نواكشوط Nouakchott
Landsat image of sand dunes encroaching on Nouakchott.
Map of Mauritania showing Nouakchott
Coordinates: 18°6′N 15°57′W / 18.1, -15.95
Capital district	Nouakchott
Government
- Mayor	Didi Ould Bounaama
Area
- City	1,000 km²  (400 sq mi)
Population (1999)
- City	881,000

Nouakchott department

Nouakchott (Arabic: نواكشوط‎ or انواكشوط‎ [alleged translation from Berber "The place of the winds"] Nawākšūṭ) is the capital and by far the largest city of Mauritania, and is Sahara's largest city if one excludes marginal cases like Cairo (in the Nile River Delta) and the cities north of the Atlas Mountains on Africa's northern coast. The city is the administrative and economic centre of Mauritania. Image File history File links Nouakchott_SandDunesEncroaching. ... The Landsat program is the longest running enterprise for acqusition of imagery of Earth from space. ... Image File history File links Map of Mauritania showing Nouakchott. ... The Capital District is an imprecise regional definition (much like Upstate New York) that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of New York: Albany County, Schenectady County, and Rensselaer County. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... “Arabic” redirects here. ... The Berber languages (or Tamazight) are a group of closely related languages mainly spoken in Morocco and Algeria. ... Not to be confused with capitol. ... Nickname: Egypt: Site of Cairo (top center) Coordinates: , Government  - Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area  - City 214 km²  (82. ... There is also Nile, a death metal band from South Carolina, USA. The Nile in Egypt Length 6 695 km Elevation of the source 1 134 m Average discharge 2 830 m³/s Area watershed 3 400 000 km² Origin Africa Mouth the Mediterranean Basin countries Uganda - Sudan - Egypt The... Map showing the location of the Atlas Mountains (colored red) across North Africa The Atlas Mountains (Arabic: ‎) are a mountain range in northwest Africa extending about 2,400 km (1,500 miles) through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and including The Rock of Gibraltar. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

Geography

Located on the Atlantic coast of the Sahara Desert, it lies on the west coast, on the Atlantic Ocean, although with the exception of Nouakchott Wharf and a deep water port, the coastal strip is mostly left empty and allowed to flood. “Atlantic” redirects here. ... The Sahara is the worlds second largest desert (second to Antarctica), over 9,000,000 km² (3,500,000 mi²), located in northern Africa and is 2. ... The Nouakchott Wharf is a port located in Nouakchott, Mauritania Plans were drawn up at the beginning of 1963 to build a port called Port Wharf in the fishing harbour of Nouadhibou, which included the construction of industrial and trade buildings. ... For other uses, see Port (disambiguation). ...

Due to the rapid build-up, the city is quite spread out, with few tall buildings. It also often acts as an interface between urban Mauritanians and their nomadic fellow citizens. Kazakh nomads in the steppes of the Russian Empire, ca. ...

Nouakchott is built around a large tree-lined street, Avenue Abd an-Nasir, which runs northeast through the city center from the airport. Other major streets are named (in French) for notable Mauritanian figures, or international personages of the 1960s: Avenue de Gaulle, Avenue Kennedy, and Avenue Lumumba, for example.

Temperatures range between 33°C (92°F) and 13°C (56°F), and the average rainfall is 178 mm (7 in) a year.

History

A tiny fishing town until 1958, Nouakchott has been mentioned little through out history. It is possible that the Berber Muslim Almoravids were originally from the area. Despite its name, based on a Berber expression meaning "place of the winds", the city was selected as the capital city for its moderate climate and central location within the country.^[1] Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Almoravides (From Arabic المرابطون sing. ...

Mauritania was part of the larger French colony of French West Africa, and as such had no capital during the colonial period: Saint-Louis, in Senegal held that position. In 1957, this small port town was chosen to be the capital of the new country, and an ambitious building program was begun to increase its population to 15,000. In 1958 Mauritania was formed as an autonomous republic in the French Community, and when that organization became moribund after 1962, Nouakchott became the capital of an independent country. Location of French West Africa French West Africa (French: ) was a federation of eight French territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Côte dIvoire, Niger, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and Dahomey (now Benin). ... Saint-Louis, or Ndar as it is called in Wolof, is the capital of Senegals Saint-Louis Region. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up republic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The French Community was the political entity which replaced the French Union, which in turn was the descendant of the French Empire following the Second World War. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The city has had rapid growth, driven by the north African drought since the beginning of the 1970s: many have moved to the city in quest of a better life. Fields outside Benambra, Victoria, Australia suffering from drought conditions A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ...

