Mauritania and Islam

I hope little Johnnie doesn't stir up too much war dancing as this is how Mauritania is described.
Mauritania is a multiracial nation in north west Africa. Its official name is the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. It can be seen as a link between the Arab Africa of the north and sub-Saharan Africa of the south.
It is a member of the Arab league and its Arab roots go back to the 11th Century when Mauritanians were converted to Islam. Arabic was then adopted as the official language after the Arab conquest of the 16th Century. It was ruled by France from 1903 and became an independent nation in 1960.