World Factbook
Mauritania
Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
1,030,700 sq km
water
0 sq km
total
1,030,700 sq km
Climate
desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Terrain
mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Land use
other
60.5% (2023 est.)
forest
1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
38.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 38.1% (2023 est.)
Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Coastline
754 km
Elevation
lowest point
Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m
highest point
Kediet Ijill 915 m
mean elevation
276 m
Irrigated land
450 sq km (2012)
Major aquifers
Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin, Taodeni-Tanzerouft Basin
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
5,002 km
border countries
Algeria 460 km; Mali 2,236 km; Morocco 1,564 km; Senegal 742 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
24 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Geography - note
Mauritania is considered part of both North Africa's Maghreb region and West Africa's Sahel region; most of the population is concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country
Natural resources
iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish
Area - comparative
slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico; about six times the size of Florida
Geographic coordinates
20 00 N, 12 00 W
Population distribution
vast areas of the country, particularly in the central, northern, and eastern areas, are desert and lack sizeable population clusters; half the population lives in or around the coastal capital of Nouakchott; smaller clusters are found near the southern border with Mali and Senegal, as shown in this population distribution map
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Niger (2,261,741 sq km), Senegal (456,397 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Senegal river mouth (shared with Guinea [s], Senegal and Mali) - 1,641 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth