocky and sandy deserts of Western Sahara. 3/4 of the country's territory is occupied by deserts. 
The modern population of Mauritania (about 4.3 million people) is ethnically heterogeneous: three-quarters are the so-called Moors - Arabs and Berbers, engaged mainly in cattle breeding, in the south, Negro-African peoples predominate - Tukuler, Fulbe, Wolof and others, leading mainly a sedentary image life. Islam is proclaimed the state religion. Mauritania, unlike some other countries of North and West Africa, did not experience the heyday of medieval civilization, but the urban settlements of Shinghetti, Tishit, Valata that have survived from that era testify to their former prosperity, the delicate art of decorating the facade of buildings. The Shinghetti library contains 2,000 manuscripts of Arab scholars. The musical, singing, and dance arts of the peoples of Mauritania are diverse. The capital and largest city of the country is Nouakchott, built only 30-40 years ago. The second largest and most important city is the port of Nouadhibou.
In the IV - the middle of the XI centuries. the southern part of the territory of Mauritania was part of the medieval states of West Africa (Ghana, Tekrur, etc.); in the northern part there were state formations of the Berber-sanhaj. In the middle of the XI-XII centuries. Mauritania as part of the Almoravid state, in the XIII-XIV centuries. the southern part of the territory of Mauritania as part of the medieval state of Mali. Penetration of Europeans from the 15th century. ended with the transformation of Mauritania into a French colony (1920). Since 1946 Mauritania has been an overseas territory, since 1958 it has been a self-determined republic within the French Community. On November 28, 1960, Mauritania was proclaimed an independent republic.
Climate, flora and fauna
The climate is tropical desert, with average monthly temperatures ranging from 16–20 ° C in January to 30–32 ° C in July. Precipitation in most of the country falls less than 100 mm per year, only in the south - in the Sahel zone - 200-400 mm.
The vegetation of Mauritania has a corresponding character: rare shrubs and individual trees in the south, and in the rest of the territory, poor greenery appears only for a short time after rains.
Of the large animals in Mauritania, there are oryx and addax antelopes, mountain goats, among small predators - jackal, fennec fox. There are many snakes and lizards, as well as insects and spiders.
History
Berbers from North Africa settled in what is now Mauritania around 200 BC. Moving southerly in search of pastures, they often levied tribute to local Negroid farmers, and those who resisted were pushed back to the Senegal River. The appearance of camels from North Africa in the late Roman Empire in this area marked the beginning of caravan trade between the Mediterranean coast and the Niger basin, which brought profits to the Berber group of Sanhaj tribes. Having seized the important point of the caravan trade of Audagost in eastern Mauritania on the way to the salt mines of Sijilmasa located to the north, the Berbers entered into conflict with the empire of Ghana, which at that time was expanding its borders in a northern direction. The state of Ghana was founded in the 3rd century. AD, and part of its territory fell on the modern regions of Aucar, Hod el-Garbi and Hod-el-Sharki of southeastern Mauritania. In 990, Ghana captured Audagost, forcing the Lemtun and Goddala tribes, which were part of the defeated Sanhaj, to unite in a confederation in self-defense. In the 10-11 centuries. some Sanhaj leaders converted to Islam and soon became Sunni followers. The descendants of the Islamized Berber nobility of the Almoravida spread their religious beliefs among ordinary Berbers, created a religious and political movement, and in 1076 captured the capital of Ghana. Although the rivalry among the victors once again led to the division of the Berber tribes, Ghana was dealt a blow from which it never recovered. Within significantly narrowed borders, it existed until 1240.
