Mauritania : In News
A migrant boat sank off Mauritania’s coast earlier recently, leaving at least 49 people dead and around 100 missing.
- Mauritania is a country in northwest Africa.
- It occupies an area of 1,030,000 sq. km.
- It is a country of the Sahel region (a belt across Africa between the arid Sahara to the north and the humid savannas to the south).
- It borders four other nations: West Sahara, Senegal, Algeria, and Mali. The Atlantic Ocean lies to the west.
- Approximately 90% of its landmass is located within the Sahara Desert.
- The most prominent feature of this region is the Guelb er Richat, also known as the Eye of the Sahara, which is a deeply eroded dome consisting of a variety of intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks.
- The Senegal River is the most important waterway in the country.
- Mauritania has an abundance of natural resources, including iron ore, gold, copper, gypsum, and phosphate.
- Extractive commodities make up 75 percent of Mauritania’s total exports (exploration for oil is ongoing), with fishing making up another 20 percent.
- The nation’s coastal waters are said to be among the richest fishing areas in the world.
