Mauritania - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Mauritania. Mauritania is considered both a part of 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. Mother's mean age at first birth is 21.8 years (2019/21) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 465 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Mauritania
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Geographic coordinates 20 00 N, 12 00 W
Map references Africa
Tarrain mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Natural Resources iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish
Natural Hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Irrigated Land 450 sq km (2012)
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
Major aquifers Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin, Taodeni-Tanzerouft Basin
Land Boundaries 5,002 km
Border Countries Algeria 460 km; Mali 2,236 km; Morocco 1,564 km; Senegal 742 km
Coastline 754 km
Climate desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Area
Total Area
Land Area 1,030,700 sq km
Water Area 0 sq km
comparative Area slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico; about six times the size of Florida
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Elevations
Highest point Kediet Ijill 915 m
Lowest point Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m
Mean elevation 276 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 38.5% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 0.4% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 38.1% (2022 est.)
Forest 0.3% (2022 est.)
Other 61.2% (2022 est.)
Population Distribution

With most of the country being a desert, vast areas of the country, particularly in the central, northern, and eastern areas, are without 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

People and Society

In Mauritania, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Black Moors (Haratines - Arabic-speaking descendants of African origin who are or were enslaved by White Moors) 40%, White Moors (of Arab-Amazigh descent, known as Beydane) 30%, Sub-Saharan Mauritanians (non-Arabic speaking, largely resident in or originating from the Senegal River Valley, including Halpulaar, Fulani, Soninke, Wolof, and Bambara ethnic groups) 30%

Population
Pop growth rate 1.92% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 27.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 7.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 4.1% of GDP (2021)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 3.4 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.68 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 11.5% (2019/20)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 66% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 1.9% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -0.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Mauritanian | Mauritanian(s)
Languages
Religions Muslim (official) 100%
Age Structure
0-14 years 35.7% (male 776,035/female 770,132)
15-64 years 59.9% (male 1,227,347/female 1,363,938)
65 years and over 4.4% (2024 est.) (male 80,308/female 110,280)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 82.7
Youth dependency ratio 76.8
Elderly dependency ratio 6
Potential support ratio 16.8 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 22.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 21.1 years
Female 23.1 years
Urbanization
Urban population 57.7% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 3.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.492 million NOUAKCHOTT (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.73 male(s)/female
Total population 0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 48.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 54.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 42.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 65.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 63.4 years
Female 68.5 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 98.7% of population
Improved: rural rural: 68.4% of population
Improved: total total: 85.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 1.3% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 31.6% of population
Unimproved: total total: 14.8% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 83.5% of population
Improved: rural rural: 25.2% of population
Improved: total total: 57.5% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 16.5% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 74.8% of population
Unimproved: total total: 42.5% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 10.7% (2020 est.)
Male 19.3% (2020 est.)
Female 2.1% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 15.5%
Women married by age 18 36.6%
Men married by age 18 1.2% (2021 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Mauritania

Want to know more about Mauritania? Check all different factbooks for Mauritania below.

Mauritania is found in Western Africa