Simple directory > Regional > Mauritania

Country : Mauritania Official name: République Islamique Arabe et Africaine de Mauritanie (Islamic Republic of Mauritania) Head of State: Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall (leader of Junta following coup of 3 Aug 2005 which overthrew Colonel Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya (PRDS) who had been president since 1984; last re-elected 7 Nov 2003) Head of government: Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar (named by Junta leader, Col Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, 7 Aug 2005) Ruling party: Parti Républicain Démocratique et Social (PRDS) (Social and Democratic Republican Party) (re-elected Oct 2001) Area: 1,030,700 square km Population: 2.83 million (2004) Capital: Nouakchott Official language: Hassani Arabic and Wolof Currency: Ouguiya (UM) = 5 khoums Exchange rate: UM264.51 per US$ (Nov 2004) GDP per capita: US$370 (2003) GDP real growth: 5.40% (2003) Labour force: 786,000 (2003) Unemployment: 21.00% (2003) Inflation: 6.40% (2003) Balance of trade: -US$5.00 million (2003) Foreign debt: US$2.50 billion (2003)

Historical profile

1800s France gained control of Mauritania, ruling it from Senegal.

1957 Limited self-government was granted under the Loi cadre.

1960 Mauritania gained full independence from France under the regime of the Mauritanian People's Party. Mokhtar Ould Daddah became president.

1974 Mauritania withdrew from the CFAf currency zone and introduced the ouguiya.

1975 An agreement between Mauritania, Morocco and Spain led to the division of the Spanish Sahara (a Spanish colony and the present-day Sahrawi Arab Republic (Western Sahara)) between Mauritania and Morocco.

1978 After fighting a largely unsuccessful war against rebels of the Western Sahara, President Daddah was overthrown.

1979 The government of President Haidallah agreed to renounce all territorial claims to Western Sahara.

1981 Slavery was banned in Mauritania.

1984 Haidallah was removed from office by Colonel Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya.

1992 Multi-party elections were held in which President Taya was returned to office.

1996 The governing Parti Républicain Démocratique et Social (PRDS) (Social and Democratic Republican Party) won the elections.

1997 President Taya was re-elected.

1999 Full diplomatic relations were established with Israel. After criticism by Iraq, the foreign ministry announced that Mauritania had severed its relations with Iraq.

2001 The PRDS was re-elected.

2002 An emerging famine due to three years of drought.

2003 The OPEC Fund for International Development donated US$300,000 to support an emergency operation by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Mauritania. A coup attempt by rebels in Nouakchott was foiled by the President's troops on 9 June. On 6 July, President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya named Sghair Ould M'Bareck as the new prime minister. Incumbent Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was re-elected president in the 7 November elections. On 12 November, Prime Minister Sghair Ould M'Bareck was re-appointed..

2004 In January, a team of US military experts began training the Mauritanian army.

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