Continental degrees and their spatial distribution in Mauritania

Abstract

This research dealt with determining the degrees of continentality and their distribution in Mauritania, using four indicators of continentality: the Poresof index, the Gorczynski index, the Conrad index, and the Johansson index. The study concluded that the spatial distribution of degrees of continentality in the region is marked by clear differences from one place to another, and that the intensity of continentality generally increases from west to east. The study also showed that continentality is the dominant pattern in the Mauritanian region, as the study showed that the proportion of continental and semi-continental climate of the total area of the country reached 97.5% according to the Gorczynski index, 95.42% according to the Poresof index, 87.83% according to the Conrad index, and 87.72% according to the Johansson index. The previous percentages clearly indicate the dominance of continental conditions and the strength of continental influences in the face of marine influences, which limited the role of marine influences to the narrow coastal area adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, which limited the marine climate in the region.