Adrar Temar

Adrar Temar, most noted of the numerous areas called Adrar (Berber word for plateau or mountain), in Mauritania, in the western Sahara region of Africa. The region comprises some 73,000 sq km (28,000 sq mi). The Spanish long claimed that this region was part of their Río de Oro district holdings, but a convention in 1900 between France and Spain recognized French sovereignty in the area. Although the Adrar Temar is generally barren, there are oases in the valleys and sparse forests in the highlands. The region lies along the caravan route from Morocco to Senegal and has thus been of more than local commercial significance. The inhabitants are a mixture of Berbers, Tuareg, black Africans, and Arabs, and most are Muslims. The raising of camels, goats, and other stock is an important local occupation.