Mauritania:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Mauritania:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Definition Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976, but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984 and ruled Mauritania with a heavy hand for over two decades. A series of presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule. Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and White and Black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities, although the new government is attempting to ameliorate some of these tensions.

Location	Definition Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Geographic coordinates	Definition 20 00 N, 12 00 W
Map references	Definition Africa
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 1,030,700 sq km land: 1,030,400 sq km water: 300 sq km
Area - comparative	Definition slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
Land boundaries	Definition total: 5,074 km border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km
Coastline	Definition 754 km
Maritime claims	Definition 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
Climate	Definition desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Terrain	Definition mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m
Natural resources	Definition iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 0.2% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.79% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition 490 sq km (2002)
Total renewable water resources	Definition 11.4 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	Definition total: 1.7 cu km/yr (9%/3%/88%) per capita: 554 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	Definition hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues	Definition overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification; limited natural fresh water resources away from the Senegal, which is the only perennial river; locust infestation
Environment - international agreements	Definition party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	Definition most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country

Mauritania: Geography

Mauritania:
Geography