Administrative divisions of Mauritania
Mauritania is divided into 13 first-level administrative divisions:
Largest cities in Mauritania
| # | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NouakchottCapital | 742,144 |
| 2 | Saint-Louis | 220,792 |
| 3 | Nema | 200,000 |
| 4 | Nouadhibou | 86,738 |
| 5 | Kiffa | 73,930 |
| 6 | Zouirat | 56,345 |
| 7 | Rosso | 47,203 |
| 8 | Atar | 44,265 |
| 9 | Tidjikdja | 19,981 |
| 10 | Boutilimit | 14,142 |
Nouakchott is the largest urban area in Mauritania with about 742,144 people.
Terrain, rivers & lakes
Highest terrain in Mauritania: ≈ 908 m — read from the global elevation model, so summit heights are approximate. The physical map paints elevation bands from green lowlands to brown highlands.
🌊 Rivers
- Sénégal
🏞️ Lakes
No major lakes at this scale.
Ethnic groups in Mauritania
Black Moors (Haratines - Arabic-speaking descendants of African origin who are or were enslaved by White Moors) 40%, White Moors (of Arab-Amazigh descent, known as Beydane) 30%, Sub-Saharan Mauritanians (non-Arabic speaking, largely resident in or originating from the Senegal River Valley, including Halpulaar, Fulani, Soninke, Wolof, and Bambara et
Regionally, Black Moors is the most common ethnic group across most of the 13 divisions, while White Moors predominates in 3 divisions (Adrar, Tiris Zemmour, Inchiri); Sub-Saharan Mauritanians predominates in 2 divisions (Gorgol, Guidimaka).
Source: CIA World Factbook · regional dominance compiled by Glostats from censuses and surveys
Religions in Mauritania
Muslim (official) 100%
Regionally, Muslim is the most common religious group across most of the 13 divisions.
Source: CIA World Factbook · regional dominance compiled by Glostats from censuses and surveys
Languages in Mauritania
Arabic (official and national), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French
Regionally, Arabic is the most common language group across most of the 13 divisions, while Pular predominates in 1 division (Gorgol); Soninke predominates in 1 division (Guidimaka).
Source: CIA World Factbook · regional dominance compiled by Glostats from censuses and surveys
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SudanSources: boundaries, cities, rivers and lakes from Natural Earth (public domain, 1:10m); elevation from the AWS Open Data terrain tiles (SRTM/GMTED); ethnic, religious and language shares from the CIA World Factbook; regional dominance compiled by Glostats from national censuses and surveys. Page generated 2026-10-19. More about our data.