Mauritania
/ˌmɒrɪˈteɪnɪə/- a country in West Africa with a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean; pop. 2,023,000 (est. 2009); languages, Arabic (official), French; capital, Nouakchott.毛里塔尼亚（西非国家, 濒临大西洋; 2009年估计人口3,129,500; 语言为阿拉伯语［官方语言］和法语; 首都努瓦克肖特）。
Mauritania was a centre of Berber power in the 11th and 12th centuries, at which time Islam became established in the region. Later, nomadic Arab tribes became dominant, while on the coast European nations, especially France, established trading posts. A French protectorate from 1902 and a colony from 1920, Mauritania achieved full independence in 1961.
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