Tag Archives: Mauritania

According to topschoolsintheusa.com, Mauritania is a West African nation located in the Sahel region, with a population of approximately 4.3 million people. It is bordered by Algeria and Mali to the north, Senegal to the south, and Western Sahara to the east. The country’s terrain is largely desert, with some semi-arid areas in the north and south. The capital city of Mauritania is Nouakchott, located near the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The education system in Mauritania consists of primary, secondary and tertiary education levels. Primary education lasts for six years followed by three years of secondary schooling. At the end of secondary school students take final examinations which determine whether they can progress onto higher education or vocational training programs. The government runs four public universities: Université des Sciences et des Techniques de Mauritanie (USTM), Université Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla (UMKOH), Université Abderrahmane Mira de Bechar (UAMB) and Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD). USTM offers degrees in areas such as engineering sciences, natural sciences and economics; UMKOH provides degrees related to law; UAMB offers courses related to Arabic literature; while UCAD focuses on social sciences including anthropology, sociology etc., In addition to these public universities there are several private institutions offering vocational training programs such as carpentry or plumbing; language schools providing courses in English; community colleges offering certificate programs; and other specialized schools focusing on specific fields like nursing or engineering. Furthermore there are various international organizations providing educational support to Mauritania including UNESCO which focuses on capacity building initiatives related to teaching quality improvement programs etc., USAID which provides assistance for educational projects related to health care access & quality improvement initiatives among others; AUF that promotes French language instruction across all grade levels etc., Overall access to educational services has improved significantly over recent decades however there still remain some challenges facing this sector with regards to access, especially among disadvantaged communities living on this small nation where poverty levels remain high albeit decreasing steadily over time due to increased government investment into public services such as healthcare and education among other areas. See top-engineering-schools for Mauritania Population and Geography.

Mauritania Modern History

Mauritania is a country located in Western Africa. With the capital city of Nouakchott, Mauritania has a population of 4,649,669 based on a recent census from COUNTRYAAH. Mauritania became independent from colonial power France on November 28, 1960. The history of the young nation is dominated by military coups, dictatorial rule, border conflicts with neighboring… Read More »

Mauritania Healthcare and Money

Health care Vaccinations Vaccination needed receipt required Eat Drink 4 – malaria 3 – Typhoid & Polio Yes – cholera 2 yellow fever 1 Overview The medical care in the country cannot be compared to Europe and is technically and hygienically inadequate to a large extent. Medical care in Nouakchott is limited. French-speaking specialists from… Read More »

Mauritania Economy

ECONOMY: GENERAL INFORMATION For centuries, due to the desert climate that characterizes Mauritania, the only activity carried out by the population was nomadic farming and agriculture limited to oases and areas irrigated by the waters of the Senegal River. This situation continued even during the colonial period; it was only in the 1960s that the… Read More »

Living in Mauritania

Currency: Ouguiya (MRU) Exchange rate: 41 MRU per € (December 2020) Time zone: UTC ± 0 Country code (phone): +222 Climate (for capital): dry and warm desert climate Entry and residence regulations German citizens need a valid visa to enter Mauritania. The Mauritanian embassy in Berlin has not issued visas since 2016; these are only… Read More »

Mauritania Culture and Religion

Proportion of literate adults: 45.5% (2017) most important religion: Islam (state religion) Urban population: 53.7% (2018) Life expectancy (male / female): 63.1 / 66.3 (2018) Gender Inequality Index: Rank 150 of 162 (2018) Number of births: 4.6 per woman (2015-2020) Infant mortality: 79/1000 live births) Culture According to internetsailors, Mauritania has experienced numerous waves of… Read More »

Mauritania Education and Health

Children and young people Mauritania ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2001, making it part of the Mauritanian legal system. It is also subject to the sharia reservation. For a long time it was common for children to be beaten in schools. A legal opinion by religious Islamic leaders… Read More »

Mauritania Society

Urban-rural relationship A fundamental change has taken place in Mauritania after independence. In 1960 90% of the population were nomads, today 53.7% live in cities. 46.3% of Mauritanians live in the countryside and 5% of them are still nomadic. The main trigger for the immense rural exodus was the Sahel droughts since the end of… Read More »

Mauritania Macrosocial Structure

Ethnic structure Arab, Berber and black African ethnic groups live together in Mauritania. About 70% of the population belong to the Arab-Berber Moors, who speak Hassania an Arabic dialect. A small minority calls themselves berberophon. About 30% of the population belong to the Bidhan or White Moors. They form the two upper layers of the… Read More »

Mauritania Economic Policy

Economic Policy and Development Potential Reform programs Since 1999, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) have replaced the “structural adjustment programs” that had fallen into disrepute at the IMF and World Bank. So far there have been three action plans in Mauritania (2002-2004; 2006-2010; 2011-2015). The action plans are designed to ensure that debt relief… Read More »

Mauritania Economy Part III

Energy mix 2019 Energy source in % Hydropower 17th Thermal power stations 62 Wind energy 10 solar power 10 Mauritania is the country with the highest share of renewable energy in Africa. Several wind and solar energy projects have been implemented. The Sheikh Zayed solar power plant in Nouakchott with a capacity of 15 MW… Read More »

