Mauritania

Mauritania is a country where the Sahara Desert walks straight into the Atlantic Ocean. Almost the entire nation is sand and stone - vast, empty, and starkly beautiful. Ancient caravan cities like Chinguetti and Ouadane sit half-buried in dunes, their stone libraries still holding manuscripts that are a thousand years old. The Richat Structure, a 40-kilometer geological formation known as the Eye of Africa, is so perfectly circular that it was once thought to be the lost city of Atlantis. From space, it looks like the desert is staring back at you.

Mauritania sits at the crossroads of Arab North Africa and Sub-Saharan West Africa, and its culture reflects that duality. Hassaniya Arabic is the dominant language, nomadic Moorish traditions are strong, and the southern river valley is home to Black African farming communities. The Banc d'Arguin, where the desert literally meets the sea, is one of the most important bird migration sites in the world, with millions of waders making the journey from Europe each winter. It is a country of extremes - scorching and sparse, but hauntingly beautiful.