most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country

People
Mauritania

Population:

3,364,940 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 45.3% (male 763,845/female 759,957) 15-64 years: 52.5% (male 872,924/female 894,980) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 29,147/female 44,087) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.2 years male: 16.9 years female: 17.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.852% (2008 est.)