In the 11-12 centuries. the Berbers felt the consequences of the Arab conquests in North Africa. In the 15-17 centuries. After several centuries of relatively peaceful penetration into the territory of Mauritania, the Bedouins of the Hassan tribe conquered the local Berbers and, mixing with them, laid the foundation for the ethnic group of the Moors (Arab-Berbers). Although some of the Berbers, for example, the ancestors of the Tuaregs, not wanting to fall under the rule of the Arabs, retreated into the desert, for the majority the Arabic language became their native language, and Islam became a new religion. Many black Africans, who were engaged in sedentary agriculture in the southern regions of the country, during the 11th and 16th centuries. were conquered by the Berbers and became subjects of the new Arab Emirates of Trarza, Brakna and Tagant.
The Portuguese, who appeared off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the 15th century, founded a trading fort on the island of Argen in 1461. At different times during the 17th and 18th centuries. they were replaced by Dutch, English and, finally, French traders. European merchants sought to establish control over the gum arabic trade from the Sahel zone.
At the beginning of the 19th century. French merchants who settled in Senegal repeatedly came into conflict with the Arab emirs, who tried to control and tax the gum arabic trade. In 1855-1858, the governor of Senegal, Louis Federbes, led the French campaign against the Emirate of Trarza. In the 19th century. French officers, moving north from Senegal, explored the interior of the desert. In the early 1900s, a French detachment under the command of Xavier Coppolani invaded these areas in order to protect the interests of French traders and began to rule them as part of the French colony of Senegal. In 1904, these territories were withdrawn from Senegal and in 1920 were incorporated into French West Africa. Nevertheless, until 1957, Saint-Louis in Senegal remained their capital. The French, with great difficulty, ruled the nomadic population, among which tribal feuds did not stop, as well as rivalry between Arabs and Berbers. Administrative difficulties also exacerbated tensions between nomadic and sedentary populations. Even after the end of World War II, some areas continued to be under military administration.
In 1946 Mauritania was granted the right to form a territorial assembly and to be represented in the French parliament. The first political organizations began to emerge, which were not yet massive. In 1958, Mauritania became part of the French community called the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and on November 28, 1960 it became an independent state. Moktar Ould Dadda became the first prime minister and then president of Mauritania. Relying initially on the traditional elites and France, he, following the example of the radical Guinean regime, created a mass political party and ultimately concentrated all power in his hands. Moktar Ould Dadda withdrew Mauritania from the franc zone and proclaimed Arabic the state language, which immediately provoked resistance from the southerners, who feared the rule of the Moors, who made up the majority of the population.
In 1976, an agreement was reached on the transfer of the colonial possession of Spain - Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) - under the temporary administration of Morocco and Mauritania. However, this was followed by an unpopular war among the Mauritanians with the Polisario Front, the national liberation movement of Western Sahara, assisted by Algeria.
In July 1978, the army overthrew Moktar Ould Daddu in a bloodless military coup. Immediately after that, the constitution was suspended, the government, parliament, public organizations were dissolved, and power passed to the Military Committee for National Revival (HCNV). Its leader, Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Ould Mohammed Salek, took over as president of the country. POLISARIO announced the end of the war with Mauritania, but the Moroccan leadership insisted that the Mauritans continue to fight for their part of Western Sahara.
The next few years were marked by frequent changes in the leaders of the military regime. The relationship between the Negroid population and the Moors remained tense. A constant source of internal political instability was the attempts of individual members of the Military Committee to carry out a new military coup, as well as the differences with Morocco on the issue of Western Sahara.
For a short time in 1979, Mustafa Ould Mohammed Salek established a regime of personal power and re-established the Military Committee for National Revival under a new name, which he continued to chair even after he retired. He was soon replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Luli, who, in turn, was forced to relinquish power in 1980 in favor of Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Huna Ould Heidallah. The latter, as prime minister, in July 1979 announced the final renunciation of Mauritania's claims to the territory of Western Sahara. In 1981, Muhammad Huna Ould Heidallah abandoned his intention to form a civilian government and adopt a new constitution.
In 1984, as a result of a bloodless coup, power in the country was seized by Lieutenant Colonel Maawiya Ould Sidi Ahmed Tayya, who served as Prime Minister several times under Muhammad Hun Ould Heidallah. In general, Maauya Ould Sidi Ahmed Taya managed to restore internal stability, embark on economic reforms and take steps to democratize the political system.
