← THE SECTION CUT · AFRICA

Mauritania

20.0N 12.0W · 25 EVENTS · 9 DOMAINS
INDEPENDENCE FROM FRANCE · 28 NOVEMBER 1960
▼ PULL DOWN TO EXTRACT THE CORE
1978 – 2024 · Coups, Withdrawal and the Modern State
5 EVENTS
5 August 1979 · Withdrawal from Western Sahara 2 REFS
1981 · Slavery formally abolished 2 REFS
1958 – 1978 · Independence and the Daddah Republic
5 EVENTS
1958 · Autonomous republic and Nouakchott 2 REFS
28 November 1960 · Independence of the Islamic Republic 3 REFS
1900 – 1960 · French Conquest and Pacification
4 EVENTS
1902 · Coppolani's pacification campaign begins 2 REFS
1904 · Mauritania organised within French West Africa 2 REFS
c. 1200 – 1700 · Arab Migration, the Char Bouba War and the Caravan Ksour
4 EVENTS
11th–12th century · Foundation of the caravan ksour 2 REFS
13th–17th century · Beni Hassan Arab migration 3 REFS
c. 1040 – 1147 CE · The Almoravid Jihad
4 EVENTS
c. 1040 · Abdallah ibn Yasin founds the Almoravid movement 2 REFS
c. 1076 · Almoravids said to take Koumbi Saleh 3 REFS
c. 700 – 1050 CE · The Ghana Empire and the Sanhaja Sahara
3 EVENTS
c. 8th century · Ghana Empire dominates the trade routes 2 REFS
c. 9th–11th century · Koumbi Saleh as a Saharan emporium 2 REFS
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Quick facts · atlas reference
Capital
Nouakchott
Population
3.8 m
Area
1,030,700 km²
Region
Western Africa
Languages
Arabic
Currency
Mauritanian ouguiya (UM)
Demonym
Mauritanian
UN member
Yes
Dossier · press a specimen — it turns over

Economy

GDP
$12 B’25 WB-WDI
GDP per capita
$2,198’25 WB-WDI
GDP growth
4.0%’25 WB-WDI
Inflation
1.5%’25 WB-WDI
Trade openness
94.0%’25 WB-WDI

Society

Population
5.3 m’25 WB-WDI
Life expectancy
68.7 yrs’24 WB-WDI
Urban population
61.5%’25 WB-WDI
Fertility rate
4.6’24 WB-WDI
Literacy rate
59.5%’20 WB-WDI

Governance

Voice & accountability
40.7’24 WB-WGI
Political stability
56.3’24 WB-WGI
Government effectiveness
36.9’24 WB-WGI
Regulatory quality
42.6’24 WB-WGI
Rule of law
42.1’24 WB-WGI
Control of corruption
29.0’24 WB-WGI

Health

Health spending
4.3%’23 WB-WHO
Physicians
0.26’22 WB-WHO
Under-5 mortality
36.9’24 WB-UNICEF-WHO
Measles immunisation
93.0%’24 WB-UNICEF-WHO

Education

Adult literacy
59.5%’20 WB-UNESCO
Education spending
7.6%’24 WB-UNESCO
Primary enrolment
105.4%’24 WB-UNESCO
Secondary enrolment
36.0%’20 WB-UNESCO
Tertiary enrolment
6.0%’20 WB-UNESCO

Technology

R&D spending
0.0%’18 WB-UNESCO
Internet users
45.8%’24 WB-ITU
Mobile subscriptions
92’24 WB-ITU
High-tech exports
9.4%’24 WB-WDI

Geography

Land area
1,030,700 km²’23 WB-WDI
Forest area
0.3%’23 WB-WDI
Agricultural land
38.5%’23 WB-WDI
CO₂ per capita (t)
1.0’24 WB-WDI
Renewable energy
19.6%’22 WB-WDI

Resources

Resource rents
11.4%’21 WB-WDI
Oil rents
0.0%’21 WB-WDI
Mineral rents
9.6%’21 WB-WDI
Forest rents
1.2%’21 WB-WDI
Electricity access
52.2%’24 WB-WDI
Iron ore
15 Mt’25 USGS-MCS

Military

Military burden
2.2%’24 WB-SIPRI
Defense spending
$260 M’24 WB-SIPRI
Armed forces
21,000’20 WB-SIPRI

A hatched gap has no underside — there is nothing to turn over. Absence is stated, never zeroed.

The record · what changed here
EVERY CLAIM SOURCED
ABSENCE ≠ ZERO
NO SIDES