A country well surrounded
Mauritania is multi-frontal: to the north, it is bordered by Western Sahara (a non-autonomous territory claimed by Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) and Algeria. To the east and southeast is Mali, a border area that can be considered inaccessible, comparable to a no-man's land. The Senegal River, in the southwest, separates it from the country of the same name. And finally, to the west, the Atlantic Ocean opens the horizon of Mauritania on its entire coastline. Its geographical situation makes it a link between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, which is reflected by the dual belonging of its inhabitants, both Arab-Berbers, Moors or Harratines (former black slaves of the Moors), as well as Toucouleurs, Soninké, Peuls, Wolofs, or Black Africans. Mauritania is located between the 15th and 27th degrees of north latitude, which is why it is sometimes considered an integral part of the Maghreb. Overall, the country has a fairly monotonous terrain, with the vast majority of its land lying between 200 and 500 meters above sea level. The 5 northern regions (Adrar, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Inchiri) alone represent two thirds of the country, but are home to barely more than 10% of its population: a desert area, while the capital is overpopulated (more than one million inhabitants for the district of Nouakchott).
Between sand, rock and iron
With 4.6 million inhabitants for an area twice the size of France, Mauritania's population density is one of the lowest in the world: the desert occupies the largest area, more than two-thirds, in this country, which is the third largest in West Africa, behind Niger and Mali. Mauritania is a country of sand occupied by the immense Saharan desert and its dune alignments, called ergs. The regs, on the other hand, are stretches of desert formed of rocks. The massif of Adrar, in the north of the country, emerges from the sand dunes: one can distinguish in the east of this great sandstone plateau an exceptional geological formation, about forty kilometers in diameter: the Guelb er Richât, or Richat dome, whose concentric aspect, visible from space, earns it the nickname of the Eye of Africa. If the impact of a meteorite was initially evoked to explain the origin of this structure, it is in fact a volcanic phenomenon: upwelling of magma and water have formed holes in the earth's crust, creating a dome which then collapsed due to erosion. Over time, rings were formed, revealing different types of rock. Access to this region is facilitated by the presence of the airport of Atar, a real gateway to the library cities of Chinguetti and Ouadane. In Berber, adrar means mountain ridge. In this regard, the highest point of the Mauritanian relief is Kediet ej Jill, at 915 m altitude, located near Zouérate. This area is also the starting point of the railway (one of the longest in the world), which transports the ore to the port of Nouadhibou. Other massifs in Mauritania are Tagant and Assaba.
Nearly 350 oases
Mauritania is home to many oases, welcome islands of life in the middle of the ocean of rock and sand that is the Sahara. These are located mainly in the regions of Adrar, Tagant, Assaba and the two Hodhs, namely Hodh Ech Chargui and Hodh El Gharbi. They offer hospitality for tourists, and are a boon for local agriculture. The small oasis of Terjit, 50 km from Atar, is an unexpected site: located in the shadow of a canyon fault, it offers palm groves and natural water reservoirs, in which water flows at all seasons. The oasis of Maaden, founded by a Sufi master, is home to an agro-ecology project, coordinated by Point Afrique and the Terre et Humanité Foundation. In this village, located between a black sandstone hill and the dune belt of Leklewe, there are women's cooperatives, as well as carrot, eggplant and okra plantations. The ambition? To achieve food self-sufficiency, while respecting the earth and the living.
The Senegal River
In the extreme south of the Moorish country, the Senegal River winds its way: with a total length of 1,700 km, it has its source in the Fouta-Djalon, in Guinea. Malian on half of its course, it symbolizes the border between Senegal and Mauritania. It is the only permanent watercourse in the country, and its bank forms an alluvial plain, called Chemama, which allows the cultivation of cereals such as rice, sorghum and millet. The Senegal River valley is therefore fertile, agricultural, and home to beautiful orchards. During the rainy season, the Senegal River can reach 20 km wide near its mouth! Near Rosso, the Diama dam regulates the rise of the waters upstream, while providing electricity. This dam also aims to prevent, downstream, the rise of salt water from the ocean which, in the past, was harmful to crops. Mauritania, Mali and Senegal belong to an organization for the development of the Senegal River: the objectives are, with the help of dams, to regulate its course in order to improve its navigability and to optimize the irrigation of its banks.
The coast, drawn by the winds
Mauritania's coasts are rocky: the lighthouse of Cape Blanc, near Nouadhibou, is located at the entrance of the Greyhound Bay. It is a sandy cliff, about sixty kilometers long, fifteen meters high, sculpted by the trade winds which blow strongly in this region. North of Nouadhibou, in the bay of the Star, salt is cultivated, thanks to the project of solar salt farming Sa.Sol.No, led jointly by the Slow Food International Foundation, Mauritania 2000 and the French association UNIVERS-SEL. Just next door, at the Auberge des Dauphins, you can see some sort of huge mushrooms, sandstone sculptures, carved by erosion. This bay revealed archaeological vestiges, unfortunately degraded since the expansion of Nouadhibou. Going down to Cape Timirit, the southern limit of the National Park of the Banc d'Arguin, it is the favorite place for birds and fish. The scenery is a maze of small islets and sandbanks.
