The history of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania dates back to the 3rd century. Mauritania is named after the ancient Berber kingdom of Mauretania. // Overview Events 212: Constitutio Antoniniana grants citizenship to all free Roman men 212-216: Baths of Caracalla 230-232: Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east 235-284: Crisis of the Third Century shakes Roman Empire 250-538: Kofun era, the first... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ... Mauretania was a Berber kingdom on the Mediterranean coast of north Africa (named after the Mauri tribe, after whom the Moors were named), corresponding to western Algeria and northern Morocco. ...

Pre-colonization

From the 3rd to 7th century, the migration of Berber tribes from North Africa displaced the Bafours, the original inhabitants of present-day Mauritania and the ancestors of the Soninke. Continued Arab-Berber migration drove indigenous black Africans south to the Senegal River or enslaved them. By 1076, Islamic warrior monks (Almoravid or Al Murabitun) completed the conquest of southern Mauritania, defeating the ancient Ghana Empire. Over the next 500 years, Arabs overcame fierce Berber resistance to dominate Mauritania. The Mauritanian Thirty-Year War (1644-74) was the unsuccessful final Berber effort to repel the Maqil Arab invaders, who were led by the Beni Hassan tribe. The descendants of Beni Hassan warriors became the upper stratum of Moorish society. Berbers retained influence by producing the majority of the region's marabouts—those who preserve and teach Islamic tradition. Hassaniya, a mainly oral Berber-influenced Arabic dialect which derives its name from the Beni Hassan tribe, became the dominant language among the largely nomadic population. Aristocrat and servant castes developed, yielding "white" Moors (aristocracy) and "black" Moors (the enslaved indigenous class). // Overview Events 212: Constitutio Antoniniana grants citizenship to all free Roman men 212-216: Baths of Caracalla 230-232: Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east 235-284: Crisis of the Third Century shakes Roman Empire 250-538: Kofun era, the first... // Overview Events The Roman-Persian Wars end. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... The Bafours were the original inhabitants of Mauritania, and the ancestors to the Soninke tribe. ... Also called Sarakole, Seraculeh, or Serahuli, the Soninke are a Mandé people who descend from the Bafour, and are closely related to the Imraguen of Mauritania. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ) are a large and heterogeneous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... The Senegal River, in West Africa, forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania. ... Events February 14 - Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ) is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the Quran. ... Almoravides (From Arabic المرابطون sing. ... The Ghana Empire in Africa The Empire of Ghana (existed c. ... // Events February to August - Explorer Abel Tasmans second expedition for the Dutch East India Company maps the north coast of Australia. ... Events February 19 - England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster. ... Beni Hasan (or Bani Hasan, or also Beni-Hassan) is a village in Middle Egypt about 25 km south of Al Minya (or Minieh), on the east bank of the Nile, with remarkable catacombs that have been excavated. ... A marabout is a personal spiritual leader in the Islam faith as practiced in West Africa, and still to a limited extent in the Maghreb. ... ḤassānÄ«ya is a Bedouin dialect derived from the Arabic dialect spoken by the Beni Hassān tribes, who extended their authority over most of the Mauritanian Sahara between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. ... Blackamoors seem to be derived from Moors, and blackamoor is often shortened as Moor (in German, Mohr). ...

French colonization

French colonization at the beginning of the 20th century brought legal prohibitions against slavery, though at the end of the 20th century rural slavery persisted, and an end to interclan warfare. During the colonial period, the population remained nomadic, but sedentary black Africans, whose ancestors had been expelled centuries earlier by the Moors, began to trickle back into southern Mauritania. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Colonialism. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... It has been suggested that Chattel slavery be merged into this article or section. ... Communities of nomadic people move from place to place, rather than settling down in one location. ... This article is about the color black; for other uses, see Black (disambiguation). ... Moor may refer to: A high altitude form of heathland habitat widespread in northern Britain; see heath (habitat). ...

Independence under Ould Daddah

As the country gained independence on November 28, 1960, the capital city Nouakchott was founded at the site of a small colonial village, the Ksar, while 90% of the population was still nomadic. With independence, larger numbers of ethnic Sub-Saharan Africans (Haalpulaar, Soninke, and Wolof) entered Mauritania, moving into the area north of the Senegal River. Educated in French language and customs, many of these recent arrivals became clerks, soldiers, and administrators in the new state. November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Nouakchott (Arabic: نواكشوط or انواكشوط; population estimate 1999: 881,000) is the capital and by far the largest city of Mauritania. ... Kazakh nomads in the steppes of the Russian Empire, ca. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Also called Sarakole, Seraculeh, or Serahuli, the Soninke are a Mandé people who descend from the Bafour, and are closely related to the Imraguen of Mauritania. ... The Wolofs are an ethnic group living in Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania. ... The Senegal River, in West Africa, forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ...

