mauritanian
geographical name(Mau-re-ta-nia)
country in northwestern Africa that borders on the Atlantic north of the Senegal River, is crossed by the Tropic of Cancer in the north, and is largely covered by the western extremity of the Sahara; a republic within the French Community, formerly a territory; capital Nouakchott area 397,955 square miles (1,030,700 square kilometers), population 3,840,000