Mauritania
Mauritania
Capital Nouakchott
1,030,700 km² · 5,315,065 people (2025) · Mauritanian ouguiya
The Richat Structure in the desert — the "Eye of the Sahara" — is a 40 km-wide bullseye of eroded rock, clearly visible from orbit and long used as a landmark by astronauts. The iron-ore train from Zouérat to the coast is among the longest and heaviest trains in regular service, often over 2 km.
The facts
- Capital
- Nouakchott
- Area
- 1,030,700 km² — 397,955 sq mi
- Population
- 5,315,065 (2025)
- Density
- 5.2 people per km²
- Currency
- Mauritanian ouguiya (MRU, UM)
- Official language
- Arabic
- Time zone
- UTC+00:00
- Calling code
- +222
- Drives on the
- right
- ISO codes
- MR · MRT
- Continent
- Africa
How it compares
- By area
- 29 of 200
- By population
- 126 of 200
Population is the only figure on this page that dates — it is a 2025 estimate and will drift. Area, capital, currency, languages, calling code and driving side change rarely or never.
Countries of a similar size
| Country | Area (km²) | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia | 1,104,300 | 135,472,051 |
| Bolivia | 1,098,581 | 12,581,843 |
| Mauritania ← | 1,030,700 | 5,315,065 |
| Egypt | 1,001,450 | 118,365,995 |
| Tanzania | 947,300 | 70,545,865 |
Common questions
- What is the capital of Mauritania?
- Nouakchott
- What currency does Mauritania use?
- The Mauritanian ouguiya (MRU).
- How big is Mauritania?
- 1,030,700 km², or 397,955 square miles — 29 of 200 by area.
- Which side of the road does Mauritania drive on?
- The right.
Related pages
Sources
- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (Public domain (US Government))
- World Bank Open Data — The World Bank (CC BY 4.0)