Mauritanian Americans

Mauritanian Americans
Total population
est. 5,000
Regions with significant populations
Ohio (Cincinnati and Columbus), Erlanger (Kentucky), New York City
Languages
Hassaniya Arabic, Pulaar, Wolof, Soninke, French, American English
Religion
Predominantly Islam, minority Christianity, Atheism, other

Mauritanian Americans are Americans of Mauritanian descent or Mauritanians who have American citizenship. The Mauritanian diaspora in the United States is relatively small compared to other African immigrant groups but has grown since the 1980s due to political instability, ethnic tensions, and economic hardship in Mauritania. According to answers provided to an open-ended question included in the 2000 US census, 993 people said that their ancestry or ethnic origin was Mauritanian. According to a 2012 published report, however, about 4,000 people of Mauritanian origin live in the Cincinnati (Ohio) and Erlanger (Kentucky) areas and another 1,065 Mauritanians live in Columbus, Ohio.