The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a large country of
over 1 000 000 square kilometres situated on the Atlantic coast of
north-west Africa. It is bounded to the north by Western Sahara
and Algeria, to the east by Mali, and to the south by Mali and
Senegal. With the exception of a narrow strip in the south along
the Senegal River valley, the country lies entirely within the
Sahara. The north of the country is largely devoid of vegetation,
and it is estimated that 90 per cent of the population of 2.1
million people live in the southern quarter of the country. From about the turn of the century, Mauritania was ruled by the
French from Dakar in Senegal and, until 1960 when it obtained
independence from the French, Mauritania did not have a capital.
Today, the capital is Nouakchott, home to an estimated 600 000
Moors of mixed Arab, Berber and African descent. After
independence in 1960, disputes over Spanish Sahara to the north
led to a military coup in 1978 and it was not until 1991 that a
democratic constitution was adopted. The new constitution
declares Mauritania to be an `Islamic, African, and Arab
Republic.' It provides for an executive president, elected for a
six-year term, and for a bicameral legislature, consisting of a
national assembly and a senate. The first presidential and
legislative elections were held in 1992 under United Nations'
supervision. Mauritania's economy is predominantly pastoral, and the
country depends heavily on foreign aid. Its principal export
industries are iron ore mining (about ten million tonnes per
annum from mines near Fderik in the north) and fishing. Mines
d'Or d'Akjoujt SA (MORAK), a company in which General
Gold Resources NL (GGR) has 42.5 per cent equity, produces
over 50 000 ounces of gold per annum, which represents the third
largest export industry in the country.