Mauritania – Geography
Mauritania is a desert state. The Senegal River forms a southern border with Senegal, while the other borders are straight lines drawn through completely uninhabited areas. The terrain is flat; only a few mountain areas reach over 500 m. The large desert areas are without vegetation and completely characterized by the winds. Large blowing surfaces with rock and gravel desert are replaced by sand dunes of all sizes. Here you will find symmetrical parabola dunes, barracks, and 90m high dunes of many kilometers length. The subsoil consists of bedrock and folded sandstone formations, which remain as split plateaus and hard island mountains in the flat landscape. The inland historical oasis towns, Atar, Chinguetti, Ouadane, Tidjika, Tichit and Oualata, are all at the foot of such erosion remains. The southernmost quarter of Mauritania lies in the Sahel belt with bush steppe and scattered acacia savannah, which is replaced by gallery forest at the Senegal River. But here too, there is loose sand, sand dunes and the risk of desert dispersal. Danish development assistance. The Senegal River has dams and sluices which partly prevent the inflow of salt water and partly regulate the annual high tide.
The Sahara desert reaches all the way to the coast, which is an offshore coast with dunes, salt marshes, salt pans and to the north the great tidal bay, Banc d’Arguin. The bay is classified as a national park because of its great importance for migratory birds.
The climate is predominantly tropical with a hot and cool season and large temperature fluctuations between day and night. Night frosts can occur in the northern highlands. In the interior of the country, temperatures often reach above 50 °C in May-August. Most of the year, the NE Pass is blowing dry and dusty; often sandstorms paralyze society both in the countryside and in the cities. Only in the southernmost part of the country is there an actual rainy season. It peaked in August, but the rainfall varies widely from year to year and seems declining. Since the 1960’s, the limit of 250 mm of annual rainfall has moved 200 km south. The northern regions also get some rain, here from the Atlantic front systems, which in the cool time can reach this far south. In the coastal zone itself, the climate is a little cooler, as fog often dampens the temperature.
Population. Mauritania is one of the thinnest populated countries in the world and large areas are completely uninhabited; on average, only 2.1 homes per person live. km2. The largest ethnic group is the Moors, who have traditionally been nomads and oasis dwellers in the desert and semi-desert in the central part of the country. Ants’ culture is an amalgamation of Arab, Berber and African features and sharply classed. The bright Moors, beydane or bidan, make up 28% and have since dominated Mauritania politically. Their past and partly nuv. slaves, the black moors, haratin, make up 40% of the population and are the largest group. To the south live a number of free, black people. The most important arepeul or fulani, which are cattle breeders, as well as wolof, saracole and tukulor. Drought disasters in the 1970’s and 1980’s destroyed the living conditions of the majority of the nomadic population. They had to search for cities and nomads share of the population declined from 83% in 1963 to 12% in 1988. Slum Settlements around the capital grew, and Nouakchott in 2006 had about 3/4 million. residents. Ethnic assaults on the black population have driven many abroad, but the Moors and Tuaregs from Mali in particular are now refugees in Mauritania. Population statistics include Against this background, the growth rate is estimated to be 2.9% per year.
- Countryaah: Do you know how many people there are in Mauritania? Check this site to see population pyramid and resident density about this country.
Agriculture. In years of normal rainfall, livestock is the main source of income, and in a narrow belt to the south millet and sorghum can be grown. In addition, the oasis’s groves and smaller areas with irrigated rice.
Fishing. Due. The Canary Stream, the Atlantic Ocean off Mauritania is an upwelling area with large fish stocks. Local fishing takes place from small boats and the yield is not great. However, fishing in the 1980’s was the most dynamic sector in the economy, thanks to the catch of foreign shipping companies. There are fisheries agreements with the EU and other countries and since 1983 it has been a requirement that the catch be landed and processed in Mauritania. In total, the fisheries sector contributes 5-10% of GDP. However, because of overfishing, the country has had 1-2 months of fishing annually since 1995. In 2000, the fisheries sector accounted for 65% of the country’s exports and at the same time generated revenue from a fisheries agreement with the EU, which was extended in 2001.
Mining. Mauritania’s contribution to the world economy is mainly made up of iron ore from some huge ore sites near the mining town of Fdérik. The reserves are estimated at 5-6 billion DKK. t, and annual production is DKK 10-12 million. t, placing the country among the world’s ten largest iron ore producers. Shuttle trains run the ore 700 km to the port at Nouadhibou, where it is exported. The mining company was nationalized in 1972, and since then investment has required large borrowing abroad. Findings of diamonds in northern Mauritania in 1999 look promising.
In the 1980’s, industry contributed only 5% of GDP; since then, however, the importance of the industry has grown considerably. Most important is the fishing industry, which was previously dominated by state-owned companies. In 1990, the World Bank’s lending conditions necessitated the privatization of state-owned enterprises. Test drilling off the coast of Mauritania in 2001 showed that the country has significant oil reserves and commercial exploitation is expected to begin in 2006.
Infrastructure. Only in the southern part of the country is there an actual road network; the transmauretan road from Nouakchott to Néma was completed in 1985. If you are going north from the capital, it takes place along the sandy beach or via desert tracks. The ore train to Fdérik and Zouérate is the only railway in the country.
Mauritania – language
Mauritania – language, Most speak hassaniya, an Arabic Bedouin dialect characterized by Berberian, now preserved only in the SV as zenaga. Along the Senegal River, the West Atlantic languages are spoken wolof and fulani as well as the man- language soninke. Official language is modern standard Arabic; however, French is still widely used as a second language. For culture and traditions of Mauritania, please check allunitconverters.
