Mauritania vs. Algeria
Geography
| Mauritania | Algeria | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia |
| Geographic coordinates | 20 00 N, 12 00 W | 28 00 N, 3 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 1,030,700 sq km land: 1,030,700 sq km water: 0 sq km | total: 2,381,740 sq km land: 2,381,740 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico; about six times the size of Florida | slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 5,002 km border countries (4): Algeria 460 km, Mali 2236 km, Morocco 1564 km, Senegal 742 km | total: 6,734 km border countries (6): Libya 989 km, Mali 1359 km, Mauritania 460 km, Morocco 1941 km, Niger 951 km, Tunisia 1034 km |
| Coastline | 754 km | 998 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm |
| Climate | desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty | arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer |
| Terrain | mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills | mostly high plateau and desert; Atlas Mountains in the far north and Hoggar Mountains in the south; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m mean elevation: 276 m | highest point: Tahat 2,908 m lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m mean elevation: 800 m |
| Natural resources | iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc |
| Land use | 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.) | agricultural land: 17.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 3.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 13.8% (2018 est.) forest: 0.8% (2018 est.) other: 81.8% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 450 sq km (2012) | 13,600 sq km (2014) |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind primarily in March and April; periodic droughts | mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season; droughts |
| Environment - current issues | 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 | air pollution in major cities; soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water |
| Environment - international agreements | 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 | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban |
| Geography - note | Mauritania is considered both a part of North Africa's Maghreb region and West Africa's Sahel region; most of the population is concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country | largest country in Africa but 80% desert; canyons and caves in the southern Hoggar Mountains and in the barren Tassili n'Ajjer area in the southeast of the country contain numerous examples of prehistoric art - rock paintings and carvings depicting human activities and wild and domestic animals (elephants, giraffes, cattle) - that date to the African Humid Period, roughly 11,000 to 5,000 years ago, when the region was completely vegetated |
| Total renewable water resources | 11.4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 11.667 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | with most of the country being a desert, vast areas of the country, particularly in the central, northern, and eastern areas, are without sizeable population clusters; half the population lives in or around the coastal capital of Nouakchott; smaller clusters are found near the southern border with Mali and Senegal as shown in this population distribution map | the vast majority of the populace is found in the extreme northern part of the country along the Mediterranean Coast as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
