Mauritania

geographical name

Mau·ri·ta·nia ˌmȯr-ə-ˈtā-nē-ə

ˌmär-,

-nyə

variants or French Mauritanie

mȯ-rē-tä-ˈnē

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

Mauritanian

ˌmȯr-ə-ˈtā-nē-ən

ˌmär-

-nyən

adjective or noun