Country Summary
This page presents high-level information for Mauritania's climate zones and its seasonal cycle for mean temperature and precipitation for the latest climatology, 1991-2020. Climate zone classifications are derived from the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, which divides climates into five main climate groups divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (dry), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). All climates except for those in the E group are assigned a seasonal precipitation sub-group (second letter). Climate classifications are identified by hovering your mouse over the legend. A narrative overview of Mauritania's country context and climate is provided following the visualizations.
Mauritania is located on the coast of the West African Sahel and has a total land mass of 1.03 million km2 with a population density of 3.9 inhabitants per km2, making it the fourth least densely populated country in Africa. It had a population over 4.5 million people in 2020. Mauritania is essentially a desert country, with vast expanses of pastoral land and only 0.5% of arable land. The country is expected to have more urban inhabitants, with over 50% of the population living in urban areas. The country’s economy is mainly supported by its primary sectors, such as agriculture, telecommunications, transport, electricity, and the extractive sector, such as mining.
Mauritania is focused on increasing the country’s resilience to climate change through the promotion of low carbon growth, while also increasing adaptation for low lying coastal areas, upgrading infrastructure and strengthening the country’s food security position.