MAURITANIA
(Mauritian Islamic Republic)

Capital: Nouakchott

Flag: the flag consists of a gold star and a half moon on the light green field.

SLOGAN: Mauritania (without words).

MONETARY AND CREDIT BLOCK: Сумгайя (um), the paper currency at a rate of 5 kum released the Central bank of Mauritania replaced on June 29, 1973 French-speaking franc of Communaute Financiere. There are coins of 1 khoum and 1, 5, 10 and 20 ouguiyas and a note of 100, 200, 500 and 1000 ouguiyas. um1 = $0,00380 (or $1 = um263.03) as of 2003.

WEIGHT AND MEASURES: the metric system is the legal standard.

HOLIDAYS: New year, on January 1; Labor Day, on May 1; Day of liberation of Africa, on May 25; Anniversary of Declaration of the Republic, on November 28. Moveable religious feasts include Leylat al-Mirazh, "Ides al-Fitr", "Eid al-Adha", the 1st Mukharram (Muslim New year) and Milad-a-Nabi.

TIME: GMT.

ARRANGEMENT, SIZE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Located in the Western Africa, Mauritania has the area of 1030 700 sq.km (397 955 quarter. Miles). Mauritania stretches for 1,515 km (941 miles) of a не-sw and 1,314 km (816 miles) a year. Rather, the space occupied Mauritania is a little more, than is three times more than the State of New Mexico. It borders on it Algeria, on-e and on Mali, across Senegal, across the Atlantic Ocean and also by a northwest and western part of Western Sahara with the general estimated border of borders of 5828 km (3,621 miles) from which 754 km (469 miles) - the coastline.
The capital of Mauritania, Nouakchott, is located on the Atlantic coast.

TOPOGRAPHY

In Mauritania there are three various geographical regions: a tight belt along the valley of the river Senegal in the south where soil and climatic conditions allow to lodge agriculture; to the north from this valley, the wide east western strip which is characterized by the extensive sandy plains and the fixed dunes withheld on the place by a rare grass and srubs; and the big northern droughty area is shaded in the Sahara, every year moving ahead on the South on several kilometers and is characterized by movement of sandy dunes, rocky exits and rough plateaux which in several places reach heights more than 500 m (1640 feet). The top point, Mount Idzhill about 915 m (3,002 feet), is near Freder. Country in general flat.

CLIMATE

Though conditions usually of the desert, it is possible to allocate three climatic regions. The southern Mauritania has climate of Sahel; there is one rainy season from July to October. The annual amount of precipitation makes 66 cm (26 inches) in the south; in Nouakchott the average annual value is 14 cm (5,5 inches).

Trade winds soften temperature in a coastal zone which droughty. Average maximum temperature in Nouadhibou in January is 26 °C (79 °F), and for October of 32 °C (90 °F); the average minimum makes 13 °C (55 °F) for January and 19 °C (66 °F) for July.