How does Mauritania 1999 differ from the older datums?

Mauritania 1999 is a modern frame tied to the global frames and more accurate for new work, while Nouakchott 1965 and IGN Astro 1960 are older, less precise datums. They can differ by tens of metres, so mixing them without a transformation is not safe.

Which UTM zone is Nouakchott in?

Nouakchott, near longitude 16 degrees west, sits in zone 28N, the zone that covers the Mauritanian coast where most cities lie. Eastern parts can extend into other zones.

Why does GPS disagree with an old Mauritanian sheet?

GPS observes on WGS84 while the sheet sits on a datum such as Nouakchott 1965 or IGN Astro 1960, differing by tens of metres. This tool applies the published EPSG datum shift automatically to correct the gap.

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Mauritania coordinate converter

Free Mauritania coordinate converter: modern Mauritania 1999 with legacy Nouakchott 1965 and IGN Astro 1960 to WGS84 and UTM zone 28 — official EPSG parameters.

Click the map to pick any point and convert it instantly, or enter coordinates manually.

Source system

Target system

Longitude

Latitude

Accepts decimal (31.2357) or degrees-minutes-seconds (31°14'08"E).

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Collect named points from conversions or a pasted table, see them on the map, convert them all to one system, and download in any format. The list is stored locally in your browser only.

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Paste rows from Excel or a text file — the delimiter is auto-detected. Pick the column order, or leave “Auto” to guess from headers.

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Thousands of points in a file? Use the batch file converter

Coordinate systems in Mauritania: quick reference

Mauritania has moved from older local datums to a modern national frame. The current frame is Mauritania 1999 (EPSG:4702), tied to the global frames and usually delivered through the Mauritania 1999 / UTM zone 28N projection (EPSG:3343), which covers the coastal strip where the cities and ports concentrate.

Before this frame, maps and surveys relied on older datums, notably Nouakchott 1965 (EPSG:4680) and IGN Astro 1960 — the latter carried the IGN Astro 1960 / UTM zone 28N projection (EPSG:3367) behind many legacy sheets. The gap between these datums and the modern frame can reach tens of metres.

Nouakchott, near longitude 16 degrees west, sits in zone 28N. The converter below opens on a Nouakchott sample point and lists the Mauritanian systems first, giving the value in every system that covers the point, with an explicit accuracy badge that separates the legacy frames from the modern one.

Key systems for Mauritania
EPSG	System	Accuracy
4702	Mauritania 1999(geographic)	±0.1 m
3343	Mauritania 1999 / UTM zone 28N(projected grid)	±0.1 m
4680	Nouakchott 1965(geographic)	±0.1 m
3367	IGN Astro 1960 / UTM zone 28N(projected grid)	±0.1 m

The tool covers 13 systems relevant to Mauritania (national systems plus the WGS84 UTM zones) — the table above lists only the key ones.

FAQ

The modern frame is Mauritania 1999 (EPSG:4702) with the UTM zone 28N projection (EPSG:3343); the older datums are Nouakchott 1965 (EPSG:4680) and IGN Astro 1960 with its UTM zone 28N projection (EPSG:3367). New work is observed on the modern frame.

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Mauritania coordinate converter

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Coordinate systems in Mauritania: quick reference

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Mauritania coordinate converter

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Coordinate systems in Mauritania: quick reference

FAQ

Which coordinate system does Mauritania use?

How does Mauritania 1999 differ from the older datums?

Which UTM zone is Nouakchott in?

Why does GPS disagree with an old Mauritanian sheet?

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