Mauritania: Introduction

Mauritania is a country in North Africa and is bordered by the North Atlantic Ocean, Algeria, Mali, Senegal, and Western Sahara. The government system is a military junta; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. Mauritania has a traditional economic system in which the majority of the population engages in subsistence agriculture and livestock. Mauritania is a member of the League of Arab States (Arab League).