Sandstorm in Kaedi, Gorgol, Mauritania. Due to rainfall deficit and failed harvests in the past year, the Sahel region is undergoing an increasingly severe drought, causing, according to some observers, soil dryness conditions leading to more severe sandstorms.
Located in the semi-desertic Sahel region of West Africa, Mauritania is among the world's least developed food-deficit countries, ranked 159 out of 187 countries on the 2011 UNDP Human Development Index. With 42 percent of the population living below the poverty line and with vast desert areas and scarce water resources, Mauritania ranks amongst the poorest countries in the world.