overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification; limited natural freshwater resources away from the Senegal, which is the only perennial river; locust infestation
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
agricultural land: 38.5% (2018 est.)
arable land: 0.4% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 38.1% (2018 est.)
forest: 0.2% (2018 est.)
other: 61.3% (2018 est.)
urban population: 57.7% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
widespread lack of access:due to high food prices - according to the latest analysis, nearly 695,000 people are projected to be in need of humanitarian assistance during the June to August 2023 lean season; this would be an improvement compared to the previous year, mostly due to the substantial cereal production increase in 2022; high food prices continue to worsen food security, while flooding in 2022, which affected about 54,000 people, has further aggravated the conditions of vulnerable households (2023)
1.3% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 41.98 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 2.74 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 6.16 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 454,000 tons (2009 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 36,320 tons (2009 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 8% (2009 est.)
Senegal river mouth (shared with Guinea [s], Senegal and Mali) - 1,641 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km), Senegal (456,397 sq km)
Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin, Taodeni-Tanzerouft Basin
municipal: 100 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 1.2 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
11.4 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
NOTE: The information regarding Mauritania on this page is re-published from the 2024 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Mauritania 2024 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Mauritania 2024 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 04 May 24, Copyright © 2024 ITA all rights reserved.
