Geography

Mauritania is a large country with a land area of 1,030,700 km2 and an estimated population of almost 3 million people mostly concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouâdhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country. It is situated on the coast of West Africa bordering the North Atlantic Ocean with a coastline of 754 km, Senegal, Western Sahara, Algeria and Mali. The climate throughout much of the country is generally hot, dry and dusty and the land is mostly semi-arid or arid with the flat plains of the Sahara and some central hills. However, there are lush wetlands and woodlands along the Senegal River and in the south-east. The altitude varies from just below sea level to the highest point at 915 m. Natural hazards include hot, dry, dust and sand-laden harmattan winds primarily in March and April and periodic droughts. The main languages are Hassaniya Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof and French. More details can be found at CIA Factbook.