MAURITANIA BY: TIFFANY CASAREZ & KANANI THOMAS

1. MAURITANIABY: TIFFANY CASAREZ & KANANI THOMAS

2. Animals • Common hippopotamus, Roan antelope, bushbuck, Common warthog, Bohar reedbuck, Giraffe, Striped hyaena, Cheetah, Asiatic jackal, African sand fox, Fennec fox, Slender mongoose, Mediterranean monk seal, Honey badger, Saharan striped polecat, Wild cat, African lion, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Long-beaked dolphin, Rough-toothed dolphin, Fraser's dolphin, Blainville's beaked whale, Atlantic dolphin, Gervais' beaked whale, Pygmy killer whale, Common porpoise, Atlantic hump-backed dolphin, Long-finned pilot whale, African elephant, Crested porcupine, Lesser egyptian jerboa, African grass rat, Striped ground squirrel, Guinea multimammate mouse, Gambian rat, Natal multimammate mouse, Hausa mouse, Fat sand rat, Lesser egyptian gerbil, Baluchistan gerbil, Nigerian gerbil, African manatee

3. Clothing • Mauritanian attire is influenced by the desert heat and Islamic norms. Women wear a malaffa, a long cloak wrapped loosely around the body from head to toe. The men wear a dara, a long, loose robe over baggy pants known as sirwal . Some men wear head-coverings, predominantly turbans or hawli, for protection from the winter cold and summer heat. Normal office attire for men is Western-style pants and shirts. In the south, women wear dresses, or skirts and blouses. They also wear long robes called boubous .

4. Flag meaning • Mauritanian Islands Flag Meaning:The green and gold in the Mauritanian Islands' flag are considered Pan-African colors. Green also symbolizes Islam, and the gold also represents the sands of the Sahara desert. The crescent and star are also symbols of Islam, which is the major religion in Mauritania. • Mauritanian Islands Flag History:The Mauritanian flag was adopted on April 1, 1959, just before gaining independence from France on November 28, 1960. • Interesting Mauritanian Flag Facts:Rumor has it that the Mauritanian flag was selected, and perhaps also designed, personally by the former president of Mauritania, Mukthar Ould Dada.

5. Food Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Mauritania. Commonly, villagers eat a spicy fish-and-vegetable stew with rice for lunch. Another popular Mauritanian lunch is spicy rice mixed with small pieces of dried meat. A common dinner consists of semolina wheat sprinkled with oil and water and rolled into tiny grains called Couscous which can be mixed with a number of sauces. In some parts of Mauritania, couscous is known as lachiri . • A favorite desert drink is zrig, a cool drink made from goat's milk, water, and sugar. And, despite the, tea is common throughout the country.

6. Living conditions • In the desert valleys of the countrysidepeople live in cotton tents. These are light-colored on the outside, so as not to absorb the sunlight. They are draped with brightly colored fabrics inside. The ground inside the tent is covered with large woven mats known as hasira s. • In the southern regions, homes are built of cement. They are rectangular, with flat roofs and small windows. City homes are furnished with carpets, mattresses, and floor pillows. • The drought of the 1970s and 1980s forced northerners to migrate southward. The result was a housing crisis in the towns of southern Mauritania. Shantytowns known as kebe s went up in and around the towns. The migrants set up homes of wood and scrap metal, sun-dried bricks, or tents. In the late 1980s, half the population in Nouakchott, the capital, lived in shanty-towns and slums.

7. Agriculture • Agriculture is restricted to the strip of land along the Senegal River and to oases in the north; only 0.2% of Mauritania's total land area is classified as arable. In general, landholdings are small. Overall agricultural development has been hampered not only by unfavorable physical conditions but also by a complicated land-tenure system (modified in 1984) that traditionally rested on slavery, inadequate transportation, and the low priority placed on agriculture by most government developmental plans. The country's traditional dependence on food imports has been heightened by drought. Agriculture's share of GDP has been steadily falling; in 2001 it stood at 21%, down from 29% in 1987. • The Mauritanian government is encouraging agricultural development of the Senegal River valley. The OMVS began in 1981 to build a dam at Manantali, in Mali, for purposes of river transport, irrigation, and hydroelectric power. In conjunction with this OMVS project, Mauritania initiated an irrigation and development scheme in 1975 for the Gorgol River valley, involving construction of a dam; the scheme would increase arable land by over 9,000 acres. This project was to be followed by other dams that together would add 74,100 acres for food production. Another OMVS project, begun in 1981, was designed to block salt water from entering the fertile Senegal River delta. From 1989 to 1991, a series of measures aimed at stimulation and rationalization of agricultural production were initiated, including producer price increases, marketing and distribution liberalization, and streamlining of government-owned agricultural organizations.

8. RELIGION • Islam (Sunni Muslim)

9. LANGUAGE, POPULATION & LOCATION • Language Arabic; French; Wolof • population 2.2 million • Geographic coordinates • 20 00 N, 12 00 W • North west Africa

10. Flag meaning • Mauritanian Islands Flag Meaning:The green and gold in the Mauritanian flag are considered Pan-African colors. Green also symbolizes Islam, and the gold also represents the sands of the Sahara desert. The crescent and star are also symbols of Islam, which is the major religion in Mauritania. • Mauritanian Islands Flag History:The Mauritanian flag was adopted on April 1, 1959, just before gaining independence from France on November 28, 1960. • Interesting Mauritanian Flag Facts:Rumor has it that the Mauritanian flag was selected, and perhaps also designed, personally by the former president of Mauritania, Mukthar Ould Dada.

