Much of Mauritania is located in the SAHARA Desert, a vast desert region that covers much of North Africa. The SAHARA is the world's largest hot desert and covers an area of over 9 million square kilometers. Mauritania is located in the western part of the SAHARA and is bordered by Algeria, Mali, and Western SAHARA. The country has a population of over 4 million people and is largely composed of desert and semi-arid regions.