Mauritania is mostly desert and one day, it may be all desert. The Sahara is creeping southward and now covers more than two-thirds of the country. The northern part of Mauritania's desert has a few high plateaus (the best-known is the Adrar Plateau) and more sand dunes than the southern desert. The southern edge of Mauritania, near Senegal, is still fairly green and flat. The Atlantic coast is one long, uninterrupted sandy beach.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to venture so far south along the western coast of Africa, landing in what is now Mauritania in 1441. But it was the French who were to affect the nation most, and they didn't arrive in force until 1904. Mauritania experienced one of the shortest colonial periods on the continent (French rule ended in 1960), and unlike some other African nations, Mauritania was left with most of its natural resources intact—major deposits of iron ore were not discovered until the late 1950s. Unfortunately, the nation hasn't been able to turn mineral exploitation into economic stability: Despotic governments, economic mismanagement, a costly war and racial tensions have made independence a rocky experience.
Before a bloodless military coup in August 2005, the government was dominated by Arabic Moors, even though they made up only about 40% of the population. The rest of the population consists of sub-Saharan blacks and Haratine, or black Moors, who are the descendants of former slaves. For a long time, the border with Senegal was closed as a result of strife between the two nations. One result was a kind of ethnic cleansing, with tens of thousands of blacks being sent south to Senegal while huge numbers of Moors were expelled from Senegal and sent north to Mauritania.
The loss of many skilled laborers caused economic problems (including high inflation) in Mauritania, and it didn't help that, for a while, the nation lost access to the port at Dakar, Senegal.
Mauritania held its first democratic elections in 2007 and elected Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi as president. However, a second bloodless coup in 2008 removed him from power. Since the end of French rule in 1960, the country has experienced coups d'etat.
Desert oases, sand dunes, nomadic people, beaches, deep-sea fishing, bird watching and four-wheel-drive treks are among the foremost attractions of Mauritania.
This poor desert country will appeal to few travelers. It's not a destination for those who are simply interested in the Sahara—other desert countries are more hospitable.
Mauritania boasts the world's longest train—the one carrying iron from Zouerate to Nouadhibou can stretch to nearly 2 mi/3 km. You can ride the train, too. There are a few compartments—and plenty of space on top of the cars.
Africa's first desalinization plant was built in Mauritania.
Slavery has been outlawed several times in Mauritania, most recently in the 1980s. Still, accusations of abuses continue, and some estimates put the population of unpaid servants at 90,000. A rigid caste system existed for a dozen centuries, and attitudes toward race are proving difficult to change.
The longest sand beach in the world is the 450-mi/725-km Atlantic coastline of Mauritania.
Mauritania has been repeatedly ravaged by famine and drought (there's been very little rain since the early 1980s). Livestock raising was decimated by the southward advance of the Sahara. At least 60% of the country is desert: About half of that desert is now covered with unconsolidated (i.e., drifting) sand and the other half is so barren even camels can't survive there.