Inter-ethnic riots continued in Mauritania until the late 1980s, and the border dispute with Senegal triggered a wave of attacks in 1989 against black Mauritanians and Senegalese citizens and the expulsion of the latter from the country. Disagreements over the demarcation of the Mauritanian-Senegalese border and the repatriation of refugees led to the temporary cessation of diplomatic and the collapse of economic relations, which were restored in 1992.
In a national referendum held in 1991, a new constitution was adopted, providing for the introduction of a multiparty system. Maawiyah Ould Sidi Ahmed Tay's victory in the 1992 presidential election was overshadowed by riots and allegations of vote rigging. The pro-government Republican Social Democratic Party (RSDP) won the overwhelming majority of parliamentary seats in the 1992 and 1996 elections to the National Assembly, as well as in the 1992, 1994 and 1996 Senate elections.
The main events after the adoption of the new constitution were boycotts of elections by opposition parties, which argued that the ruling party had unilateral advantages in election campaigns, arrests of members of opposition groups and clashes based on interethnic conflicts. Despite the motley ethnic composition of the Mauritanian government and its formal implementation of some of the democratic reforms envisaged by the new constitution, international human rights monitors continued to note violations of the rights of black minorities and members of opposition organizations in the 1990s.
Economy
Mauritania is a developing country with a relatively low standard of living compared to other countries in the region.
During the colonial period, the main occupation of the population was camel breeding, fishing and subsistence agriculture. In the 1960s, iron ore deposits were found in the country, and since then, the mining industry has become the backbone of the Mauritanian economy.
Agriculture in Mauritania is constrained by an arid climate. Dates and grain crops are grown in the oases. In the 1970s, the Sahel region was hit by a drought, affecting more than half of the countries in the region and 200 million people. In Mauritania, as a result of a drought, grain died, and famine began. The drought hit the second time in 1982-1984. Soon an irrigation system was built, which made it possible to somewhat overcome the effects of drought. 49 thousand hectares of land are irrigated.
Useful data for tourists about Mauritania, cities and resorts of the country. As well as information about the population, currency of Mauritania, cuisine, peculiarities of visa and customs restrictions in Mauritania.
Geography of Mauritania
Mauritania is a state located in the west of Africa, washed from the west by the Atlantic Ocean. It borders on Western Sahara in the northwest, Senegal in the southwest, Algeria in the northeast, Mali in the south and east.
More than 60% of the country's territory is occupied by rocky and sandy deserts of Western Sahara, the territory is mostly flat - up to 915 m (Mount Kediyet Idzhil), although there are also picturesque remnant rock massifs.
State
State structure
Mauritania is a republic. The head of state is the president. Legislative power is exercised by a bicameral parliament, which consists of the Senate and the National Assembly.
Language
State language: Arabic
Besides Arabic, French is widely spoken. Some local dialects (Wolof, Pulaar, Soninke) are recognized as languages of interethnic communication.
Religion
99.6% of the country's population is Muslim. Islam in Mauritania is the official religion. The most widespread is the Sunni direction of the Maliki persuasion. In a small community of Christians, the majority are Catholics.
Currency
International name: MRO
Mauritanian ouguiya is equal to 100 khums. In monetary circulation there are banknotes in denominations of 100, 200, 1000 Mauritanian ouguiya, coins in denominations of 20, 10, 5, 1 and 1/5 Mauritanian ouguiya (1 hum).
The best place to exchange currency is the airport bank of the capital. It is possible to exchange currency on the black market, but in this case the risk of fraud is inevitable. In the markets and in the private sector, it is quite possible to pay with French francs or US dollars, but most often the exchange rate will be very arbitrary.
The use of credit cards is only possible in large international hotels in Nouakchott (American Express is preferred), the use of travel checks is also limited.
