Line #3 UsefulNotes/Mauritania


1	[[quoteright:176:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mauritania_5290.jpg]]
2
3	Mauritania ('''Arabic:''' ''موريتانيا‎ Mūrītānyā'', '''Berber:''' ''Muritanya or Agawej'', '''Wolof:''' ''Gànnaar'', '''Soninke:''' ''Murutaane'', '''Pulaar:''' ''Moritani''), officially known as the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ('''Arabic:''' ''الجمهورية الإسلامية الموريتانية al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʾIslāmiyyah al-Mūrītāniyyah'', '''Berber:''' ''Tagduda Tislamant n Muritanya ⵜⴰⴳⴷⵓⴷⴰ ⵜⵉⵙⵍⴰⵎⴰⵏⵜ ⵏ ⵎⵓⵔⵉⵜⴰⵏⵢⴰ'', '''French:''' ''République Islamique de Mauritanie'', '''Wolof:''' ''Republik bu Lislaamu bu Gànnaar''), is a country simultaneously considered part of both West UsefulNotes/{{Africa}} and the Maghreb (also called Northwest Africa) bordering the Atlantic Ocean, as well as UsefulNotes/{{Mali}}, UsefulNotes/{{Senegal}}, UsefulNotes/{{Algeria}}, and [[UsefulNotes/ThatDryPatchOfLandUnrecognized Western Sahara]]. It was named after the ancient [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Kingdom of Mauretania]], which was actually located to the north in present-day UsefulNotes/{{Morocco}}. While geographically considered part of West Africa, the country is ethnically and culturally closer to the Arabic countries of North Africa, as evidenced by its sole official language being Arabic (with a local Arabic dialect called Hassaniya Arabic) and the country being a member of the Arab League.
4
5	Mauritania has less than 4 million people spread over 1 million km2 of area, making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. This is because the country is almost uniformly arid. The northern half is the Sahara, a mostly barren wasteland outside of a few oases and mountain valleys. The southern half, on the other hand, is the Sahelian savanna, whose shrubby vegetation is used for animal husbandry. In the extreme south on the banks of the Senegal River, there is a tiny region where arable land exists and precipitation is substantial, promoting a space for farming. The capital, Nouakchott, technically lies in the Sahara, but experiences less harsh climate due to its location on the Atlantic coast, where the Canary Current moderates the temperature.
6
7	The region's original population was a mixture of Sanhaja Berbers from North Africa and blacks from sub-Saharan Africa. UsefulNotes/{{Islam}} was introduced in the 11th century by the Almoravid dynasty of Morocco, whose founding fathers came from a tribe of the Sanhaja Berbers. Around the same time, the Arab tribe of Beni Hassan moved into West Africa, triggering a major social upheaval. Assimilating the Berbers, the Arabs dominated the upper class, who came to be called the ''Beidane'', and subjugated the blacks. Some enslaved blacks later underwent Arabization themselves (cf. UsefulNotes/{{Sudan}}) and are nowadays called the ''Haratin''. The lowest social stratum is occupied by blacks speaking the various sub-Saharan languages and therefore do not consider themselves Arab.
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9	In the 17th century, the country was divided between several emirates, chief among them the Trarza. The Trarza came into conflict with UsefulNotes/{{France}}, who up until that point was uninterested in the mainly desert country, when it tried to expand territory beyond the Senegal River, threatening the Saint-Louis Colony. France gradually incorporated the emirates into its empire in the late 19th century, completing it in 1912. Two generations later, the country achieved independence in late 1960. Since the French presence was relatively minimal, the country did not undergo much change as compared to the pre-colonization era, unlike the rest of French West Africa.
10
11	The first president of Mauritania was Moktar Ould Daddah, a socialist autocrat. Under his rule, Mauritania annexed parts of Western Sahara following the withdrawal of UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} in 1975, triggering a disastrous war with the Polisario Front, the armed wing of the Sahrawi, and Algeria, who supported the Polisario. Weakened by years of conflict, Ould Daddah was toppled by Colonel Mustafa Ould Salek in 1979, who in turn was KickedUpstairs when he proved unable to contain the situation. Under Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla, Mauritania pulled out of the war, recognized the Sahrawi claim over Western Sahara, and abolished slavery. Another era of authoritarianism followed his tenure when Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya seized the presidency in 1984 and ruled for the next 20 years.
