Factbook
History of Mauritania — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Mauritania, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1960A former French colony, Mauritania achieved independence from France in 1960.
1960Independence: 28 November 1960 (from France).
1981Mauritania officially abolished slavery in 1981, but the practice was not criminalized until 2007.
2005Between 2005 and 2011, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) launched a series of attacks killing western tourists and aid workers, attacking diplomatic and government facilities, and ambushing Mauritanian soldiers and gendarmes.
2008Ould Abdel AZIZ led the last coup in 2008, was elected president in 2009, and was reelected in 2014.
2011Although Mauritania has not seen an attack since 2011, AQIM and similar groups remain active in the Sahel region.
2019Mohamed Ould Cheikh GHAZOUANI was elected president in 2019, and his inauguration marked the first peaceful transition of power from one democratically elected president to another, solidifying the country's status as an emerging democracy.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 72.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 8.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 6.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 12.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 14.135 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: fish processing, oil production, mining (iron ore, gold, copper) Agriculture: rice, milk, goat milk, sorghum, sheep milk, lamb/mutton, beef, camel meat, camel milk, dates (2023) Electricity access: 49% (2022 est.).
2023Languages: Arabic (official and national), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French Religions: Muslim (official) 100% Urban population: 57.7% of total population (2023).
2023Major urban areas: 1.492 million NOUAKCHOTT (capital) (2023) lower middle-income West African economy; primarily agrarian; rising urbanization; poor property rights; systemic corruption; endemic social and workforce tensions; wide-scale terrorism; foreign over-fishing; environmentally fragile Inflation: 2.5% (2024 est.).
2024GHAZOUANI is seeking re-election in June 2024 for a second, and final, five-year term.
2024Military spending: 2.4% of GDP (2024 est.).
