The Atlantic coastal desert is a shrubland that exists along the northwestern coast of Africa adjacent to the Sahara Desert. It extends approximately 1864 km (1158 mi) along the coastlines of Western Sahara and Mauritania (1). The elevation ranges from sea level to 200 m (656 ft) and though the area has small, infrequent rains, mists blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean provide some moisture for the succulents, shrubs and vascular plants of the area (1).