The Mauritania–Senegal border is in length and runs from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

in the west along the

Senegal River The Senegal River ( or "Senegal" - compound of the Serer term "Seen" or "Sene" or "Sen" (from Roog Seen, Supreme Deity in Serer religion) and "O Gal" (meaning "body of water")); , , , ) is a river in West Africa; much of its length mark ...

to the

tripoint A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...

with

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

in the east.

Description

The border starts in the west at the Atlantic coast and then goes east, crossing the

Langue de Barbarie The Langue de Barbarie ( French for "Barbary spit of land", named after the Barbary Coast) is a thin, sandy peninsula, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, located in western Senegal, in the neighbourhood of the city of Saint-Louis. The peninsula se ...

spit, and then veers north, utilizing the ''Marigot de Mambatio'', before reaching the Senegal river. The border then follows this river eastwards in a broad arc, terminating at the Mali tripoint at the Senegal/ Falémé confluence.

History

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

had begun settling on the coasts of modern

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

and

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

in the 17th-18th centuries, gradually extended their rule further inland as far as modern Mali during the 1850s-80s. As a result of the ‘

Scramble for Africa The Scramble for Africa was the invasion, conquest, and colonialism, colonisation of most of Africa by seven Western European powers driven by the Second Industrial Revolution during the late 19th century and early 20th century in the era of ...

’ in the 1880s,

gained control the upper valley of the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...

(roughly equivalent to the areas of modern Mali and Niger). France occupied this area in 1900, followed by Mauritania in 1903–04. Mali (then referred to as

French Sudan French Sudan (; ') was a French colonial territory in the Federation of French West Africa from around 1880 until 1959, when it joined the Mali Federation, and then in 1960, when it became the independent state of Mali. The colony was formall ...

) was originally included, along with modern Niger and Burkina Faso, within the

Upper Senegal and Niger Upper Senegal and Niger () was a colony in French West Africa, created on 21 October 1904 from colonial Senegambia and Niger by the decree "For the Reorganisation of the general government of French West Africa". At its creation, the "Colony of ...

colony, however it was later split off and, along with Mauritania, became a constituent of the federal colony of

French West Africa French West Africa (, ) was a federation of eight French colonial empires#Second French colonial empire, French colonial territories in West Africa: Colonial Mauritania, Mauritania, French Senegal, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guin ...

(''Afrique occidentale française'', abbreviated AOF). The following year on 25 February 1905 France created a border between Senegal and Mauritania along the Senegal river, which was then described in more detail in a decree of 8 December 1933. As the movement for decolonization grew in the post-

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

era, France gradually granted more political rights and representation for their sub-Saharan African colonies, culminating in the granting of broad internal autonomy to French West Africa in 1958 within the framework of the

French Community The French Community () was the constitutional organization set up in October 1958 between France and its remaining African colonies, then in the process of decolonization. It replaced the French Union, which had reorganized the colonial em ...

. In 1960, both Mauritania and Senegal gained independence, and their mutual frontier became an international one between two states. Frontiera di Rosso fra Mauritania ed il Senegal oltre il fiu me omonimo

Frontiera di Rosso fra Mauritania ed il Senegal oltre il fiu me omonimo

Relations between the two states, initially fairly good, deteriorated in the 1980s due to various disputes along the Senegal river, exacerbated by droughts and ethnic tension. The disputes erupted into armed clashes along the frontier in 1989, resulting in a

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

that ended in 1991.

Settlements near the border

Mauritania

* Keur-Macene *

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

* Ngorel * Boghé * Tjide * Bababé * Mbotto * Mbagne * Ouoloum Nere *

Kaédi Kaédi () is the largest city and administrative center of the Gorgol Region of Southern Mauritania, located on the Mauritania–Senegal border, border with Senegal. It is approximately 435 km from Mauritania's capital, Nouakchott. Overview Th ...

* Djowol * Sagne

Senegal

* Saint-Louis * Debi * Rheune * Ntiagar * Dagana *

Podor Podor ( Wolof: Podoor) is the northernmost town in Senegal, lying on Morfil Island between the Sénégal River and Doué River on the border with Mauritania. It was the location of the ancient state Takrur. It is home to a ruined French colon ...

* Boki * Sioure * Cascas * Doungel * Saldé * Matam * Bakel * Aroundou

References