Empty highway road in a desert with a mountain in the distance

Mauritania

Time Difference: EST + 4 hours   Current Time and Date in Mauritania
Currency: Currency Converter  – Mauritanian Ouguiya (MRO)
Travel Advisory: State Department Report Mauritania
US Embassy in Mauritania: mauritania.usembassy.gov

Mauritania, is an Arab Maghreb country in West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mauritania in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest. It is named after the ancient Berber Kingdom of Mauretania, which later became a province of the Roman Empire, even though the modern Mauritania covers a territory far to the south of the old Berber kingdom that had no relation with it. The capital and largest city is Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast.

Health: CDC Mauritania
What to Pack
Weather: Mauritania Weather
Communications: Dial 011 followed by country code 222

Travel Requirements

  • Passport
  • Visa
  • Proof of Immunization (Yellow Fever)

Diplomatic Missions

Mauritania
Site du Gouvernement – Official Government site of Mauritania.
Consulate of Mauritania
Montreal, Canada
Embassy of Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Washington D.C.

CLIMATE

Warm Season: September– November Average high temperature above 97°F and average low of 76°F)
Cold Season: December- February (Average high of 85°F and average low of 59°F) 

Language: Arabic is the official language; English is widely spoken

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Banc d’Arguin National Park

Fringing the Atlantic coast, the park comprises sand-dunes, coastal swamps, small islands and shallow coastal waters. The contrast between the harsh desert environment and the biodiversity of the marine zone has resulted in a land- and seascape of outstanding natural significance. A wide variety of migrating birds spend the winter there. Several species of sea turtle and dolphin, used by the fishermen to attract shoals of fish, can also be found.

Ancient Ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata

Founded in the 11th and 12th centuries to serve the caravans crossing the Sahara, these trading and religious centres became focal points of Islamic culture. They have managed to preserve an urban fabric that evolved between the 12th and 16th centuries. Typically, houses with patios crowd along narrow streets around a mosque with a square minaret. They illustrate a traditional way of life centred on the nomadic culture of the people of the western Sahara.