Mauritania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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
2nd round - fixtures & results
SATURDAY (19th July 2014)
• Botswana vs Guinea-Bissau 2:0
• Uganda vs Mauritania 2:0
• Sierra Leone vs Seychelles 2:0
Lesotho an Rwanda advance in AFCON qualifying
Constantine aims to inspire Rwanda in Africa Cup qualifiers Englishman Stephen Constantine takes charge of Rwanda for the first time this weekend and has the chance to make an instant impact by causing an upset in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Malawi, Benin, Namibia and Mauritania begin with victories - Malawi began their campaign to reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco with a 2:0 win over visiting Chad on Saturday.
Three teams were drawn in each group at Sunday's ceremony. A fourth team will emerge from two more qualifying rounds.
Mauritania coach Patrice Neveu said the tactics he put in place paid off. "We came to get the qualification and we knew we should not defend"
Hosts Mauritania made the most of home advantage and included a number of young players in their side including the England-based left-back Ahmed Ahmedou.
Ahmedou is confident Mauritania have the players to achieve a good result and make those fans happy.
