Discover Mauritania: 11 Fascinating Facts to Make You Fall in Love with This Hidden Gem

1. EU's Camel Gift for Military

When the going gets tough, the tough get camels: Mauritania was gifted 250 camels from the EU to strengthen its military camel cavalry units, helping to enhance border security and prevent jihadist activities in remote regions.
Source => bbc.com

2. Cosmic Dartboard: Eye of the Sahara

Next time you're aimlessly scouring Google Maps, keep an eye out for the cosmic dartboard hidden in Mauritania's backyard: The Eye of the Sahara is a 100-million-year-old geological formation, boasting rocks older than life itself, which originated from volcanic activity and erosion, forming a natural bullseye-like geologic dome for Mother Nature's dart game.
Source => thoughtco.com

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=> Fun Facts about Western-Sahara

3. Mauritania's Iron Ore Train: Thomas' Bodybuilding Baby

If Thomas the Tank Engine and the Hogwarts Express had a bodybuilding baby, Mauritania would be its playground: The longest and heaviest train in the world, known as the Mauritanian Iron Ore Train, spans up to 3km, travels 704km on a single track, and carries a staggering 84 tons of weight with its 200-300 freight carriages. Passengers beware, though – there's no ticket, conductor, dining cart, or even a timetable. Leg day must be quite the challenge for this hulking behemoth.
Source => youngpioneertours.com

4. Chinguetti's Desert Libraries

Talk about a literal desert oasis of knowledge: Chinguetti, a historic city in Mauritania, houses 13 libraries with over 6,000 manuscripts, some dating back to the 12th century, on subjects like Islamic law, poetry, and math - but the Sahara's relentless sands only let 5 of these book caverns remain open to the public.
Source => washingtonpost.com

5. Geological Marvel: Birds-Eye View

Bulls-eye! Mother Nature takes on the role of a celestial darts player, aiming for the most gigantic target in the Sahara: Mauritania boasts the Guelb er Richat, or the Eye of the Sahara, a spectacular geological formation spanning 50 kilometers (31 miles) in diameter. Once mistaken for a meteorite's handiwork, it is now understood to be a symmetrical uplift, a circular anticline exposed by erosion and serving as an unmistakable landmark for space travelers since the shuttle era.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Mauritania: Polyglot Paradise

Who needs a common tongue when you've got a linguistic smorgasbord, right? Mauritania's got all the flavors in their language palate: Hassaniya being the pièce de résistance, spoken by a whopping 81.7% of the population, alongside Wolof, Tukulor, Soninke, Fula, and Zenaga, just to name a few chat-tastic options available in this polyglot paradise.
Source => worlddata.info

7. Population Boom: Hungry Hungry Mauritania

They say Mauritania's the one playing "Hungry Hungry Hippos" with Earth's population: Boasting a stunning population growth rate, Mauritania is on track to double its headcount by 2050, despite being among the least densely packed nations. But beware, for it's not all fun and games: In the face of looming poverty, persistent droughts, and lingering discrimination, a significant chunk of Mauritania's populace barely scrapes by on a mere $2 per day.
Source => worldpopulationreview.com

8. Wildlife Stars: Banc d'Arguin National Park

Birds of a feather flock together, and they've all decided that Mauritania is the new hip place to be: Banc d'Arguin National Park boasts over two million trendy migratory birds from Northern Europe, Siberia, and Greenland, turning this marshy sanctuary into the ultimate avian networking event. But wait, there's more! This hotspot also rolls out the red carpet for sea turtles, dolphins, and fish, making it the ultimate destination for wildlife-loving paparazzi.
Source => whc.unesco.org

9. Flag Upgrade: From Tricycle to Mountain Bike

In Mauritania, they loved their flag so much they gave it an upgrade – it's the symbolic equivalent of going from a tricycle to a mountain bike: In 2017, Mauritania added two red stripes to their flag, which already featured a green field for Islam and a gold star and crescent symbol, to represent their fierce efforts and sacrifices in defending their territory.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

10. Planetary Pimple: Tenoumer Crater

Have you ever witnessed a planetary pimple so ginormous that Earth had no choice but to pop it? Feast your eyes on this extraterrestrial blemish: Mauritania is home to Tenoumer Crater, a meteorite-created masterpiece measuring 1.2 miles wide and boasting a 360-feet-high rim, nestled in the western Sahara Desert with a sediment-filled base up to 980 feet thick.
Source => scitechdaily.com

11. Eye of Africa: Richat Structure

If you thought the Eye of Sauron was intimidating, wait till you hear about the Eye of Africa that's been staring at us all this time: Mauritania houses the Richat Structure, a 50 km wide geological marvel formed by the simultaneous lifting of underlying layers, which can even be seen from space!
Source => aisnmauritania.com