World Context: Mauritania

Source and mapping status

This page maps the site registry entry “Mauritania” to the supplied dataset entity “Mauritania.” Mapping status: exact-name. The source is a frozen 2025 snapshot; dates embedded in individual fields remain controlling.

• Source entity count: 1.
• Selected public fields present: 19.
• Independent corroboration in this page: none.

Place and environment

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara Area: total : 1,030,700 sq km; land: 1,030,700 sq km; water: 0 sq km Climate: desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty Terrain: mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind primarily in March and April; periodic droughts Environmental issues: desertification caused in part by overgrazing, deforestation, and drought-aggravated soil erosion; limited natural freshwater resources; locust infestation

Population, settlement, and language context

Population: total: 5,202,109 (2025 est.); male: 2,578,114; female: 2,623,995 Population distribution: vast areas of the country, particularly in the central, northern, and eastern areas, are desert and lack sizeable population clusters; half the population lives in or around the coastal capital of Nouakchott; smaller clusters are found near the southern border with Mali and Senegal, as shown in this population distribution map Urbanization: urban population: 57.7% of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: 3.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) Languages: Arabic (official and national), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French

Public and legal context

Capital: name: Nouakchott; geographic coordinates: 18 04 N, 15 58 W; time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time); etymology: the meaning of the name is unclear; it may derive from the Berber nawakshut , meaning "place of the winds;" other variants could translate as "the place where water appears in a new well," "the land where shells abound," "a place with pasture," "a windy place," or "without ears" (the last referring to a local chieftain who could have been the place's namesake) Government type: presidential republic Legal system: mixed system of Islamic and French civil law

Economy and connectivity context

Economic overview: lower middle-income West African economy; primarily agrarian; rising urbanization; poor property rights; systemic corruption; endemic social and workforce tensions; wide-scale terrorism; foreign over-fishing; environmentally fragile Industries: fish processing, oil production, mining (iron ore, gold, copper); note: gypsum deposits have never been exploited Electricity access: electrification - total population: 49% (2022 est.); electrification - urban areas: 91.6% Internet users: percent of population: 37% (2023 est.) Airports: 25 (2025) Ports: total ports: 2 (2024); large: 0; medium: 1; small: 1; very small: 0; ports with oil terminals: 2; key ports: Nouadhibou, Nouakchott

Interpretation and freshness boundary

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