Key Facts

GDP (ppp) per CAPITA

$2,100 (2008 est.)

Inflation Rate

7.3% (2007 est.)

Population

3,129,486 (July 2009 est.)

Country Risk Ratings

C

Ease of Doing Business

160/181

Global Competitiveness

3.14/134

Country Map

View Larger Map

Mauritania : Introduction

Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976, but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984 and ruled Mauritania with a heavy hand for over two decades. A series of presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule. Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. His term ended prematurely in August 2008 when a coup deposed him and ushered in a military council government. Meanwhile, the country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and White and Black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities.

There are no Suggested Links at this time

Sources:
CIA World Factbook (September 2009)
U.S. Dept. of State Country Background Notes (June 2009)