Moors reacted to this change by increasing pressures for Arabization, to Arabicize many aspects of Mauritanian life, such as law and language. A schism developed between those who considered Mauritania to be an Moorish Arab country and those who seek a dominant role for the Sub-Saharan peoples; the Moorish community remained in charge of the state apparatus. Arabization is the gradual transformation of an area into one that speaks Arabic and is part of the Arab culture. ...

President Moktar Ould Daddah, originally installed by the French, formalized Mauritania into a one-party state in 1964 with a new constitution, which set up an authoritarian presidential regime. Daddah's own Parti du Peuple Mauritanien (PPM) became the ruling organization. The President justified this decision on the grounds that he considered Mauritania unready for western-style multi-party democracy. Under this one-party constitution, Daddah was reelected in uncontested elections in 1966, 1971 and 1976. Moktar Ould Daddah (December 25, 1924 - October 14, 2003) was the President of Mauritania from 1960, when his country gained its independence from France, to 1978, when he was deposed in a military coup detat. ... A single-party state or one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system and form of government where only a single political party dominates the government and no opposition parties are allowed. ... Authoritarianism describes a form of government characterized by strict obedience to the authority of the state, which often maintains and enforces social control through the use of oppressive measures. ... Parti du Peuple Mauritanien (PPM, French Mauritanian Peoples Party) was the sole legal party of Mauritania from 1961 to 1978. ... A multi-party system is a type of party system. ...

To take advantage of the country's sizeable iron ore deposits in Zouerate, the new government built a 675-km railway and a mining port. Production began in 1963. The mines were operated by a foreign owned consortium that paid its approximately 3,000 expatriate workers handsomely - their salaries accounted for two-thirds of the country's entire wages bill. When the Mauritanian miners went on a two-month strike in the late 1960s the army intervened and eight miners were killed. Left-wing opposition to the government mounted and some miners formed a clandestine Marxist union in 1973. President Ould Daddah survived the challenge from left-wing opponents by nationalising the company in 1974 and withdrawing from the franc zone, substituting the ouguiya for the CFA. This heap of iron ore pellets will be used in steel production. ... Zouérat is the largest town in northern Mauritania and is the capital of Tiris Zemmour. ... The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine This article is about mineral extraction. ... Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 644,294 (2002 est. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... MRO is also the acronym for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter The Mauritanian ouguiya ( ISO 4217: MRO) is the currency of Mauritania. ...

Saharan War and Ould Daddah's downfall

Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976, renaming it Tiris al-Gharbiyya, but after nearly three years of raids by the Sahrawi guerrillas of the Polisario Front, the country's economic and political stability began to crumble. Despite French and Moroccan military aid, Polisario raids against the Zouerate railway and mines threatened to bring about economic collapse, and there were deep misgivings in the military about the Saharan venture. Ethnic unrest contributed to the disarray. Black Africans from the south were conscripted as front-line soldiers, after the northern Sahrawi minorities and their Moorish kin had proven unreliable in the fight against Polisario, but many of the southerners rebelled against having to fight what they considered an inter-Arab war. After the government quarters in Nouakchott had twice been shelled by Polisario forces, unrest simmered, but Daddah's response was to further tighten his hold on power. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Spanish Sahara was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was ruled by Spain, created from the Spanish territories of Rio de Oro and La Aguera in 1924. ... Tiris al-Gharbiyya (Arabic for Western Tiris) was the Mauritanian name for the area of Western Sahara under its control between 1975 and 1979. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from the Spanish guerrilla meaning little war, and used to describe small combat groups and the individual members of such groups (see Etymology). ... The Polisario, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro) is a Sahrawi movement working for the independence of Western...

On July 10, 1978, Lt. Col. Mustafa Ould Salekousted led a bloodless coup d’état that ousted the President, who would later go into exile in France. Power passed to the military strongmen of the Military Committee for National Salvation (MCNS), and soon Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah emerged as leader of the country. Polisario immediately declared a cease-fire, and peace negotiations began under the sponsorship of Polisario's main backer, Algeria. In 1979, Polisario broke off the cease-fire after Mauritania had stalled the negotiations, and unleashed a string of new attacks on military and government targets. Mauritania immediately returned to the table to meet Polisario's goals, declaring full peace, a troop retreat, relinquishing their portion of Western Sahara and recognizing the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as the country's legitimate government. Morocco, occupying the northern half of Western Sahara and also involved in combat against Polisario, reacted with outrage, and is generally believed to have been behind the failed 1981 coup against the MCNS. Mauritania broke off relations with Rabat in protest, although ties were later restored.[1] July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... A coup détat (pronounced kÅ« dā ta), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... The Saharawi (or Sahrawi) Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is the long-form English translation of the government of Western Sahara (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الدمقرطية, Spanish: República Arabe Saharaui Democrática). ... For the Maltese city on Gozo Island which can also be called Rabat, see Victoria, Malta. ...