11. Education • Elementary school lasts for six years and is followed by two stages of secondary school. The first lasts for four years, and the second for three years. It is not mandatory for children to attend school. Attendance is far from universal. Only 35 percent of young children attend elementary schools. Even fewer (less than 10 percent) attend secondary school. Once girls have completed elementary school, it is common for them to stay home.

12. Living conditions • In the desert valleys of the countryside, or badiya, people live in cotton tents. These are light-colored on the outside, so as not to absorb the sunlight. They are draped with brightly colored fabrics inside. The ground inside the tent is covered with large woven mats known as hasira s. • In the southern regions, homes are built of cement. They are rectangular, with flat roofs and small windows. City homes are furnished with carpets, mattresses, and floor pillows. • The drought of the 1970s and 1980s forced northerners to migrate southward. The result was a housing crisis in the towns of southern Mauritania. Shantytowns known as kebe s went up in and around the towns. The migrants set up homes of wood and scrap metal, sun-dried bricks, or tents. In the late 1980s, half the population in Nouakchott, the capital, lived in shanty-towns and slums.

13. Popular foods • Moroccan, Lebanese, Chinese and French restaurants can be found in the capital and in Nouadhibou. Local cuisine, based on lamb, goat and rice can be sampled throughout the country. Meals have improved with better distribution of food throughout the country.Things to know:Consumption of alcohol is prohibited by the Islamic faith, but alcoholic beverages may be found in hotel bars. National specialties:• whole roast lamb. • Dates. • Spiced fish and rice with vegetables. • Fish balls, dried fish, dried meat and couscous. National drinks:• camel’s milk is a common drink.•Sweet Arab tea with mint.Tipping: 12 to 15% is normal.Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. Commonly, villagers eat a spicy fish-and-vegetable stew with rice for lunch. Another popular Mauritanian lunch is spicy rice mixed with small pieces of dried meat. A common dinner meal is couscous. This consists of semolina wheat sprinkled with oil and water and rolled into tiny grains. Couscous can be mixed with a number of sauces. In some parts of Mauritania, couscous is known as lachiri. • A favorite desert is zrig, a cool drink made from goat's milk, water, and sugar. And, despite the heat, tea is common throughout the country.

14. Relationships • A practice known as essahwarequires the young to treat the elderly with respect. For example, a young Mauritanian would not smoke in front of an elderly one. Also, the young are careful to use appropriate language in the presence of their elders. They also avoid displays of affection and loud conversation.

15. Holidays • Mauritania's major national holiday is Independence Day (November 28). It is celebrated with a military parade that passes in front of a stage on which the president and his advisors are seated. The president addresses the nation in a speech. • Young people celebrate New Year's with parties that include a New Year's Eve countdown. • There are two major Islamic holidays observed in Mauritania. One is Eid al-Fitr, which comes at the end of the month of fasting called Ramadan. It is celebrated for three days. The other major Muslim holiday is Eid al-Adha, which commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Abraham to obey God's command, even when it meant sacrificing his own son. Traditionally, Islamic holidays are celebrated by wearing new clothes and cooking grilled meat. Girls color their hands with henna (a natural dye).

16. Jobs • In the past, 80 to 90 percent of Mauritanians led nomadic lifestyles (moving from one place to another), raising cattle, sheep, and goats. Between 1983 and 1985, a devastating drought struck Mauritania. Since then tens of thousands of animals have died. By the mid-1980s, about 85 percent of herders had moved to the cities to find other employment. • The largest employers in Mauritania are the government and the mining industry. Another major employer is the fishing and fish-processing industry.

17. sports • Soccer is the most popular sport in Mauritania. Mauritanians mostly accentuates on football. Most Mauritanians actively play football. An international football team that plays and trains in the Olympic Stadium chiefly represents Mauritania sports. The football clubs in Mauritania include ASC Socogim, ASC Mauritel Mobile FC and ASC Nasr de Sebkha. Yoann Langlet and Bilal Sidibe are two players who have brought fame to their country's football by their spirited and classic performance of the game in the field. Stade National stadium at Nouakchott in Mauritania has multiple uses. Apart from football, athletics is another of the sports in Mauritania that is carried out within the stadium premise. Athletics is very popular in the Mauritanian nation and is played by the Mauritanian youths. Sports of Mauritania also include golf. Golf is quite a prominent game amongst the people of the country. Golf, included in the Mauritanian sports, is played in a golf course that lies next to the sea beach. This golf course of Mauritania is a sand course. Rugby constitutes another of the Mauritania sports. Mauritania has an international rugby team that represents the nation on an international level. Mauritanians are great sports lovers. Some other Mauritania sports that are played by the countrymen include chess, badminton, table tennis, and swimming.

18. Agriculture, Production, Consumption, Imports, & Exports • Beans • Corn • Millet • Oil; Rapeseed • Rice; Milled • Sorghum • Sugar; Centrifugal • Tobacco; Total • Wheat

19. BIBLOGRAPHY • Most pictures are from Google • Some of the sites are at the top of the google search