Mauritania
General Information for Mauritania
Geo-political:
Capital City: Nouakchott.
Nationality: (noun) Mauritanian, (adjective) Mauritanian.
Population: 3,129,486.
Communications:
International Direct Dial Code: 222.
Number of Internal Airports: 9.
Major Languages Spoken: Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French,
Hassaniya.
Economy:
Currency: 1 () of .
Main Industries: Fish processing, oil production, mining of iron ore, gold, copper and gypsum deposits
have never been exploited.
Environment:
Territorial Sea: 12 n.m.
Other Maritime Claims: Contiguous Zone: 24 n.m. Continental Shelf: 200 n.m. or to the edge of the continental
margin. Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 n.m.
Coastline Extent: 754 km.
Climate: Desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty.
Natural Resources: Iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil and fish.
Natural Hazards: Hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic
droughts.
Terrain: Mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills.
OVERVIEW:
There is a high threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including
in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. There is a high risk of
kidnap throughout Mauritania and surrounding countries from Al Qaeda in the Lands
of the Islamic Maghreb (AQ-M). AQ-M operates directly or through criminal gangs who
carry out kidnappings on their behalf or pass on their kidnap victims for monetary
gain. Attacks have occurred across a wide area of the Sahel region, including Mauritania.
Since 2008, AQ-M has taken over 25 hostages of a variety of nationalities, primarily
European. A number of these hostages are still being held, including a group of French
nationals kidnapped in September 2010. A British citizen was amongst a group of tourists
who were kidnapped in Mali in January 2009. He was killed some months later.
It is advised to avoid all travel to the western provinces of Dakhlet-Nouadhibou and
Inchiri. This includes the border with Western Sahara and the road from the port of
Nouadhibou to the capital, Nouakchott.
Also see
General
MEDICAL:
Medical facilities are extremely limited, particularly outside Nouakchott and Nouadhibou,
where lack of communications makes dealing with an emergency very difficult. Clinics
in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou charge for medical care (sometimes in Euros - EUR or
US Dollars - USD), and may not accept foreign insurance cards. Your insurance should
also cover you for medical repatriation by air ambulance.
Also see
General
TIME:
GMT throughout the year.
HOLIDAYS:
1 January (New Year’s Day); 26 February (Ide El Maouloud); 1 May (Labour Day); 25
May (Africa Union Day); 10 September (Idhe El Fitr); 28 November (Independence Day);
16 November (El Ide Elkebir); 7 December (Muslim New Year).
CONNECTIONS:
The coast road between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou runs through a region to which all
travel should be avoided. On 29 November 2009 three Spanish nationals who were travelling
in a convoy on this road were kidnapped. The conditions of paved roads in Mauritania
are generally poor, and overland travel is difficult.
Mauritania Airways runs flights linking Nouakchott to Nouadhibou (daily), Zouerate,
Atar, Kaedi, Kiffa, Tidjikja, Aioun and Nema. You should reconfirm all flights. Significant
deficiencies have been identified in the level of safety oversight that Mauritania
gives to aircraft on its register and to the airlines that it certifies.
Also see
General
BANKS:
Local currency (Ouguiya - MRO) is not convertible and may not be exported. USD or
(preferably) EUR can be changed for MRO at banks, some hotels and official Bureaux
de Change. The rate for GBP is very poor. Credit cards can be used at a few hotels
in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. ATMs do not accept foreign credit or debit cards.
Also see
General
SHORE LEAVE:
Sale and consumption of alcohol is against the law, although some restaurants do serve
it. Police sometimes object to photography without prior permission.
Also see
General
IDENTIFICATION CARDS:
You should carry ID, especially when travelling outside Nouakchott (where you may
encounter many police road checks). You should also comply promptly with directions
from the police and other Mauritanian security forces, and carry copies of your personal
identity papers (passport) with you at all times.
Also see
General
GENERAL:
Information obtained from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office website. Updates available
from
www.fco.gov.uk/
