| Abstract from DBPedia | Mauritania (/ˌmɒrɪˈteɪniə, ˌmɔːrɪ-/; Arabic: موريتانيا, Mūrītānyā, French: Mauritanie; Berber: Agawej or Cengit; Pulaar: 𞤃𞤮𞤪𞤭𞤼𞤢𞤲𞤭 Moritani; Wolof: Gànnaar; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (Arabic: الجمهورية الإسلامية الموريتانية), is a sovereign country in Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Senegal to the southwest, Mali to the southeast and east, Algeria to the northeast, and the disputed territory of Western Sahara (also known as the Southern Provinces or Moroccan Sahara) to the north and northwest. Morocco lies to the north of Western Sahara. Mauritania is the 11th-largest country in Africa and 28th-largest in the world, and 90% of its territory is situated in the Sahara. Most of its population of 4.4 million lives in the temperate south of the country, with roughly one-third concentrated in the capital and largest city, Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast. The country's name derives from the ancient Berber kingdom of Mauretania, located in North Africa within the ancient Maghreb. Berbers occupied what is now Mauritania beginning in the third century AD. Arabs under the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the area in the late seventh century, bringing Islam, Arab culture, and the Arabic language. In the early 20th century, Mauritania was colonized by France as part of French West Africa. It achieved independence in 1960, but has since experienced recurrent coups and periods of military dictatorship. The most recent coup, in 2008, was led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who won subsequent presidential elections in 2009 and 2014. He was succeeded by Mohamed Ould Ghazouani following the 2019 elections, which were considered Mauritania's first peaceful transition of power since independence. Mauritania is culturally and politically part of the Arab world: it is a member of the Arab League and Arabic is the sole official language. Reflecting its colonial heritage, French is widely spoken and serves as a lingua franca. The official religion is Islam, and almost all inhabitants are Sunni Muslims. Despite its prevailing Arab identity, Mauritanian society is multiethnic: the Bidhan, or so-called "white moors", make up 30% of the population, while the Haratin, or so-called "black moors", comprise 40%. Both groups reflect a fusion of Arab-Berber ethnicity, language, and culture. The remaining 30% of the population comprises various sub-Saharan ethnic groups. Despite an abundance of natural resources, including iron ore and petroleum, Mauritania remains poor; its economy is based primarily on agriculture, livestock, and fishing. Mauritania is known for its poor human rights record, most notably the continued practice of slavery, a result of a historical caste system between the Bidhan and Haratin. It was the last country in the world to abolish slavery, in 1981, and criminalized it only in 2007.モーリタニア・イスラム共和国（モーリタニア・イスラムきょうわこく、アラビア語: الجمهورية الإسلامية الموريتانية）、通称モーリタニアは、アフリカ北西部に位置する共和制国家。北西に西サハラ（サハラ・アラブ民主共和国）、北東にアルジェリア、東と南にマリ、南西にセネガルと国境を接し、西は大西洋に面する。大西洋沖の西にはカーボベルデが存在する。首都はヌアクショットである。2015年の人口は約406.8万人。 アフリカ世界とアラブ世界の一員であり、アフリカ連合とアラブ連盟に加盟している。アラブ・マグリブ連合にも加盟しており、広義のマグリブ諸国に含まれる。 (Source: http://dbpedia.org/resource/Mauritania) |
