The Mauritania–Senegal border is 742 km (461 m) in length and runs from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

in the west along the

Senegal River ,french: Fleuve Sénégal) , name_etymology = , image = Senegal River Saint Louis.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = Fishermen on the bank of the Senegal River estuary at the outskirts of Saint-Louis, Senegal ...

to the

tripoint A tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated in rivers, l ...

with

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

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 language, 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, Se ...

spit, and then veers north, utilising 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 Falémé is a commune in the Cercle of Kayes in the Kayes Region of south-western Mali. The main town (''chef-lieu An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the c ...

confluence.

History

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

had begun settling on the coasts of modern Mauritania and Senegal 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, also called the Partition of Africa, or Conquest of Africa, was the invasion, annexation, division, and colonisation of Africa, colonization of most of Africa by seven Western Europe, Western European powers during a ...

’ 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 ...

(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 (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

) 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 o ...

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 (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burki ...

(''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 decolonisation grew in the post-

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 (1958–1960; french: Communauté française) was the constitutional organization set up in 1958 between France and its remaining African colonies, then in the process of decolonization. It replaced the French Union, which ...

. 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 intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

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. 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 Nouakchott. The ...

* Ngorel *

Boghé Boghé (also Bogué) is a town and commune in the Brakna Region of southern Mauritania, located on the border with Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''A ...

* Tjide *

Bababé Bababé is a town and commune in the Brakna Region of southern Mauritania, located on the border with Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'' ...

* Mbotto * Mbagne * Ouoloum Nere *

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

* 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 colonial ...

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

References