Mauritania at its true size
Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km², number 30 of 235 by area. Home to 5,315,065 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 1,030,700 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 5,315,065 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 5.2 per km² |
| Capital | Nouakchott |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Codes | MR · MRT · 478 |
Countries of a similar size
- Egypt1.02×Mauritania and Egypt are almost exactly the same size.
- Bolivia0.94×Mauritania is 6% smaller than Bolivia.
- Ethiopia0.93×Mauritania is 7% smaller than Ethiopia.
- Tanzania1.09×Mauritania is 9% larger than Tanzania.
- Colombia0.9×Mauritania is 10% smaller than Colombia.
- Nigeria1.12×Mauritania is 12% larger than Nigeria.
How many times does Mauritania fit into…
- Russia: about 17 times
- Canada: about 9.7 times
- United States: about 9.5 times
Neighbours
Questions about Mauritania
- How big is Mauritania?
- Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km², which makes it number 30 of 235 countries and territories by area. About 5,315,065 people live there (2025), 5.2 per km².
- Is Mauritania bigger than Egypt?
- Mauritania and Egypt are almost exactly the same size. Mauritania: 1,030,700 km²; Egypt: 1,010,408 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Mauritania?
- Mauritania lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Mauritania?
- Mauritania shares a land border with Algeria, Mali, Western Sahara, Senegal.