Mauritania
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 ushered in a military council
government. AZIZ was subsequently elected president in July 2009
and sworn in the following month. The country continues to experience
ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and
white and black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities, and is having to
confront a growing terrorism threat by al-Qa'ida in the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM).
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Industries
fish processing, oil production, mining of iron ore, gold, and copper
note: gypsum deposits have never been exploited
Industrial production growth rate
2% (2000 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133 Source : https://www.cia.gov
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