Africa > Mauritania > Geography

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Area > Comparative slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
Area > Comparative to US places slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
Area > Land	1,030,400 sq km		[29th of 238]
Area > Land (per capita)	306.216 sq km per 1,000 people		[11th of 227]
Area > Total	1,030,700 sq km		[35th of 250]
Area > Total (per capita)	306.306 sq km per 1,000 people		[11th of 231]
Area > Water	300 sq km		[120th of 239]
Area > Water (per capita)	89.155 sq km per million people		[101st of 225]
Capital city with population	Nouakchott - 480,000
Climate desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Coastline	754 km		[101st of 271]
Elevation extremes > Highest point	Kediet Ijill 915 m
Elevation extremes > Lowest point Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m
Forested Land	0.3%		[189th of 193]
Geographic coordinates	20 00 N, 12 00 W
Geography > Note most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country
Irrigated land	490 sq km		[108th of 196]
Irrigated land (per capita)	196.276 sq km per million people		[81st of 167]
Land area > sq. km	1,025,220 km²		[27th of 206]
Land area > sq. km (per capita)	334.085 km² per 1,000 people		[7th of 206]
Land boundaries > Border countries Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km
Land boundaries > Total	5,074 km		[32nd of 166]
Land boundaries > Total (per capita)	1,507.902 km per million people		[12th of 164]
Land use > Arable land	0.2%		[207th of 258]
Land use > Other	99.79%		[34th of 258]
Land use > Permanent crops	0.01%		[196th of 258]
Largest city	Nouakchott
Largest city population	694,000		[103rd of 174]
Largest city population (per capita)	0.225 per capita		[51st of 174]
Largest city with population	Nouakchott - 480,000
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Map references Africa
Maritime claims > Contiguous zone	24 nautical mile		[51st of 83]
Maritime claims > Continental shelf 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Maritime claims > Exclusive economic zone	200 nautical mile		[82nd of 123]
Maritime claims > Territorial sea	12 nautical mile		[145th of 191]
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Natural resources iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish
northernmost point > Latitude	26°20'N
Population density	2.51 people per sqkm		[222nd of 256]
Population density > people per sq. km	2.99 people/m²		[198th of 204]
Rural population density > rural population per sq. km of arable land	354.26 people/km² of arable lan		[77th of 188]
Surface area > sq. km	1,025,520 km²		[28th of 206]
Surface area > sq. km (per capita)	334.183 km² per 1,000 people		[7th of 207]
tallest mountains > Mountain	Kediet Ijill
Terrain mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills

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