map of Mauritania, converted directly from CIA World Factbook GIF File links The following pages link to this file: Mauritania Geography of Mauritania Categories: CIA World Factbook images ...

Location

Mauritania is a country in Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara, Mali and Algeria. It is considered part of both the Sahel and the Maghreb. Africa is the worlds second-largest continent and 3rd most populous. ... The Sahel (from Arabic ساحل, sahil, shore or border) is the boundary zone in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the more fertile region to the south, known as the Sudan (not to be confused with the country of the same name). ... (see also North Africa, Tamazgha, Arab Maghreb Union, Mashreq) The Maghreb (or Moghreb), meaning western in Arabic, is the region of the continent of Africa north of the Sahara desert and west of the Nile - specifically, the modern countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and to a lesser extent Libya and...

Geographic coordinates

20°00′ N 12°00′ W

Area

total: 1,030,700 km²
land: 1,030,400 km²
water: 300 km²

Land boundaries

total: 5,074 km

border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km

Coastline

754 km

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nautical miles (44 km)
continental shelf: 200 nautical miles (370 km) or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles (370 km)
territorial sea: 12 nautical miles (22 km) A nautical mile is a unit of length. ...

Climate

Desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty A dune in the Egyptian desert Desert in California mz_maco_23q@hotmail. ...

Terrain

Mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Sebkha de Ndrhamcha -3 m
highest point: Kediet Ijill 910 m The Sebkha de Ndrhamcha is a large salt pan in Mauritania that is about 25 miles in diameter. ...

Natural resources

iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... Gypsum is a very soft mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. // Chemical structure Gypsum from New South Wales, Australia Heating gypsum above approximately 150°C (302°F) partially dehydrates the mineral by driving off exactly 75% of the water contained in its chemical structure. ... Groups Conodonta Hyperoartia Petromyzontidae (lampreys) Pteraspidomorphi (early jawless fish) Thelodonti Anaspida Cephalaspidomorphi (early jawless fish) Galeaspida Pituriaspida Osteostraci Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) Placodermi Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) Acanthodii Osteichthyes (bony fish) Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish) Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) Actinistia (coelacanths) Dipnoi (lungfish) A fish is a poikilothermic (cold-blooded)* water-dwelling... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance copper, metallic Atomic mass 63. ... In chemistry, a phosphate is a polyatomic ion or radical consisting of one phosphorus atom and four oxygen. ...

Land use

arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 38%
forests and woodland: 4%
other: 58% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land

490 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards

hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts Sirocco, scirocco or jugo is a strong southerly to southeasterly wind in the Mediterranean that originates from the Sahara and similar North African regions. ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... A drought is an extended period where water availability falls below the statistical requirements for a region. ...

Environment - current issues

overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Senegal which is the only perennial river Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest; historically this has meant conversion to grassland or its artificial counterpart, grainfields; the Industrial Revolution added urbanization and technological uses. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock, and so forth) by the agents of wind, water, ice, or movement in response to gravity. ... A drought is an extended period where water availability falls below the statistical requirements for a region. ... Ship stranded by the retreat of the Aral Sea Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas into desert, resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities. ... Water (from the Old English word wæter; c. ...

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty that was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. ... UNFCCC logo. ... United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa opened for signature - October 14, 1994 entered into force - December 26, 1996 objective - to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported... The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between Governments, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). ... In full, Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. ... United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Opened for signature ??? at ??? Entered into force November 16, 1994[1] Conditions for entry into force 60 ratifications Parties 148 [2] The term United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, also called simply the Law of the Sea or... Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Opened for signature September 10, 1996[1] at New York Entered into force Not yet in force Conditions for entry into force Ratification by all of the following 44 states: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Peoples Republic... The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer from depletion by phasing out the production of a number of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. ... Ship Pollution is an abbreviated form of the Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973. ... The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i. ...

Cities

Most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country. Nouakchott (Arabic: نواكشوط or انواكشوط; population estimate 1999: 881,000) is the capital and by far the largest city of Mauritania. ... Nouadhibou (formerly Port Etienne; pop. ... The Senegal River, in West Africa, forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania. ...

See also

• List of cities in Mauritania

This is a list of cities in Mauritania: Atar Bir Mohreïn Bougé Boutilimit Chinguetti Fdérik Kaédi Kifa Néma Nouadhibou Nouakchott Ouadane Oualata Rosso Tichit Tidjikdja Zouérat Categories: Lists of cities | Mauritania ...

External link

• Map