Mauritania

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

Mauritania spends approximately 2.90 percent of its GDP, or US$162 million on its military. This makes Mauritania the 127th highest military spender in the world representing 0.0085 percent of total global military expenditure. Its military mainly consists of land forces with the use of motorized equipment as well as camels.

Military membership

It is also a member of four international military organizations which makes it the 125th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Since its independence Mauritania has partaken in two international wars. These are:

Western Sahara War 1975-1991
Mauritania–Senegal Border War 1989-1991

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Mauritania is a member of 10 international political organizations which makes it the 140th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:
Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Union for the Mediterranean
African Union
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
Arab League
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
Interpol
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

It is ranked as the 130th most democratic state in the world. This is largely due to its political instability, a large-scale corruption as well as political nepotism.

Democracy/Dictatorship

Since its independence from France, Mauritania has established a presidential republic which has seen several coups, followed by a military dictatorship in 1978. Since 1980, and a civilian government was reinstated which remains relatively stable until the start of the 21st century when several coups have taken place.

If you liked this page, and you want to support us, please take a look at the support options on the top bar.

If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Mauritius.

Known for its iconic sand dunes as well as having the lowest GDP per surface area, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania has had some struggles over the last 70 years. During its early history, the area was mainly populated by the Berber tribes which contested the land of all Mauritania with the Empire of Ghana. After setting up trading posts at the beginning of the 16th century, Mauritania became colonized by France which took full control at the end of the 19th century. Nearly 70 years later, Mauritania gained its independence from France in 1960 and occupied the southern part of Western Sahara in 1975. However, after fierce resistance from the people of Western Sahara, Mauritania relinquished its claim to the territory in 1979 following a military coup. Since then, Mauritania has slowly transitioned to a democracy. However, due to the rise of radical Islam, France has militarily intervened in Mauritania in order to prevent its spread.

The geography of Mauritania mainly consists of low-lying plains to the west, a mountain range in its center and a low mountain range to its east. Almost all of its territory is considered to be desert and covered by sand and rocks. In total, Mauritania borders 4 other states with Western Sahara to its northwest, Algeria to its north, Mali to its east and south and Senegal to its southwest.

With a total surface area of just over 1 million square kilometers, or just under 400,000 square miles, Mauritania is the 28th largest state in the world being slightly smaller than Bolivia slightly larger than Egypt.

It has a total water surface area of 4502 square kilometers or 1739 square miles which makes it the 70th state with the highest amount of surface water.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Despite having a decent amount of surface water, it is mainly located across its southern border. The main source of water is the Senegal River which provides 90 percent of all fresh water.

The climate of Mauritania is considered to be a desert climate. Despite being located in the tropical zone, the Sahara Desert is a large influence on the overall climate of Mauritania. The average temperature is 27.6 degrees Celsius or 81.6 degrees Fahrenheit which makes Mauritania the ninth warmest state in the world.

Its warmest period is between July and October when the average temperature is 32.9 degrees Celsius or 91.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Its low temperature is between March and April when the average temperature is 22 degrees Celsius or 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because of its location in the Sahara region, Mauritania only experiences rainfall in the months of August and September. Virtually all of this rainfall occurs on its southern border as well as its western coast. On average, Mauritania sees seven days of rainfall and has an annual precipitation rate of 7.4 inches or 18.9 centimetres. This makes Mauritania the 183rd state with the highest amount of rainfall.

The capital of Mauritania, Nouakchott is a home to approximately 800,000 people. The capital that is closest located to Nouakchott is Dakar Senegal with a distance of 412.4 kilometers or 256.3 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Nouakchott is Port Vila of Vanuatu with a distance of 19,586 kilometers or 12,170 miles.

The economy of Mauritania is considered to be a developing economy which is largely dependent on agriculture and livestock. One of the main reasons for its developing status is the occurrence of natural disasters such as droughts as well as corruption by local officials which limit economic growth. However, Mauritania is the thought to be fairly rich in natural resources such as oil, iron and gold. These products, along with fish, are mainly exported to China and Spain which combined represent more than 50 percent of all exports. Most of its imports also comes from China and Spain which combined represent more than 20 percent of all imports.

Mauritania is a member of 11 international economic organizations which makes it the 132nd most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
African development Bank
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
Arab Maghreb Union
International Renewable Energy Agency
Group of 77

Its GDP is nearly US$7 billion which makes it the 154th highest in the world representing 0.008 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per service area is the lowest in the world with US$6672 per square kilometer or US$17,280 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is US$1568 which is the 155th highest in the world.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power is US$4204 which is the 153rd highest in the world.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

The majority of the population of Mauritania consists of the Moor people. These people speak Arab as their main language, but other tribal languages such as Wolof and Soninke are also spoken. The total population of Mauritania is 4.4 million people which makes it the 126th most populous state in the world.

It has the 186th highest population density in the world with four people per square kilometer or 11 people per square mile.

More than 125,000 people, or 3.2 percent of the population has migrated to other states. This makes Mauritania the 152nd state with the highest amount of emigrants representing 0.051 percent of total global emigration. The largest recipients of emigrants from Mauritania are Senegal, Mali and France which together represent 50 percent of all emigrants. The main reason for migration is economic and political instability.

More than 130,000 people, or 3.4 percent of the population has migrated to Mauritania. This makes Mauritania the 98th state with the highest amount of immigrants and represents 0.054 percent of total global immigration. Most migrants that migrated to Mauritania are using Mauritania as a transit hub to Europe in order to find more economic prosperity.

At the end of the 20th century, only one in four Mauritanians was considered to be literate. After a large literacy campaign, the literacy rate has increased to 52.2 percent of the population. This makes Mauritania the 181st state with the highest literacy rate. The reason for this low literacy rate is a lack of funding for educational supplies from either the government or the population.

The health care system in Mauritania is considered to be of low standards. Due to a lack of funding, most hospitals are underequipped and undersupplied which limits the provision of healthcare. Another large factor is the limited availability of doctors. The average life expectancy is 65.6 years which makes it the 152nd highest in the world. Women reach an average age of 67.2 years while men reach 63.9 years.

Mauritania is considered to be the least multi religious state in the world. There are heavy restrictions on religion from the Mauritanian government which limits the practice of other religions besides Islam.

Christianity is represented by 0.2 percent of the population, and it is estimated that less than 5000 Christians reside within Mauritania. This makes Mauritania the 193rd most Christian state in the world. Religious practices such as the distribution of the Bible or preaching in public are prohibited by law and conversions to Christianity are punishable by death.

Since its independence, Mauritania has been an Islamic Republic which has declared the sharia law as its official law. With 99.7 percent of the population adhering to Islam, Mauritania is the fourth most Islamic state in the world. The majority of Mauritanian's adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam, specifically the Maliki school of thought.

There are no official Buddhist organizations in Mauritania.

There are no official Hindu organizations in Mauritania.

There are no official Jewish organizations in Mauritania.

There are no other religions in Mauritania.

Irreligion is considered to be heresy which is punishable by death in Mauritania. Therefore, Mauritania does not have official statistics.