BTW Yaya says hi!. Railways (km) 728 km standard gauge: 728 km 1.435-m gauge (2008) Roadways (km) total: 10,628 km paved: 3,158 km unpaved: 7,470 km (2010) Waterways (km) But, unless you speak French or Arabic, you will need to find someone to translate.]. One is located at the oasis, and the other (Chez Jamal) is just a quick walk away. It is one of only two non-decimal currencies (not divisible by units of 10 or 100) the other being the Malagasy ariary currency of Madagascar. Source: Investopedia, 25. 22.1% of Mauritanias population live in poverty. Shortly after, we learned that no trains were expected to stop in Choum that evening. So heres to fear, and the courage that follows. Mauritania is also one of Africas newest oil producers after the Chinguetti oil field was discovered in 2001 with potential reserves of approximately 120 million barrels of oil. Source: BBC News, 22. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Sometimes the train slows down enough for some breakdancing: Even after the sun had long disappeared, the sky above us just got more purple, especially in the haze of the desert sands blowing past the train: And while it gets really really cold here (subzero temperatures; I recommend putting on all your layers while its still warm around sunset), the true show comes out once it gets completely dark if the moon isnt full you can usually see the Milky Way stretching across the night sky. Initially, our tour with Hademine was supposed to end there. Its journey begins in Zouerat,. How do I even reply to David now? We recommend travelling to Mauritania anytime between November and March to avoid the sweltering heat, sandstorms and then the rainy season which affects the country's infrastructure from April to October. Since we sat in open top cars, we brought tons of blankets and were all wrapped up warm with good scarves to protect our faces from the sand and dust blowing in our direction by the train. Its Atlantic Ocean coastline, to the west, extends for 435 miles (700 km) from the delta of the Sngal River northward to Cape Noudhibou (Cape Blanco) Peninsula. When we say it's big it's big!! With Hademines help, we hunted down the chief of the train station, and paid him a visit at his home. Depending on the time of year, it can get quite cold at night (todays low was 6C or 43F, plus windchill from the moving train). Mauritania became the last country in the world to abolish slavery when the practice was finally banned in 1981. 10 minutes ago I was debating whether to go off on my own, even forcibly convincing myself to get over my fears to explore the town alone instead of stay with the group. This is the time where wed recommend that you plan out an exit strategy and order of who leaves first (using your trash bags as a booster) and who can leave last simply by using upper body strength to swing their legs over. Nouakchott, capital of Mauritannia. At one million square kilometers, Mauritania is not a small country, but a very small percentage of it is habitable. Then think of it being overcrowded to the point of danger, luggage and goods stacked ceiling-high in the corridors, holes in most exterior walls, a smell of pure filth, and finally, remove any illusion of comfort or cleanliness, and there you have the passenger carriage of the Mauritanian iron ore train.. The currency of Mauritania is the ouguiya which divides into five khoums. If youre wondering about toilets, the answer is no: there arent any. with 200 carriages, 3-4 locomotives, weighing up to 84 tons, capable of carrying 17,000 tons of iron ore, and operating all 365 days of the year since 1963. The train crawls through the desert, travelling at no more than 50 kilometers per hour. The total U.S. exports to Mauritania in 2019 were USD 127 million, and imports from Mauritania were USD 61 million, resulting in a U.S. trade surplus with Mauritania of USD 66 million. Our turnover thus rose from $ 880 million in 2019 to $ 1 billion 220 million in 2020, an increase of 39%. Mauritania has desert or southern steppe climate. Violent jolts can reoccur unexpectedly throughout the journey. Consular support in Mauritania is severely limited as the British Embassy in Nouakchott cannot provide consular services in person. You can buy blankets in some of the towns along the way (and in Choum for twice the price). 1. Initially, we tried kicking the mounds of iron piled in the center of the wagon into the surrounding water, but quickly realized the iron was obviously not absorbing any of it (just turned to slush). Although he could not make any guarantees, he agreed to make some calls. It conveyed passengers, wool and general goods, as well as being used to transport defence supplies during the Second World War. Mauritania's contributions to the prehistory of western Africa are still being researched, but the discovery of numerous Lower Paleolithic (Acheulean) and Neolithic remains in the north points to a rich potential . The train does not make any official stops from Nouadhibou to Choum, but the train does stop for prayers. The line was a success and provided a major portion of Mauritania's GDP; as a result the line was nationalised in 1974. For those of you wondering where do I sleep? He was a local guide Yaya of Sidi Tours and was leading the couple (of Rutas Salvajes) around Mauritania. The iron ore is like fine sand that gets constantly blown in the face. Departure: When the train arrives just jump into the back of one of the cars. It doesnt matter if youre eastbound or westboundwhat matters is that this train ride truly embodies the idiom that its all about the journey, not the destination. Hademine was excellenthighly recommend. Geographically part of the