#Mauritania #mauritaniaculture #Mauritaniapeople #berber #amazigh #slavery #africantribes
Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania , is a sovereign country in Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to the north and northwest, Algeria to the northeast, Mali to the east and southeast, and Senegal to the southwest. By land area, Mauritania is the 11th-largest country in Africa and the 28th-largest in the world, and 90% of its territory is situated in the Sahara. Most of its population of approximately 4.3 million lives in the temperate south of the country, with roughly one-third concentrated in the capital and largest city, Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast. Mauritania is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. It is a desert country which means it is constantly hot, dry and dusty.
2. Forced Feeding Culture.
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a “deeply patriarchal society” in which women and girls are taught that they are inferior to men and must please men in order to have a fulfilling life. One manifestation of this culture is the standard of beauty for women, which emphasizes obesity as a sign of wealth, status and desirability. The preference originated centuries ago among the Moors, nomadic Muslims of Arabic and Berber stock who make up two-thirds of Mauritania's 3.1 million people. To the ancient Moors, a fat wife (much like fat livestock) was a symbol of a man's wealth, proof that he had enough riches to feed her generously while others perished in the drought-prone terrain.
3. Despite its prevailing Arab identity, Mauritanian society is multiethnic and a majority Black country. The Bidhan, or so-called "white moors", make up 30% of the population, while the Haratin, or so-called "black moors", comprise 40%. Both groups reflect a fusion of Arab-Berber ethnicity, language, and culture. The remaining 30% of the population comprises various sub-Saharan ethnic groups. Thus it is 70% west African and 30% Berber.
4. Mauritania takes its name from the ancient Berber kingdom that flourished beginning in the third century BC and later became the Roman province of Mauretania, which flourished into the seventh century AD. The name Mauritania comes from the ancient kingdom of Mauretania, itself derived from the Mauri, meaning "Moors".
5. The Arab Component of the country is from Yemen. Many of the Berber tribes have claimed to have Yemeni origins. A 2000 DNA study of the Yemeni people did suggest some ancient connection might exist between the peoples.
6. Arabic is the official and national language of Mauritania. The local spoken variety, known as Hassaniya, contains many Berber words and significantly differs from the Modern Standard Arabic that is used for official communication.
7. The obesity rate among Mauritanian women is high, perhaps in part due to the traditional standards of beauty in some regions by which obese women are considered beautiful while thin women are considered sickly.
8. Slavery persists in Mauritania, despite it being outlawed. It is the result of a historical caste system, resulting in descent-based slavery. Mauritania officially abolished slavery in 1981, but the practice was not criminalized until 2007. In 2012, it was estimated that 10% to 20% of the population of Mauritania (between 340,000 and 680,000 people) live in slavery.
9. Despite being rich in natural resources, Mauritania has a low GDP.A majority of the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though most of the nomads and many subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for almost 50% of total exports.
10. Mauritania may be a dry country of endless desert terrain but its defienily worth visiting. It’s got some cool places to see. Chinguetti is one of the most popular places in the country. Known for its historic desert city architecture, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mauritania is home to the Richat Structure, sometimes referred to as "Eye of the Sahara" or the "Eye of Africa". The largest ship graveyard in the world is located in Mauritania. Near the city of Nouadhibou, hundreds of wrecks have been grounded in shallow water where they are scavenged or left to decay. Mauritania has one of the longest trains in the world. The "Iron Ore Train" or "Desert Train" is often 2.3 km long.