12
13	Under Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, Mauritania improved its relationship with the West and became the third Arab country to exchange ambassadors with UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}. He was brought down by a military coup in 2005 while abroad. Another coup followed three years later, just as the country was preparing for elections, and placed Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (known for being a leading figure for the 2005 coup) as president. He won the elections in July 2009 (which he ran for since ''April''). Ould Abdel Aziz was an ally of the West during the Islamist insurgency plaguing West Africa and, to his credit, was largely responsible for keeping the country safe from insurgents, unlike the situation in neighboring Mali. After two terms, he announced that he would not run for president again, paving the way for the first peaceful transfer of power since the country's independence in 2019. The president elected, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, was handpicked by Ould Abdel Aziz, however.
14
15	Mauritania mainly exports minerals, especially iron, and fish. The economy is still dominated by agriculture and a solid half live below the poverty line (6% live on less than US$1.90 a day). The country is infamous for being one of the last nations on Earth to abolish slavery - but roughly 2% of the population are still illegally enslaved. Human trafficking, child labor, and female genital mutilation are also major human rights issues.
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17	Also, note that many Mauritanian men have ''Ould'' (pronounced "wool") in their names. That means "[[{{UsefulNotes/Patronymic}} son of]]" in Hassaniya Arabic and is the equivalent of ''Bin/Ibn'' in Eastern Arabic. The feminine equivalent is ''Mint'', a form of Eastern Arabic's ''Bint''.
18	----
19	!!Mauritanian media
20	[[AC: Personalities:]]
21	* Creator/MedHondo, actor, director and French dubbing voice of Creator/EddieMurphy.
22
23	[[AC: Film:]]
24	* Myth/ArabMythology
25	* Myth/TuaregMythology
26	* ''Film/{{Timbuktu}}'' (2014) is the first film from Mauritania to ever get an Oscar nomination for [[MediaNotes/AcademyAwardForBestForeignLanguageFilm Foreign Language Film]]. (Timbuktu is actually in UsefulNotes/{{Mali}}.)
27	----
28	[[AC:The Mauritanian flag]]
29	https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mauritanian_flag_6.png
30	->This flag replaced the old flag from 1959 in August 15th, 2017, adding two red bars to the top and bottom of it. The green field and the crescent-and-star pattern are common Islamic symbols, though this flag leans more on the Pan-African colors, as both the crescent and star are colored gold, symbolizing the Sahara Desert, and the two red stripes represent the efforts and sacrifices that the people of Mauritania will keep consenting, to the price of their blood, to defend their territory.
31	----
32	[[AC:The Mauritanian national anthem]]
33	->بلادَ الأُبَاةِ الهُدَاةِ الكِرامْ
34	->وحِصْنَ الكِتابِ الذي لا يُضَامْ
35	->أيا مَوْريتانِ رَبيعَ الوئامْ
36	->ورُكْنَ السَّماحةِ ثَغْرَ السلامْ
37
38	->سنَحْمي حِماك ونحِن فداكِ
39	->ونَكْسُو رُبَاكِ بِلَوْن الأمَلْ
40	->وعند نِداكِ نُلَبِّي أجَلْ
41
42	->بُدورُ سَمَائِكِ لَمْ تُحْجَبِ
43	->وشمسُ جَبِينِكِ لَمْ تَغرُبِ
44	->نَماكِ الأمَاجدُ مِن يَعْرُبِ
45	->لإفْرِيقِيَّا المَنْبَعِ الأعْذَبِ
46
47	->رَضَعْنَا لِبانَ النَّدَى والإبَا
48	->سَجَايَا حَمَلْنَ جَنًى طَيِّبَا
49	->ومَرْعًى خَصِيباً، وإنْ أجْدَبَا
50	->سَمَوْنَا، فَكَانَ لَنَا أرحَبَا
51
52	->سَقَيْنا عَدُوَّكِ صَاباً ومُرًّا
