Mauritania at its true size
Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km², number 28 of 194 countries 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 |
| Local time in Nouakchott | |
| Time zone | UTC IANA |
| Currency | Mauritanian ouguiya (MRU) Wikidata |
| Languages | Arabic |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +222 |
| Codes | MR · MRT · 478 |
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Where Mauritania ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#124 of 1945.3 million people#39 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#185 of 1945.2 people per km²#51 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#102 of 19262% urban#16 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#11 of 1924.63 births per woman#10 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#18 of 192+2.78% a year#10 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#13 of 19234.0 births per 1,000 people#11 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#161 of 1925.4 deaths per 1,000 people#49 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#12 of 19242.4% under 15#11 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#161 of 1923.2% aged 65 and over#31 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#114 of 192−0.9 per 1,000 people#31 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#22 of 1908.26 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#11 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#139 of 19268.7 years#13 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#47 of 19130.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#37 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#141 of 1780.26 doctors per 1,000 people#19 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#140 of 1456.0% gross enrolment#26 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#160 of 190an index of 0.563#28 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#145 of 185$2,210 a person#22 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#149 of 18446% online#23 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#139 of 184$7,676 a person#20 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#69 of 187+4.0% a year#31 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#128 of 176+1.5% a year#37 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#34 of 17810.3% of the labour force#17 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#45 of 14910.2% under $3.00 a day#40 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#103 of 149a Gini index of 32.0#43 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#55 of 17832.1% of jobs#35 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#137 of 17815.0% of jobs#25 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#105 of 17852.8% of jobs#14 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#34 of 1845.4% of GDP#10 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#73 of 16839.9% of GDP#17 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#37 of 1552.8% of GDP#11 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#141 of 19192 subscriptions per 100 people#31 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#129 of 1850.97 tonnes a person#15 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#179 of 1921% forest#49 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#108 of 19019.6% renewable#45 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#177 of 19252.2% with electricity#40 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#16 of 19146.5 µg/m³#4 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#186 of 1910.6% of the land protected#51 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#183 of 1900.4% of the land arable#52 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#78 of 17613.2% of its available fresh water#18 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#173 of 18092 mm a year#51 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Mauritania’s area, lit up on the map →
- 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
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Mauritania shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Senegal1,050 km
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Mauritania. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Mauritania
- How big is Mauritania?
- Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km², which makes it number 28 of 194 countries 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.