GEOGRAPHY
Mauritania is bordered by
Algeria, Mali, Western Sahara (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)
and Senegal. To the west lies the Atlantic Ocean. Mauritania consists
mainly of the vast Saharan plain of sand and scrub. Most of this
area is a sea of sand dunes, but in places the land rises to rocky
plateaux with deep ravines leaving isolated peaks. The Adrar plateau
in the central region rises to 500m (1640ft) and the Tagant further
south to 600m (1970ft). The area is scattered with towns, small
villages and oases. The northern bank of the Senegal River, which
forms the country's southern border, is the only area in the country
with any degree of permanent vegetation and it supports a wide
variety of wildlife.
Official
Name: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Area: 1,030,070 sq. km. (419,212 sq. mi.); slightly larger
than Texas and New Mexico combined.
Cities: Capital--Nouakchott (pop. 612,000). Other cities--Nouadhibou
(113,000), Selibaby (107,000), Kaedi (91,000), Kiffa (77,000),
Rosso (63,000), Zouerate (36,000).
Terrain: Northern four-fifths barren desert; southern 20%
mainly Sahelian with small scale irrigated and rainfed agriculture
in the Senegal River basin.
Climate: Predominantly hot and dry.
