14 gritty photos of Mauritanians traveling on a freight train (16 photos)

The iron ore train is practically the only way to get around the country.





The Mauritanians travel on it, and its only advantage is that it is free.

Mauritania is one of the poorest countries in West Africa. The basis of its economy is the extraction of minerals, which are exported. There are few roads in the country: out of 7.6 thousand km of road surface, only a quarter has a hard surface. The main transport artery of Mauritania is the railway, but it is the only one in the country. The rails connect important settlements that emerged from the mines and lead to the city of Nouadhibou.



Port of Naudibo from above.

The city stands on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, there is a port here, and it is from here that all mined ore is sent around the world. Photographer Mykolas Juodelė rode a freight train with the Mauritanians a few years ago and took photographs of the brutal ride.

The train departs from the mines of Zouerate



Mauritania was formerly a colony of France



When minerals were discovered here in the 1960s, the French built a railway



The road is still in operation and is still the most important economic artery of the country.



The 2.5-kilometer Mauritanian ore train is considered one of the longest in the world



Bread seller at one of the stations



Mikolas traveled from the town of Zouerate, where the mines are located, to Nouadhibou



There is no road connection between these cities



That's why people are allowed to ride freight trains for free



The trip lasts from 12 to 20 hours, and for some of Mykolas's fellow travelers it is a full-time job



They transport food and animals between mines, delivering them to miners and towns along the way.



This is how Mauritanians pass the time and have fun: they climb from one carriage to another



The train runs several times a week during sweltering daytime heat and frosty nights.



The train moves across the Sahara to the Atlantic through sandstorms