‪Mauritania‬
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Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in the Maghreb region of western North Africa.

It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest.

It is named after the ancient Berber Kingdom of Mauretania, which existed long ago in the far north of modern-day Morocco.

The capital and largest city of Mauritania is Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast.

The government of Mauritania was overthrown on August 6, 2008, in a military coup d'état led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

On 16 April 2009, General Aziz resigned from the military to run for president in the 19 July elections, which he won.

In Mauritania about 20% of the population live on less than US$1.25 per day. 

Slavery in Mauritania has been called a major human rights issue, with over 150,000 people proportionally the highest for any country - being enslaved against their will, especially enemies of the government.

Higher estimates suggest 10% to 20% of the population (340,000 to 680,000 people) is enslaved.

Additional human rights concerns in Mauritania include female genital mutilation, child labour, and human trafficking.

Islamic Republic of Mauritania
République Islamique de Mauritanie  (French)

Motto: "Honor, Fraternity, Justice"

Capital and largest city:
Nouakchott (18°09′N 15°58′W)

Official languages: Arabic

Recognised national languages:
• Arabic 
• Pulaar 
• Soninke 
• Wolof

Other languages:
• French
• Zenaga 
• Berber

Demonym: Mauritanian

Government: 
Semi-presidential Theocratic Islamic republic
• President: 
• Prime Minister: 

Legislature: Parliament
• Upper house: Senate
• Lower house: National Assembly

Independence from France:
28 November 1960 
Current Constitution of Mauritania:
12 July 1991 

Area:
• Total: 1,030,700 km2 (29th) - 397,954 sq mi
• Water (%): 0.03

Population: 2012 estimate
3,359,185 - 1988 census 1,864,236
Density: 3.2/km2 (221st) - 8.2/sq mi

GDP (PPP): 2012 estimate
• Total: $7.697 billion
• Per capita: $2,121

Currency: Ouguiya (MRO)
Time zone: (UTC+0) - Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+0)
Drives on the right
Calling code: +222
ISO 3166 code: MR
Internet TLD: .mr