Mauritania is a vast country in north-west Africa, dominated by the Sahara Desert but with a long coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. A land rarely visited by travellers, those that do will likely pass through on overland journeys from Morocco to Senegal and West Africa. Mauritania offers some spectacular desert landscapes, dotted with oases and ancient ksour - medieval cities that grew prosperous due to the Trans-Saharan trade routes, as well as coastal beaches where the desert comes right up to the ocean. Explore in depth highlights of Mauritania.
| Tours | Unesco WHS | Guidebooks |
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| groups tours with set departures |
World Heritage Sites | country, regions and cities |
| Time zone: | GMT 0 (Greenwich mean time) | Daylight savings: None |
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| Main languages: | Arabic |
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| Other languages: | French, Hassaniya, Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof |
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| Currency: |
ouguiyas (MRO) €1 = UM406, $1 = UM364, £1 = UM484 (rates as of Sep 2016) |
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| Internet Domain: | .mr | International Dialling Code: 222 |
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For help planning your trip to Mauritania including visas, vaccinations, currency exchange, flights, accomodation and insurance, see our Mauritania trip planning page.
Further information on Mauritania
Discover more about Mauritania - the country's geogrpahy and natural features, an assessment of its status on freedom and rights and data on the country's population and economy.
Geography & Natural Features
Total area: 1,030,700 sq km (300 sq km under water)
Coastline: 754 km (Atlantic Ocean)
Neighbours (border lengths): Algeria (463km), Mali (2,237km), Senegal (813km), Western Sahara (1,561km)
Climate: Desert climate with hot, dry and dusty conditions. Below the Sahara there is a short rainy season between July and September.
Highest mountain: Kediet Ijill (915m)
Freedom & Rights
Summary status and rankings for Mauritania from classifications of different organisations measuring political and economic freedom, democracy and civil rights. See more details of these rankings.
| Index | Status | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Freedom in the World | Not Free | - |
 | Democracy Index | Hybrid regime | 112/167 |
 | Economic Freedom | Mostly Unfree | 135/179 |
 | Press Freedom | Noticeable problems | 54/179 |
 | ILGA LGBT rights | Extreme discrimination | - |
 | Corruption Perceptions | Medium corruption | 124/174 |
| Overall Ranking: | 164/195 | ||
Other Data & Links
Full name: Islamic Republic of Mauritania Status: Independent Country
Population: 3,516,806 (rank: 130/196) Density: 3.4 people/sq km (rank: 190/196)
Ethnic groups: mixed Moor/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%
Religions: Muslim 100%
GDP (PPP): $8.2 billion GDP per capita: $2,200 (rank: 159/195)
Information derived from the CIA World Factbook. Other country profiles: BBC News.