The rest is covered by the sands of the Sahara.
Towns and settlements are separated by vast stretches of inhospitable desert.
Roads often have to make detours hundreds of kilometers long just to avoid the drifting sands.
The mining town of Zouerat in northern Mauritania is one such isolated outpost.
With a population close to fifty thousand, Zouerat is not a small town either.
For the people living in these settlements, the train is their only link to civilization.
The train stretches for 2.5 kilometers.
The journey is long and miserable.
The iron ore is like fine sand that gets constantly blown in the face.
Blankets are a must.
Some passengers dig small holes in the iron ore pile and build stoves, burning charcoal to make tea.
This time the wagons are empty, which makes the outbound journey slightly more bearable.
Those who do not work fast enough are left behind.
Goats, donkeys and camels are hoisted onto the empty wagons.
Cartons of apples and oranges, bottles of water are stacked meters high.
Mattresses, building supplies, satellite dishesanything the remote towns need.
The train crawls through the desert, travelling at no more than 50 kilometers per hour.
When it passes through towns it slows down allowing passengers to disembark and others to hop aboard.
For those who can afford to spare $3 for a ticket, the journey isnt anymore comfortable.
Take that skeleton of a train carriage, and add a layer of dust covering every surface.
But at least the passengers have a working toilet.
Those who are interested, Washington Post published anice photo essayon the journey a few years back.
