Real size
How big is Mauritania really?
1.04 million km²
401,000 sq mi · 29th largest of the 167 here · about the size of Egypt
Normal web maps show it about the right size
Mauritania covers 1.04 million km² (401,000 sq mi), about the size of Egypt. It sits close to the equator, where normal web maps barely stretch land, so they show it at about its real size, and make countries farther from the equator look bigger than it.
Measured from our map outlines, so official figures can differ by a few percent. Ranks count the 167 countries and territories on these pages: those over 5,000 km², not counting disputed territories.
- Real area
- 1.04 million km²
- Size rank
- 29th of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 20°N
Countries about the same size
- EgyptAbout the same size
- BoliviaBolivia is 1.1 times the size of Mauritania
- EthiopiaEthiopia is 1.1 times the size of Mauritania
- ColombiaColombia is 1.1 times the size of Mauritania
- TanzaniaMauritania is 1.1 times the size of Tanzania
Mauritania through history
Borders here have moved many times. Step through our maps, from 2000 BCE to today, to see who ruled this land before, and how big their realms really were.
Open the history map →Browse the eras →
Common questions
- How big is Mauritania?
- Mauritania covers about 1.04 million km² (401,000 sq mi). It is the 29th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show Mauritania at the right size?
- Mostly. Mauritania lies close enough to the equator that a normal web map draws it only about 1.1 times too big, while countries far to the north or south are drawn several times too big.
- Is Mauritania bigger than Egypt?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is Mauritania bigger than Bolivia?
- No. Bolivia is about 1.1 times the size of Mauritania.