Maghreb, Mauritania borders Algeria, Senegal and Mali, along with the disputed territory of Western Sahara . The train does not operate on a fixed schedule. Built to transport iron ore reserves from Mauritania across the Sahara Desert, the 704-kilometer Mauritania Railway connects the mining center of Zouerat to the port city of Nouadhibou on Africa's Atlantic coast. There are two types of blankets for sale (they are identical from town to town)one cheaper in quality, and the other better in quality. The state agency Socit Nationale Industrielle et Minire (National Mining and Industrial Company, SNIM . The journey is long and miserable. According to the UK Foreign Office, Mauritania is one of 17 countries deemed to be entirely unsafe for tourists to visit in 2020 due to the risk of terrorism. Source:The Telegraph, 18. Malnutrition is widespread with 9.8% of young children suffering from acute malnutrition. Source: United Nations World Food Programme, 15. Overnight: iron ore train (approximately 13 to 15 hours). Once it gets dark, you can usually see the Milky Way stretching across the night sky. Blog. Mauritania country facts (area, population, GDP, currency, location, capital, population density). We were not prepared for this; we ignorantly just figured the train always stops in Choum. A mining center was constructed at Zouerate together with port facilities at Nouadhibou on the Atlantic coast, and both centers were linked by a railway line 700 km long. There is also no way to stock up on your food supplies. 13. Do not wait until Choum to go shoppingnot much there. Towns and settlements are separated by vast stretches of inhospitable desert. The capital of Mauritania is Nouakchott, which means "place of the winds.". 9. Mauritania is ranked 20th among 47 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and its overall . More than 40,000 black Mauritanians were driven out of the country into Senegal. Source: New York Times. For the people living in these settlements, the train is their only link to civilization. We then turned away the taxi drivers by the tracks and instead waited for our pre-arranged jeeps to take us to our campsites 5 minutes away. If you look at Mauritania from. 1. Oh hey David. Locals use it as means of transport while for foreign travellers iron ore ride is the the adventure of a lifetime. I suggest walking over and asking if the trains are expected to stop (just in case you need to make alternative plans). You can buy blankets in some of the towns along the way (and in Choum for twice the price). And if theres ore, you can simply chuck your bags on top before jumping on yourself. As a result, only one bullet train derailed that day. Mauritania was the last country to legally abolish slavery. The state agency Socit Nationale Industrielle et Minire (National Mining and Industrial Company, SNIM) controls the railway line. Festivals and Mountaintop Temples of Bhutan, Layer by Layer: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure, Vietnam: A Culinary Adventure from Hanoi to Saigon, In the Footsteps of Pharaohs: Exploring Ancient Egypt, Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: The Maryland Snallygaster, Antiques and Their Afterlives: Anatomical Wax Figures, Learning the Language of Art w/ Art Muse L.A.: Contemporary Art, Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: Krampus, Artful Stitches & Fixes: Visible Mending With Erin Eggenburg, Color in Motion: Suminagashi & Ebru Marbling with Linh My Truong, The Table as Canvas: Designing a Bizarro Dinner Party With Jen Monroe, Constraint-Based Cooking with quori theodor, Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, https://onestep4ward.com/the-best-train-journey-in-the-worldthe-iron-ore-train-in-mauritania/, https://safarijunkie.com/mauritania/riding-iron-ore-train-mauritania/. At the moment the train was still, we quickly inspected a few wagons to make sure they had good wheels, picked one to call home, climbed its ladders, half hanging on while being passed all our bags. Read More, The most interesting facts about Haiti, from the world's first black-led republic to the birth It just so happens that the 3 were discussing whether to take the train, so when I mentioned that I had just gotten off the train earlier this morning and that it was one of the most life affirming experiences I ever had on my travels, that sealed the deal for them: They were going to get on the train. Up to 3km in length, the trains are among the longest and heaviest in the world. Not counting the waiting time, it takes approximately 19 hours to cover the whole distance. [1][2] It consists of a single, 704-kilometre (437mi) railway line linking the iron mining centre of Zourat with the port of Nouadhibou, via Fderik and Choum. The train length expands to 2,5 kilometers with 200 train cars carrying cca 85 tons of iron ore from mines in Zouerat to Mauritania's second largest commercial centre Nouadihbou. We cut open three water bottles and used them to scoop out as much water as possible before we leveled off the mounds. Yaya asked who those friends were, and before I could answer, Yaya also mentioned that I reminded him of someone that he had met 2 weeks prior in Dakar, Senegal named David Yang. SNIM iron ore train at Nouadhibou station, Mauritania, Five ancient libraries, little changed for centuries, preserve a medieval archive of Quranic lore and civic documents. Your food supplies if the trains are among the longest trains in the world //www.countryaah.com/mauritania/ '' > Railway. Https: //www.countryaah.com/mauritania/ '' > Mauritania - Wikipedia < /a > there are some train rides that youll forget. 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