Transport in Mauritania - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Railways

717 km total of single track
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....

(standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

), owned and operated by a government mining company, Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière
Mauritania Railway
The Mauritania Railway is the national railway of Mauritania. Opened in 1963, it consists of a single, railway line linking the iron mining centre of Zouerate with the port of Nouadhibou, via Fderik and Choum...

(National Mining and Industrial Company, SNIM). The railway goes from the mine at Zouerat
Zouérat
Zouérat is the largest town in northern Mauritania and is the capital of Tiris Zemmour with an approximate population of 38,000 . It lies at the eastern end of the Mauritania Railway to Nouadhibou.- Overview :...

, passing the mine at Fderik, and ends at the port of Nouadhibou
Nouadhibou
Nouadhibou is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial centre. The city itself has about 75,000 inhabitants expanding to over 90,000 in the larger metropolitan area. It is situated on a 40-mile peninsula or headland called Ras Nouadhibou, Cap Blanc, or Cabo Blanco, of...

/Cansado
Cansado
Cansado is a coastal town in north-western Mauritania on the Ras Nouadhibou peninsular. It is located in the Nouadhibou Department in the Dakhlet Nouadhibou region....

.
One of the world's longest trains (up to 2.5 km long) runs here, with more than 200 wagons mainly transporting iron ore, and some carriages for passengers; alternatively, people sit on top of the iron piles.

There are no rail links with adjacent countries.

In 2008, a railway was proposed that would link Nouakchott

Nouakchott

-Government:The town was first divided into districts in 1973. First it was divided into four. From 1986, the city has been split into nine districts.* Arafat* Dar Naim* El Mina* Ksar* Riad* Sebkha* Tevragh-Zeina* Teyarett* Toujounine...

with Tiguint

Tiguent

Tiguent is a small town and commune in south-western Mauritania, not far from the coast. As of 2000 it had a population of 12,170.- Transport :It is proposed to be served by a new station on railway to serve the phosphate mines at Kaedi.- External links :...

, Mederdra

Mederdra

Mederdra is a small town and commune in south-west Mauritania. As of 2000 it had a population of 6858.- Transport :It lies on the route of a proposed railway line to connect phosphate mines at Kaedi with the capital and port of Nouakchott....

, R'Kiz, Leguatt

Legat

For the ballet dancer, see Nicolai Legat.Legat is a small town in southern Mauritania near the Senegal River....

, Leeleibatt, Menjem Boffal

Bofal

Bofal is a small town in southern Mauritania. There are phosphate deposits in the vicinity. It lies near the southern border formed by the Senegal River- Transport :...

, Kaedi

Kaédi

Kaédi is a city of over 60,000 people and is the largest city and administrative center of the Gorgol region of Southern Mauritania. The city is located 16.150 degrees latitude and -13.500 degrees longitude, and is approximately 435 km from Mauritania's capital, Nouakchott.- Overview :The...

, and Bofal

Bofal

Bofal is a small town in southern Mauritania. There are phosphate deposits in the vicinity. It lies near the southern border formed by the Senegal River- Transport :...

Maps

2007

Sunday, August 5, 2007 - Sudan, China To Build $630 Mln Mauritania Railway.

Sudan's Danfodio Holding and China's Transtech Engineering have signed an agreement to build a 460 million euro ($634 million) railway linking Mauritania's capital Nouakchott

Nouakchott

with southern phosphate deposits at Bofal

Bofal

Bofal is a small town in southern Mauritania. There are phosphate deposits in the vicinity. It lies near the southern border formed by the Senegal River- Transport :...

. The 430 km (267.2 mi) line would run close to the southern frontier with Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

. It is hoped that the new line would link with existing lines just across the border in Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

, Mali

Mali

Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

There is no through link to Burkina Faso

Transport in Burkina Faso

This article concerns the systems of transport in Burkina Faso, which primarily include road and rail infrastructure.- Railways :There are 622 kilometres of railway in Burkina Faso, of which 517 km run from Ouagadougou to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya. All...

. There are problems of choice of gauge.

Motorway

There are 450km of Motorway in Mauritania (in 2010), connecting Nouakchott

Nouakchott

to Nouadhibou

Nouadhibou

Nouadhibou is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial centre. The city itself has about 75,000 inhabitants expanding to over 90,000 in the larger metropolitan area. It is situated on a 40-mile peninsula or headland called Ras Nouadhibou, Cap Blanc, or Cabo Blanco, of...

along a coastal route. A motorway linking Nouakchott to Rosso

Rosso

Rosso is the major city of south-western Mauritania and capital of Trarza region. It is situated on the Senegal River at the head of year-round navigation. The town is 204 km south of the capital Nouakchott...

is under construction (due for completion in 2012).

Highways

Mauritania has only about 3000 km (1,864.1 mi) of surfaced roads, 710 km (441.2 mi) of unsurfaced roads, and 5140 km (3,193.9 mi) of unimproved tracks. The country's size and harsh climate make road maintenance and repair especially problematic. Overland travel is difficult and roadside assistance is almost nonexistent. Public transportation is not safe and road conditions in Mauritania are poor, particularly in the interior. Driving in Mauritania can be treacherous, and many Mauritanians drive without regard to traffic signs or rules. Roadway obstructions and hazards caused by drifting sand, animals, and poor roads often plague motorists.

International highways

The linking Tangier

Tangier

Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...

to Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

passes through Mauritania. The Cairo-Dakar Highway

Cairo-Dakar Highway

The Cairo–Dakar Highway is Trans-African Highway 1 in the transcontinental road network being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa , the African Development Bank , and the African Union...

in the Trans-African Highway network

Trans-African Highway network

The Trans-African Highway network comprises transcontinental road projects in Africa being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa , the African Development Bank , and the African Union in conjunction with regional international communities...

also passes through Mauritania, and has recently been paved between the capital Nouakchott

Nouakchott

and the port of Nouadhibou

Nouadhibou

; only a few kilometres remain unpaved at the Moroccan

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

border :fr:Transport en Mauritanie. From Dakar there are links throughout western Africa

West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...

.

The north-western end of the Trans–West African Coastal Highway is considered by ECOWAS to originate in Nouakchott.

Airports (paved)

9 in total (2002)
3 are of length 2,438 to 3,047 m
6 are of length 1,524 to 2,437 m

Airports (unpaved)

17 in total (2002)
2 are of length 2,438 to 3,047 m
5 are of length 1,524 to 2,437 m
7 are of length 914 to 1,523 m
3 are of length under 914 m

Railways

Maps

2007

Motorway

Highways

International highways

Airports (paved)

Airports (unpaved)

See also