Flag Description

green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow, horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam; the gold color stands for the sands of the Sahara

Background:Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976 but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984 and ruled Mauritania with a heavy hand for more than two decades. A series of presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule. Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. His term ended prematurely in August 2008 when a military junta led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ deposed him and installed a military council government. AZIZ was subsequently elected president in July 2009 and sworn in the following month. AZIZ sustained injuries from an accidental shooting by his own troops in October 2012 but has continued to maintain his authority. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and white and black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities, and confronts a terrorism threat by al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Total Area: 1,030,700 sq km

Land Area:1,030,700 sq km

Water Area:0 sq km

Land Boundries Total:5,002 km

Border Countries:Algeria 460 km, Mali 2,236 km, Senegal 742 km, Western Sahara 1,564 km

Coastline:754 km

Lowest Point:Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m

Highest Point:Kediet Ijill 915 m

Population:3,516,806 (July 2014 est.)

Population Growth Rate:2.26% (2014 est.)

Religion:Muslim (official) 100%

Literacy(%):0.586

Literacy(%) Male:0.653

Literacy(%) Female:52% (2011 est.)

Independence Day:28 November 1960 (from France)

National Holiday:Independence Day, 28 November (1960)

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