Mauritania is a country in Africa, in West Africa, with about 5.32 million people (2025) and an area of 1,030,700 square kilometres. Its capital is Nouakchott, and it shares land borders with 3 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of MauritaniaMauritania in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Mauritania's 5, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 5
Where the Arab world meets sub-Saharan Africa
Mauritania runs from the Atlantic coast deep into the Sahara, habitable land confined to a sliver along the Senegal River in the south. More than 90 percent of the country is desert or semi-desert. Roughly 4.6 million people cluster in that southern strip and in Nouakchott, a capital that barely existed before independence in 1960 and now holds nearly a third of them. It occupies the transition between Arab North Africa and sub-Saharan West Africa, a position that shapes its politics, culture and self-image.
More on Nouakchott
Chosen at independence because it stood on neutral ground between rival regional factions, the city has grown from a few thousand residents to over a million, much of that driven by drought refugees leaving the countryside. It struggles with water supply, sanitation and encroaching sand dunes.
4 more lenses on Mauritania in the app
STORY The last country in the world to officially abolish slavery
NOW Gas wealth is arriving, and the stakes are enormous
STORY A bridge identity that satisfies no one completely
THREAD Mauritania avoided the Sahel's coup wave, but not its pressures
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
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Common questions
What is the capital of Mauritania?
The capital of Mauritania is Nouakchott. Nouakchott lies at about 18.1 degrees north and 16.0 degrees west. Mauritania is in Africa, in the region often called West Africa. It is home to about 5.32 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Mauritania?
About 5.32 million people live in Mauritania, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 124th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 1,030,700 square kilometres, that is about 5.2 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Mauritania?
Mauritania shares land borders with 3 countries: Algeria, Mali and Senegal. The map on this page outlines each of them around Mauritania. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Mauritania?
Mauritania covers 1,030,700 square kilometres, or about 397,955 square miles. That makes it the 28th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 5.32 million gives a density of 5.2 people per square kilometre.
Mauritania is a country in Africa, in West Africa, with about 5.32 million people (2025) and an area of 1,030,700 square kilometres. Its capital is Nouakchott, and it shares land borders with 3 countries.
Capital
Nouakchott
Continent
Africa
Region
West Africa
Population
5,315,065 2025, World Bank. 124th of 195.
Area
1,030,700 km² (397,955 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 28th largest of 195.
Population density
5.2 people per km²
Land neighbours
3: Algeria, Mali, Senegal
Official name
Islamic Republic of Mauritania
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
Where the Arab world meets sub-Saharan Africa
Mauritania runs from the Atlantic coast deep into the Sahara, habitable land confined to a sliver along the Senegal River in the south. More than 90 percent of the country is desert or semi-desert. Roughly 4.6 million people cluster in that southern strip and in Nouakchott, a capital that barely existed before independence in 1960 and now holds nearly a third of them. It occupies the transition between Arab North Africa and sub-Saharan West Africa, a position that shapes its politics, culture and self-image.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/mauritania/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Mauritania
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Colour Mauritania on the map, then fill in what you find.
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Three things I learned
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One question I still have
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Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/mauritania/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
