Al-Bidān (which literally translates to "Land of the whites") is an endonym used within Mauritania and Western Sahara by the Bidān people to refer to themselves.
The name used by outsiders to refer to the Beydane is Moors from which the country of Mauritania derives its name from the Latin designation of their inhabitants (Mauri) as the Bidan form the majority of the population.
[citation needed] The Beidane people comprise roughly 30 percent of the population,[3] making them the largest ethnic minority.
[5] Haratines are almost exclusively of black African origin, but are closely aligned with the Moorish population in terms of language and culture.
[10] While slavery has officially been abolished by law in 1981, many Mauritanians, specifically the Haratine plurality, remain stuck in a "slave limbo" similar to indentured servitude, where they continue to be socio-economically dependent on the Beidane "masters" due to their position within the societal hierarchy.