Mauritania Geography
What is the terrain and geography like in Mauritania?
Overview
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is situated on the Atlantic Ocean in northwest Africa. Mauritania shares its long northern border with the former Spanish Sahara, now the Western Sahara. Spain relinquished control of this area to Morocco in 1976, but its political status is still unresolved.Mauritania has three distinct geographic regions:
The Saharan Zone, which constitutes the northern two-thirds of Mauritania. Beautiful shifting dunes, rock outcroppings, and rugged mountain plateaus with elevations higher than 1,500 feet characterize this vast, sparsely populated region. Irregular, scant rainfall permits little vegetation, although date palms are cultivated around larger oases and on some of the higher plateaus in the east. Herds of camels, goats, and sheep, which formerly ranged in this area, were depleted during successive droughts in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Riverine Zone, a narrow belt of rich, well-watered alluvial soil stretching along the Senegal River Valley in the south. It is the center of settled agriculture. Rainfall averages 10-25 inches annually.
Between the two is the Sahelian Zone, a broad, east-west band that extends from the riverine zone to just north of Nouakchott. Until recently, annual rainfall averaged 4-18 inches, which was enough to support savannah grasslands suitable for nomadic cattle and sheep herding. However, a decrease in rainfall has diminished the grasslands forcing many inhabitants to move south to the riverine zone or migrate to larger towns. When it rains, it is usually as heavy, localized thunderstorms. Nouakchott, at the northern extreme of this zone, experiences such storms when they occur.
Geography - note
most of the population is concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the countryMauritania Use of Natural Resources
| Geographic Location | Africa |
| Total Area |
397,953 Square Miles 1,030,700 Square Kilometers |
| Land Area |
397,953 Square Miles 1,030,700 Square Kilometers |
| Land Boundaries |
3,153 Miles 5,074 Kilometers |
| Irrigated Land |
174 Square Miles 450 Square Kilometers |
| Border Countries | Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km |
| Coastline |
469 Miles 754 Kilometers |
| Geographic Coordinates | 20 00 N, 12 00 W |
| Terrain | mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills |
| Highest Point | 915 Meters |
| Highest Point Location | Kediet Ijill 915 m |
| Lowest Point | -5 Meters |
| Lowest Point Location | Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m |
| Natural Resources | iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish |
| Time Zone | UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |