Mauritania

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Mauritania fought or stood against, from the first to today.

1. Ghana Empire1054 to 1076

   The Sanhaja Berbers of the desert and the Soninke kingdom of Ghana compete for the gold trade. The Almoravids take Awdaghust, a Ghana trading town, around 1054. Arab writers say they took Ghana's capital in 1076, though some historians doubt a conquest.

2. 🇵🇹 Kingdom of Portugal1445 to 1633

   Portuguese ships raid the coast for captives from the 1440s and build a trading fort on Arguin island. It stays Portuguese until the Dutch take it in 1633.

3. Banu Hassan Arab tribes1644 to 1674

   Zawaya Berber tribes, led by the scholar Nasir al-Din, fight the Arab warrior tribes of the Banu Hassan in the Char Bouba war. The Arabs win in 1674, and the zawaya give up arms and pay them tribute.

4. 🇫🇷 French Third Republic1902 to 1934

   French columns from Senegal subdue the emirates of Trarza, Brakna, Tagant and Adrar between 1902 and 1909, against resistance inspired from the north by Ma al-Aynayn. Desert raiders keep attacking French posts until 1934.

5. 🇲🇦 Morocco1957 to 1969

   Morocco claims all of Mauritania as part of a Greater Morocco and opposes its independence and its entry to the United Nations in 1961. It recognises Mauritania only in 1969, and in 1975 the two divide Western Sahara between them.

6. Polisario Front1975 to 1979

   After Mauritania annexes the south of Western Sahara in 1975, Polisario guerrillas raid deep into the country and shell Nouakchott in 1976 and 1977. The costly war helps bring down President Ould Daddah in 1978, and Mauritania makes peace in 1979.

7. 🇸🇳 Senegal1989 to 1992

   A clash over grazing on the Senegal River in April 1989 sparks deadly riots against each other's nationals in Dakar and Nouakchott. Both countries expel residents, and relations stay cut until 1992.

Today

Mauritania now

The Amazigh and Bafour people were among the earliest settlers in what is now Mauritania and among the first in recorded history to convert from a nomadic to agricultural lifestyle. These groups account for roughly one third of Mauritania’s ethnic makeup. The remainder of Mauritania’s ethnic groups derive from Sub-Saharan ethnic groups originating mainly from the Senegal River Valley, including descendants of former enslaved peoples.

Capital

Nouakchott

Government

presidential republic

Head of government

Moctar Ould Djay

Head of state

Mohamed Ould Ghazouani

Languages

Arabic, French

Area

1,030,700 km²

Through time

Then and now

• Population5.0 million2023 · 657,700 in 1950
• Life expectancy68.5 years2023 · 38.4 years in 1950
• GDP per person$3,6802022 · $679 in 1950
• Living in cities61%2025 · 3% in 1950
• Literacy60%2020
• Political regimeElectoral autocracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
• Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
• Military spending2.8% of GDP2025
• War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.