Mauritania

Did you know?

• 🏜An Islamic Republic in Northwest Africa where the rolling dunes of the Sahara Desert meet the Atlantic Ocean. It is a land of ancient nomadic cultures, historic desert libraries, and the longest train in the world.
• 🏳️Mauritania updated its national flag following a constitutional referendum in 2017, making it one of the most recently altered flags on Earth. The two red horizontal stripes at the top and bottom were added in 2017 to honor the sacrifices and blood shed by Mauritanian patriots in their struggle for independence and defense of their territory. The green field is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion), representing peace, growth and hope. The golden crescent and five-pointed star are traditional Islamic symbols — notably, the crescent is positioned horizontally, opening upward to symbolize a vessel of blessing. The gold color also represents the sands of the Sahara Desert, which covers most of the nation.
• 🚂The iron ore train of the Sahara — Mauritania is home to one of the longest and heaviest trains in the world. Running from the iron mines of Zouérat to the port of Nouadhibou, this massive train stretches up to 2.5 to 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long. Travelers and locals frequently hitch a free ride on top of the open-air iron ore hopper cars, enduring a grueling 700-kilometer journey through extreme desert temperatures.
• 👁️The Eye of the Sahara (Richat Structure) — deep within the Mauritanian desert lies the Richat Structure, an incredible circular geological formation spanning nearly 50 kilometers in diameter. It is so prominent that astronauts use it as a landmark from space. While once believed to be an impact crater, scientists now attribute it to the symmetrical erosion of a giant rock dome.
• 📜The sand-swept libraries of Chinguetti — the ancient trading post of Chinguetti was once a key stop for trade caravans and a holy city for pilgrims. Today, several local families preserve ancient, fragile Islamic manuscripts dating back to the Middle Ages, fighting a constant battle against the encroaching desert sands to protect this global heritage.