Mauritania
موريتانيا
Waiting for the first voice
تا مرد سخن نگفته باشد / عیب و هنرش نهفته باشد
Until a man has spoken, his faults and his gifts both stay hidden.
No advice from here yet. Know an elder from this country? Your recording could be the first: 2–3 minutes on a phone.
Did you know
At nearly 2.5 km long, Mauritania's iron ore trains are among the longest in the world. (source)
Elders in numbers
- of people are 65 or older
- 3.2%
- people aged 65 or older
- 172.6K
- will be 65 or older in 2050
- 4.7%
- is how long people live after 60, on average
- 18.5 years
- of people 65+ live alone
- 3.2%
- women 4.5%, men 2%
Sources: World Bank, 2025; World Bank projection for 2050; WHO, 2023; UN, 2015
Languages
9 languages, 1 of them endangered
- ZenagaSeverely endangered
- American Sign Language
- Hassaniya Arabic
- Koyra Chiini
- Maasina Fulfulde
- Pulaar
- Soninke
- Western Maninkakan
- Wolof
Languages and their status: Glottolog v5.3, CC BY 4.0. Names: Wikidata.
UNESCO intangible heritage
- The zaffa in the traditional wedding2025
- The Epic of Samba Gueladio2024
- Henna: rituals, aesthetic and social practices2024
- Arts, skills and practices associated with engraving on metals (gold, silver and copper)2023
- Mahadra, a community system for transmission of traditional knowledge and oral expressions2023
- Date palm, knowledge, skills, traditions and practices2022
- Arabic calligraphy: knowledge, skills and practices2021
- Knowledge, know-how and practices pertaining to the production and consumption of couscous2020
Show all 9
List and years: ich.unesco.org
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