Mauritania

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Country Name

Mauritania, or officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

Location

Mauritania is a sovereign state in Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Western Sahara, and Algeria to the north, Mali to the east and south, and Senegal to the south.

Capital

Nouakchott.

The reason for naming the country

The country derives its name from the ancient Berber kingdom of Mauretania, which existed from the 3rd century BCE into the 7th century CE in the modern-day.

Flag

The flag was adopted on April 1, 1959, when the country gained independence from France. The current flag was first used on 28 November 2017, the 57th anniversary of Mauritania's independence. The flag of Mauritania consists of a green background with a gold crescent carrying a gold five-pointed star and two horizontal red stripes at the top and bottom of the flag. The flag has both traditional African and Islamic symbolism - yellow and green. The Green color, the crescent, and the star symbolize Islam; the state religion, the gold color symbolizes the sands of the Sahara desert, and the red stripes represent the spilled blood of the freedom fighters.

Language

Arabic is the official and national language of Mauritania. The local spoken variety, known as Hassaniya, contains many Berber words and significantly differs from the Modern Standard Arabic that is used for official communication. Pulaar, Soninke, and Wolof also serve as national languages. French is widely used in the media and among educated classes.

Religion

Mauritania is almost 100% Muslim, with most inhabitants adhering to the Sunni denomination. The Sufi orders, the Tijaniyah, and the Qadiriyyah have a significant influence on the nation.

Currency

Ouguiya (MRU).

Time Zone

+00:00 GMT.

Government Regime

Unitary semi-presidential Islamic republic.

Climate

In Mauritania, the climate is hot and desert in the center-north, while it is semi-desert in the south because of the summer monsoon, which brings some rainfall between June and early October. On the coast, the heat is tempered by sea breezes, but the climate is mild only in the northernmost part, which is also affected by the cool sea current. Across the country, wind can bring sandstorms.

The best time to visit Mauritania is winter, from December to mid-February: temperatures are hot in the south and mild in the north, the sun shines, and it rarely rains. At night, it can get a bit cold everywhere, quite often in the inland areas of the north and rarely in the south, while in the south, it can sometimes be hot even in this season, but more rarely than in the rest of the year. In winter, it's possible to swim in the sea, even though the sea is a bit cool, and sometimes, the air can be cold, at least at night and in the early hours of the morning.

International Phone Code

+222

Internet Code

.mr

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