Mauritania under Ould Taya

On December 12, 1984, Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya deposed Haidallah, whose increasingly autocratic behaviour and close relations to the Sahrawis of Polisario had again caused discontent within the army, and declared himself Chairman of the MCNS. Like other rulers before him, he promised a swift transfer to democracy, but then made little of these promises. December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Maaouya Ould SidAhmed Taya (Arabic: ) (b. ...

The discord between conflicting visions of Mauritanian society as either black or Arab, again rose to the surface during the intercommunal violence that broke out in April 1989 (the "1989 Events"), when a Mauritania-Senegal border dispute escalated into violence between the two communities. Tens of thousands of black Mauritanians fled or were expelled from the country,[2] and many remain in Senegal as refugees. This is also where the black Mauritanian movement FLAM (Forces de Libération Africaines de Mauritanie) is based. Although tension has since subsided, the Arab-African racial tension remains an important feature of the political dialogue today. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions between its black minority population and the dominant Mauri (Arab-Berber) populace. A significant number from both groups, however, seek a more diverse, pluralistic society. Mauri may refer to: In the Maori language of New Zealand, Mauri means the life force which binds together every branch of Maoridom into one entity. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ...

Opposition parties were legalized and a new constitution approved in 1991 which put an end to formal military rule. However, Ould Taya's election wins were dismissed as fraudulent by both opposition groups and external observers. In 1998, Mauritania became the third Arab country to recognize Israel, despite strong internal opposition.

In 2001, elections incorporated more safeguards against voter fraud but opposition candidate (and former leader) Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah was nevertheless arrested prior to election day on charges of planning a coup, released the same day, and rearrested after the election. Attempted military coups and unrest instigated by Islamist opponents of the regime marred the early years of the 21st century, and the Taya regime's heavy-handed crackdowns were criticized by human rights groups. This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Islamism is a political ideology derived from the conservative religious views of Muslim fundamentalism. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ...

Recent political coups

June 2003 Coup

On June 8, 2003 a failed coup attempt was made against President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya by forces unhappy with his imprisonment of Islamic leaders in the wake of the US-led invasion of Iraq and his establishment of full diplomatic relations with Israel. The coup was suppressed after one day of fighting in the capital when pro-Taya military forces arrived from the countryside. A number of government officials were detained after the coup including the head of the Supreme Court, Mahfoud Ould Lemrabott, and the Secretary of State for Women's Affairs, Mintata Mint Hedeid. The coup leader, Saleh Ould Hanenna, a former army colonel sacked for opposing Taya's pro-Israel policies, was not captured or killed during the coup. See this BBC article on theories behind the coup. June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Maaouya Ould SidAhmed Taya (Arabic: ) (b. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ) is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the Quran. ... This article covers invasion specifics. ...

August 2005 coup

On August 3, 2005, it was reported that the Mauritanian military, including members of the presidential guard, had seized control of key points in the capital of Nouakchott, indicating a possible coup against the government of President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya who was out of the country, attending the funeral of Saudi King Fahd. The officers released the following statement: August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nouakchott (Arabic: نواكشوط or انواكشوط; population estimate 1999: 881,000) is the capital and by far the largest city of Mauritania. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... Maaouya Ould SidAhmed Taya (Arabic: ) (b. ... King Fahd of Saudi Arabia King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz (born in Riyadh in 1923) is the king and prime minister of Saudi Arabia and leader of the House of Saud. ...

The national armed forces and security forces have unanimously decided to put a definitive end to the oppressive activities of the defunct authority, which our people have suffered from during the past years. (BBC)

Taya was never able to return to the country, and remains in exile. The new junta calls itself the Military Council for Justice and Democracy, and democracy and rule of law. Col.Ely Ould Mohamed Vall emerged as leader at an early stage. Dissidents have been released, and the political climate relaxed, but in early 2006 it remains unclear where Mauritania is headed. In modern usage, junta (pronounced as in Spanish HUN-ta or HOON-ta) typically refers to a military dictatorship, especially in Latin America, which is officially run by a committee of high-ranking military officers. ... The Military Council for Justice and Democracy (Arabic: المجلس العسكري للعدالة والديمقراطية; French: Le Conseil militaire pour la Justice et la Démocratie) is currently the supreme political body of Mauritania. ... The rule of law implies that government authority may only be exercised in accordance with written laws, which were adopted through an established procedure. ... Colonel (Ger: Oberst) is a military rank, usually the highest below general grades, and just above Lieutenant Colonel. ... Col. ... A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively opposes an established opinion, policy, or structure. ...

Literature

• Newton, Alex, History of West Africa (1988)

See also

• Mauritania