Africa

Flag of Mauritania

Mauritania is a large country in northwestern Africa, serving as a cultural and geographical bridge between the Arab Maghreb of North Africa and sub-Saharan West Africa. The Sahara Desert covers most of its territory, with most of the population concentrated in the south. Mauritania was the last country in the world to officially abolish slavery, doing so in 1981, though enforcement continues to be a challenge.

CapitalNouakchott
RegionAfrica
Current flag since2017
Main coloursGreen, Red, Yellow
Populationabout 4.9 million
Areaabout 1,031,000 km²
Flags in history2

Population and area are rounded.

What the flag of Mauritania means

The green field and the gold crescent and star are symbols of Islam, and gold also stands for the sands of the Sahara. The two red stripes were added after a 2017 referendum to honour the blood shed by those who fought for independence from France. The original green flag was adopted in 1959, the year before independence.

More about the flag

The 2017 referendum that added the red stripes also abolished Mauritania's Senate; opposition parties boycotted the vote. Mauritania lies where the Arab Maghreb meets sub-Saharan Africa, and most of it is Sahara desert. Its capital, Nouakchott, grew from a small village into the main city after it was chosen as capital at independence in 1960.