Mauritania

Interesting Facts About Mauritania

• Mauritania is 90% covered by the Sahara desert, yet most of its 4.3 million people live in the temperate south of the country.
• Roughly a third of Mauritania's population is concentrated in the capital city, Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast.
• The country has three main ethnic groups: Bidhan (white Moors, 30%), Haratin (black Moors, 40%), and Sub-Saharans (30%), each with distinct cultural heritage.
• Hassaniya Arabic is the majority language spoken locally, incorporating many Berber words and differing significantly from Modern Standard Arabic.
• Mauritania is almost 100% Muslim, with the Sufi orders Tijaniyah and Qadiriyyah holding great influence not only in the country but across neighboring West African nations.
• The Haratin people are believed to be descended from ancient Saharans and the original inhabitants of the Tassili n'Ajjer and Acacus Mountain sites from the Epipalaeolithic era.
• Traditional beauty standards in some Mauritanian regions historically encouraged weight gain through practices like leblouh (gavage), resulting in high obesity rates among women.

View Nouakchott guide