Mauritania Economy Part II

The Mauritanian state generates high income from the sale of fishing licenses to European and Asian fishing fleets. After long negotiations, the fourth follow-up agreement was concluded between the EU and Mauritania in July 2015, with a term of four years. The EU pays around € 60 million annually for the partnership. Of this, €… Read More »

Mauritania Economy Part I

Estimated GDP: US $ 15.9 billion (2017) Per capita income (purchasing power parity): 3746 US $ (2018) Human Development Rank (HDI): Rank 161 of 189 (2018) Proportion of poverty (national poverty line): 31% (2014) Distribution of income (Gini coefficient): 32.6 (2010-2018) Economic transformation index BTI: Rank 106 of 137 (2020) Economic situation The relevant development… Read More »

Mauritania Foreign Policy

Since its independence, Mauritania has pursued a policy of integration into the world community. It is a member of the United Nations and its sub-organizations. Its function as a bridgehead between the Arab north and sub-Saharan Africa is also reflected in its membership in regional organizations. Mauritania belongs to the African Union (AU), the Arab… Read More »

Mauritania Freedom of Press and Human Rights

Press and media BBC certifies Mauritania one of the most open media landscapes in the entire Maghreb. Radio and television were opened to private companies. The state continues to hold shares in Télévision de Mauritanie (TVM) and Radio Mauritanie. The right to freedom of expression has been more respected since 2005. This is also evident… Read More »

Mauritania Domestic Political Situation

Presidential elections June 22nd, 2019 In the presidential elections on June 22nd, 2019, the candidate of the ruling party Mohamed Ould Ghazouani won the absolute majority with 52.01% of the vote in the first ballot. He is the preferred candidate of the previous incumbent Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who was no longer allowed to run… Read More »

Mauritania Government

Form of government, constitution and separation of powers The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a presidential democracy. The president is directly elected with an absolute majority. (possibly runoff election). The term of office is five years, he can stand for re-election once and the maximum age is set at 75 years. The rights of the… Read More »

Mauritania Aziz Government (2009-2019)

Independence Day: 11/28/1960 Head of state: Mohamed Ould Ghazouani Head of government: Mohamed Ould Bilal Political system: Presidential Republic Democracy Status Index (BTI): Rank 91 of 137 (2020) Corruption Index (CPI): Rank 137 of 180 (2019) Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG): Rank 40 of 54 (2019) The presidential elections in 2009 the surprise winner… Read More »

Mauritania Spring

“Mauritanian Spring” and Abdallahi government (2006-2008) With the coup of the “Military Council for Justice and Development” (CMJD Conseil Militaire pour la Justice et la Démocratie) under the leadership of Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall on August 3, 2005, Ould Taya’s more than 20-year-old authoritarian and repressive rule ends and one begins Time of upheaval… Read More »

Mauritania Development after Independence

First Republic: Moukhtar Ould Daddah 1960-75 In the first 15 years of its independence, the domestic political development of Mauritania under President Moukhtar Ould Daddah was comparatively peaceful and uniform. Mauritania’s path led from a temporary multi-party system to a constitutionally established one-party system (1965). The aims of the one-party system were to consolidate national… Read More »

Colonial History of Mauritania

Arab invasion (14th-18th centuries) Beginning with the conquest of the western Maghreb by the Arabs, Mauritania experienced a slow but constant Arab infiltration. A third wave of immigration, this time from the north, was the Arab immigration of various groups from Yemen, displacing Berbers and Africans alike southwards. It was not a sudden invasion, but… Read More »

Pre-colonial History of Mauritania

Early days The beginnings of the history of this region are largely unknown. The main sources of pre-European history are oral narratives, legends and archaeological findings. Archaeological finds on Mauritanian territory show a settlement in the Neolithic. The Bafour, a people of the original Berbers, lived in the land of today’s Mauritania as hunters, farmers… Read More »

Mauritania Social Conditions

The last official census in Mauritania took place in 2000. Mauritania currently had 2,508,159 residents, 70% of whom belonged to the group of Arab-Berber Moors (Bidhan and Haratin). The remaining 30% are mostly Mauritanians of black African origin. Population figures are a political issue in Mauritania. A census planned for 2012 was canceled after violent… Read More »

Mauritania Ecology

Desertification The climate in Mauritania has changed dramatically since the onset of prolonged droughts in the 1960’s, which are part of the Sahel’s wet and dry cycles. The minimum annual rainfall required for agriculture is 150 millimeters. This line has shifted about 100 km in Mauritania since the start of the drought and is now… Read More »

Mauritania Flora and Fauna

Mauritania – the forgotten country between the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa – is one of the large territorial states of Africa and consists for the most part of deserts. After independence from France in 1960, the development of democracy was repeatedly interrupted by military coups. The 2019 presidential elections mark the first democratic and peaceful… Read More »

Mauritania Overview

The borders of Mauritania are the result of European colonial policy. Mauritania fills the void between Morocco and Senegal. Endless deserts and the Atlantic coast shape the landscape of a country that only has agricultural land on the Senegal River. History Berber-Arab immigration and the West African kingdoms are the historical base of the country.… Read More »