200 Ouguiya

Mauritania's first banknote series followed independence by over a decade — the country used the CFA franc until 1973, when the ouguiya was introduced as part of a broader assertion of economic independence from the franc zone. This 200 ouguiya note belongs to the second phase of that series, distinguished from the earlier P#3A by signature variations reflecting changes in senior bank personnel during the mid-1970s.

Thomas De La Rue's involvement was typical for Francophone African states breaking from French monetary arrangements — London, not Paris, was the logical choice for a government deliberately distancing itself from French institutional ties.