53	->فَمَا نالَ نُزْلًا ولا مُسْتَقَرَّا
54	->نُقَاومُهُ حَيْثُ جَاسَ ومَرَّا
55	->نُرَتِّلً إنَّ مَعَ العُسْرِا يُسْرَا
56
57	->قَفَوْنَا الرسولْ بِنَهْجٍ سَمَا
58	->إلى سِدْرَة المجد فوقَ السَّمَا
59	->حَجَزْنَا الثرَيَا لَنَا سُلَّمَا
60	->رسَمْنَا هُنالِكَ حَدَّ الحِمى
61
62	->أخَذْنَاكِ عَهْدًا حَمَلْنَاكِ وَعْدًا
63	->ونُهدِيكِ سَعْداً لِجِيلٍ أطَلْ
64
65	->سنَحْمي حِماك ونحِن فداكِ
66	->ونَكْسُو رُبَاكِ بِلَوْن الأمَلْ
67	->سنَحْمي حِماك ونحِن فداكِ
68	->وعند نِداكِ نُلَبِّي أجَلْ
69	[[note]]
70	->Bilāda l-ubāti l-hudāti l-kirām
71	->Wa-ḥisna l-kitābi l-ladhī lā yudām
72	->Ayā Mūrītāni rabī'i al-wi'ām
73	->Wa-rukna s-samāḥati thaġra s-salām
74
75	->Sanaḥmī ḥimāki wa-naḥnu fidāki
76	->Wa-naksū rubāki bilauni l-amal
77	->Wa-'einda nidāki nulabbī ajal
78
79	->Budūru samāiki lam taḥjabi
80	->Wa-shamsu jabīniki lam taġrubi
81	->Namāki l-amājidu min ya'rubi
82	->Li'ifrīqīa l-manba'e l-'adhabi
83
84	->Ra-ḍha'anā libāna n-nadā wā-l-ibā
85	->Sajāyā ḥamalna janān ṭayibā
86	->Wa-mar 'an ḥaṣībān, wa-in ajdabā
87	->Samaunā, fakāna l-anā ar-ḥabā
88
89	->Saqainā 'aduaki ṣābān wa-murān
90	->Famā nala nuzulān wa-lā mustaqarā
91	->Nuqāuimuhu ḥaithu jāsa wa-murrān
92	->Nurattilu in-na ma‘a l-‘usri yusrā
93
94	->afaunā ar-rasūl bi-nahjin samā
95	->Ila sidrati l-majd fauqa as-samā
96	->Ḥajaznā ath-thurayyā lanā sullamā
97	->Rasamnā hunalika ḥadda l-ḥimā
98
99	->Aḥadhnāki 'ahdā hamalnāki wa-'adān
100	->Wa-nhudīki sa'adān lijilin aṭal
101
102	->Sanaḥmī ḥimāki wa-naḥnu fidāki
103	->Wa-naksū rubāki bilauni l-amal
104	->Sanaḥmī ḥimāki wa-naḥnu fidāki
105	->Wa-'einda nidāki nulabbī ajal
106	[[/note]]
107
108	--
109
110	->Land of the proud, the guided and the noble
111	->The fortress of the Book that can't be bound
112	->O Mauritania, the spring of harmony
113	->The corner of tolerance, the haven of peace
114
115	->We will protect you with our lives
116	->and paint your hills with the color of hope
117	->When you call, "yes!" is our answer
118
119	->The crescent moons in your sky won't wane
120	->and the sun on your forehead won't set
121	->The noble Arabs enriched you
122	->and the purest source is Africa's
123
124	->We drank the milk of dew and pride
125	->A nature that brought a good harvest
126	->and a fertile pasture, even when it's barren
127	->welcoming us as we ascend
128
129	->We made your enemy drink a bitter downpour
130	->so he couldn't settle or rest
131	->We resist him wherever he goes
132	->Praying "Surely with hardship comes ease"
133
134	->We followed the prophet along the path of the heavens
135	->to the tree of glory above the sky
136	->occupying The Pleiades as our stairway
137	->drawing our border there
138
139	->We took you as a vow and carried you as a promise
140	->we happily give you up to the future generation
141
142	->We will protect you with our lives
143	->and paint your hills with the color of hope
144	->We will protect you with our lives
145	->and paint your hills with the color of hope
146	----
147	[[AC:Government]]
148	* Unitary semi-presidential Islamic republic
149	** President: Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
150	** Prime Minister: Mohamed Ould Bilal
151	** President of the National Assembly: Mohamed Ould Meguett
152	----
153	[[AC:Miscellaneous]]
154	* '''Capital and largest city:''' Nouakchott
155	* '''Population:''' 4,403,313
156	* '''Area:''' 1,030,000 km
157	(400,000 sq mi) (28th)
158	* '''Currency:''' Mauritanian ouguiya (UM) (MRU)
159	* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' MR
160	* '''Country calling code:''' 222
161	* '''Highest point:''' Kediet ej Jill (915 m/3,002 ft) (164th)

Context UsefulNotes / Mauritania