Mauritania

Location	Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Geographic coordinates	20 00 N, 12 00 W
Map references	Africa
Area	total: 1,030,700 sq km land: 1,030,700 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
Land boundaries	total: 5,074 km border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km
Coastline	754 km
Maritime claims	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	desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Terrain	mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m
Natural resources	iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish
Land use	arable land: 0.2% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.79% (2005)
Irrigated land	450 sq km (2002)
Total renewable water resources	11.4 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 1.7 cu km/yr (9%/3%/88%) per capita: 554 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues	overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification; limited natural freshwater resources away from the Senegal, which is the only perennial river; locust infestation
Environment - international agreements	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	most of the population is concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country