Mauritania , [ a ] formally the Islamic Republic of Mauritania , [ b ] is a sovereign country in Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to the north and northwest, Algeria to the northeast , Mali to the east and southeast , and Senegal to the southwest. Most of its population of some 4. The country's name derives from Mauretania , the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb.
It extended from central present-day Algeria to the Atlantic. Berbers occupied what is now Mauritania by the beginning of the third century AD. Groups of Arab tribes migrated to this area in the late seventh century, bringing with them Islam, Arab culture, and the Arabic language. It achieved independence in , but has since experienced recurrent coups and periods of military dictatorship.
Despite an abundance of natural resources, including iron ore and petroleum, Mauritania remains poor; its economy is based primarily on agriculture, livestock, and fishing.
Mauritania is culturally and politically part of the Arab world ; it is a member of the Arab League and Arabic is the official language. The official religion is Islam , and almost all inhabitants are Sunni Muslims. Mauritania takes its name from the ancient Berber kingdom that flourished beginning in the third century BC and later became the Roman province of Mauretania , which flourished into the seventh century AD.
The two territories do not overlap, though; historical Mauretania was considerably farther north than modern Mauritania, as it was spread out along the entire western half of the Mediterranean coast of Africa. The term "Mauretania", in turn, derives from the Greek and Roman exonym for the Berber peoples of the kingdom, the Mauri people.
