North Eastern Atlantic

The Atlantic off Mauritania meets a low, sandy coast south of Cape Timiris. Offshore currents vary with the seasons: the southward flow associated with the Canary Current meets waters moving north along the Mauritanian shelf. Around the cape this circulation can form eddies, while coastal upwelling helps sustain rich fishing grounds. To the north the shallow Banc d’Arguin is a maze of sandbanks and islands between the desert and the open sea.