Mauritania
Africa · Nouakchott · MR
Mauritania is the vast, mostly desert country of the north-west of Africa, a land of the enormous sand seas, the ancient caravan cities and a fiercely independent Moorish culture that has preserved the old rhythms of the wind and the camel. The capital of the Nouakchott, the young city of the Atlantic coast, spreads its wide modern avenues and its enormous Friday market toward the sea, while the interior runs the iron ore train across the Sahara and the ancient caravan towns of the Chinguetti and the Ouadane, the medieval centres of the scholarship and the commerce of the old desert. The rock plateaus of the Adrar hold the prehistoric paintings and the gorges of the region, and the travel across the country is demanding, remote and utterly authentic. The wide, empty Sahara of Mauritania is the deep-desert experience of the African continent.
Overview
Mauritania is a country in Africa. Its capital is Nouakchott and the international dialling code is +222. Languages commonly used in everyday life here include Arabic. Local currency is the Ouguiya (MRU). We also list 1 city in Mauritania: Nouakchott.
The Iron Ore Train and the Railway of the Sahara
The legendary train of the country, the endless freight trains that carry the iron ore from the mines of the Zouerate across the desert to the port of the Nouadhibou, is one of the great train journeys of the world, a day-long ride across the empty Sahara in the open ore wagons that has become the iconic travel experience of the whole region. The train, among the longest in the world, is ridden by the travelers who cling to the ore and watch the dunes, the plateaus and the vast emptiness roll past under the desert light, arriving covered in the dust of the mountains of iron. The loading of the train and the town of the Zouerate with its mining life complete the strange, industrial, romantic circuit of the great railway.
The Caravan City of the Chinguetti and the Libraries of the Desert
The ancient city of the Chinguetti, the medieval caravan capital of the western Sahara, holds the alleys of the stone houses, the old mosque and, above all, the legendary manuscript libraries of the desert scholarship, the collections of the ancient books that made the city the intellectual capital of the region. The libraries of the town, kept by the families of the oulémas, preserve the thousands of the manuscripts of the astronomy, the law, the poetry and the science of the golden age, and the guided visits to the collections give the traveler a rare glimpse of the extraordinary heritage of the Islamic desert. The town, now half-buried by the sand of the encroaching dunes, is the emblem of the lost glory of the caravan world.
The Rock Art of the Adrar and the Gorges of the Moonlight
The plateaus of the Adrar and the Tagant of the interior preserve the rock art of the green Sahara, the engravings and the paintings of the ancient herds and the hunters of the wet era that the desert rocks have kept for millennia. The sites of the region, scattered through the valleys and the gorges of the plateau, show the elephants, the giraffes, the rhinos and the cattle of the vanished savannah, and the drives and the guided visits between them thread the extraordinary gallery of the prehistory. The canyon of the Amogjar with its winding gorge and its palm groves, and the black cliffs and the white dunes of the surrounding desert, hinge the most scenic corner of the whole country.
The Capital of the Nouakchott and the Market of the Friday
The capital of the country, the Nouakchott built on the empty coast in the 1960s, is the young, sprawling administrative city of the republic, a grid of the wide sandy avenues, the ministries and the growing residential quarters between the desert and the sea. The great market of the capital, the market of the Friday, is one of the largest and the most atmospheric of West Africa, a vast sandy field of the stalls with the camels, the dates, the silver and the colourful fabrics of the Moorish world, and the beaches of the coast, the fishing shore where the pirogues land the catch of the rich Atlantic, run the vivid life of the everyday. The camel caravans that still arrive at the edge of the city and the tents of the nomadic outskirts complete the picture of the desert port.
The Dunes of the Desert and the Camps of the Nomads
The great sand seas of the country, the enormous ergs that cover the centre of the territory, are among the most imposing deserts of the world, and the camps of the nomads and the small oases of the interior run the ancient life of the land of the Moors. The driving across the desert, between the wells and the settlements of the region, requires the experienced guides and the serious preparation, and the camel treks and the night camps of the dunes give the traveler the true, silent experience of the deep Sahara. The herds of the camels and the goats of the nomads, the covered markets of the interior and the hospitality of the tents, preserved by the fiercely independent culture of the country, make the desert journey an encounter with one of the last nomadic worlds of Africa.
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- Capital
- Nouakchott
- Currency
- Ouguiya (MRU)
- Languages
- Arabic
- Calling code
- +222
- Internet TLD
- mr
Entry requirements
Check who can enter →See which passports travel visa-free or need a visa to enter Mauritania.
Cities (1)
All cities →Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Mauritania?
Nouakchott is the capital of Mauritania, and the country sits in Africa.
What currency is used in Mauritania?
You pay with Ouguiya (MRU) in Mauritania. Exchange rates move day to day, so check the current rate before you change money or use your card abroad.
Which languages do people speak in Mauritania?
The languages we list for Mauritania are Arabic. A couple of greetings in the local language go a long way when you travel, even in cities where another language is widely used.
What is the international dialling code for Mauritania?
The dialling code for Mauritania is +222 — keep the plus sign when you save the number.
Which cities in Mauritania do you cover?
Our guide lists 1 city for Mauritania: Nouakchott (capital).