Transport in Mauritania

Railways

* 717 km of rail in total (single track, standard gauge 1435 mm), owned and operated by a government mining company S.N.I.M.. The mines are at Fderik and Zouerat.
* One of the world's longest trains runs here (up to 2.5 km long), with more than 200 wagons mainly transporting iron ore, and some carriages for passengers; alternatively, people sit on top of the iron piles ( [http://www.snim.com/mine-port2.html] , [http://lexicorient.com/mauritania/matrain.htm] , [http://lexicorient.com/mauritania/zouerat.htm] ;
* The railway ends at the port of Nouadhibou/Cansado.

Rail links with adjacent countries

* Western Sahara - no - no railways
* Algeria - no - same gauge 1435 mm
* Mali - no- Break of gauge 1435mm/1000mm
* Senegal - no - Break of gauge 1435mm/1000mm

Towns served by rail

* Fderik - mine
* Zouerat - mine
* Nouadhibou - port
* Cansado - port

Towns proposed to be served by rail

* Nouakchott - port and national capital

* Tiguint
* Mederdra
* R'Kiz
* Leguatt
* Leeleibatt
* Menjem Boffal
* Kaedi
* Bofal - phosphate mine

Maps

* [http://www.sahara-occidental.com/images/cartes/cartesop.gif]
* [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/westernsahara.jpg]
* [http://wwww.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900LargeMaps/SKAR-64GDV5?OpenDocument UNJLC Map]

Links

* [http://railwaynews.blogspot.com/search/label/Mauritania]

Timeline

2008

* May - 8 new EMD locomotives [ [http://railwaysafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2671&Itemid=35 Railways Africa - NEW LOCOS FOR MAURITANIA ] ]

* Deal signed for line to Kaedi. [ [http://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11332401.htm Mauritania - Railpage Australia Forums (Africa) ] ]

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 with southern phosphate deposits at Bofal. [ http://al-hakawati.net/english/Cities/city26.asp ] The 430 km (290 mile) line would run close to the southern frontier with Senegal. It is hoped that the new line would link with existing lines just across the border in Senegal, Mali [ [http://africa.reuters.com/business/news/usnBAN529925.html Investing | Africa - Reuters.com ] ] There is no through link to Burkina Faso. There are problems of choice of gauge.

Highways

*7,720 km in total
**830 km paved
**6,890 km unpaved (2000)

International highways

The Cairo-Dakar Highway in the Trans-African Highway network passes through Mauritania but needs to be paved between the capital Nouakchott and the port of Nouadhibou, that section is currently only a desert track. From Dakar there are links throughout West Africa.

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

Waterways

*Mostly ferry traffic on the Senegal River

Ports and Harbours

Atlantic Ocean

(from north to south)
* Bogue
* Nouadhibou
* Nouakchott
* Rosso

Senegal River

* Kaedi

Merchant marine

*None as of 2002

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

See also

* Mauritania
* Heaviest trains
* Longest trains

References