Government

The town was first divided into districts (moughataa) in 1973. First it was divided into four. From 1986, the city has been split into nine districts. [1] For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

• Arafat
• Dar Naim
• El Mina
• Ksar
• Riad
• Sebkha
• Tevragh-Zeina
• Teyarett
• Toujounine

Demographics

One of the mosques of Nouakchott, 2004

For comparison, its population was only 20,000 in 1969 and 150,000 in 1980. Part of the difficulty in estimating the city's population is that part of it is literally nomadic, setting up tents in suitable locations, then packing up when the need strikes. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 460 pixelsFull resolution (2112 × 1214 pixel, file size: 267 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 460 pixelsFull resolution (2112 × 1214 pixel, file size: 267 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Kazakh nomads in the steppes of the Russian Empire, ca. ...

Although Islam is the state religion in Mauritania, Nouakchott includes the Cathedral of St. Joseph, a Catholic cathedral. For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... For other uses, see Saint Joseph (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Infrastructure

Nouakchott has a deep-sea port, opened in 1986, primarily used for imports. Annually, imports account for around 96.4 % of traffic at the port. A 1,100 kilometers (684 mi) road connects the city with Néma via Boutilimit and Kiffa[2]. The city also features an international airport. List of deep water ports include (deep water ports can take fully laden Panamax ships) // Africa Atlantic Ocean Walvis Bay, Namibia - railhead Owendo, Gabon - railhead Indian Ocean Nacala, Mozambique - railhead for Malawi America Atlantic Ocean Port of Beaumont - a deep-water port located in Beaumont, Texas. ... Nema is a town in southeastern Mauritania, close to the border with Mali. ... Boutilimit is the most important religious centre in Mauritania. ... Kiffa is a city in south-central Mauritania. ... Nouakchott International Airport (IATA: NKC, ICAO: GQNN) is an airport located in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania in West Africa. ...

Railway

An agreement was signed on August 5, 2007 between Mauritania, Sudan, and China to build $630m Mauritania Railway linking the port of Nouakchott and phosphate mines at Bofal, about 430km away. The line goes near the border with Senegal.

Fresh water

Although the rocks beneath the city contained a vast reservoir of fresh water, known as the Trarza Lake, fresh water is running out due to the large growth of the city. For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ...

Education

The city is home to the Université de Nouakchott, which is the only university in Mauritania and was opened in 1981. Other higher education facilities include the National School of Administration, and the National Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies. There are many primary and secondary schools, and an American International School of Nouakchott. The University of Nouakchott (French: ) is a university in the city of Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... China National School of Administration (CNSA, 国家行政学院), located in Beijing, China, is a training center for middle and senior government officials of the Chinese government, owned by the State Council. ...

Culture

Market in Nouakchott

Fish market by the beach in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Attractions in Nouakchott include Nouakchott Museum, several markets including Nouakchott Silver Market, and the beaches. One beach is devoted to fishing boats where various species of fish can be bought fresh. The city also hosts the National Library and National Archives. Nouakchott is the principal location in Africa for world distribution of native Saharan meteorites. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 448 pixelsFull resolution (1538 × 862 pixel, file size: 214 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 448 pixelsFull resolution (1538 × 862 pixel, file size: 214 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 1 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 1 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Look up Market in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Beach (disambiguation). ... A national library is a library specifically established by the government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country. ... More than one country maintains a national archive: The Canadian Library and Archives Canada The New Zealand Archives New Zealand (formerly National Archives) The United States National Archives and Records Administration The United Kingdom National Archives This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that... Satellite image The Sahara (Arabic: , aá¹£-á¹£aḥrā´ al-kabÄ«r, The Great Desert, ( )) is the worlds largest hot desert, and second largest desert after Antarctica. ... Willamette Meteorite A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives an impact with the Earths surface without being destroyed. ...

References

1. ^ Cities of the World, Vol. 1, p331; Brian Rajewski, ed., for Eastword Publications Development Inc., Cleveland, Ohio; Gale Research, Detroit, 1999. ISBN 0-8103-7692-X.

External links

• Lexicorient: Nouakchott
• Life in Nouakchott
• NASA Image

• Maps and aerial photos for 18°04′01″N 15°59′24″W / 18.0669, -15.99Coordinates: 18°04′01″N 15°59′24″W / 18.0669, -15.99
  • Maps from MapQuest, Multimap and Yahoo! Maps
  • Satellite images and maps from Google Maps and Live Search
  • Other mapping from GlobalGuide and WikiMapia

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Nouakchott

v • d • e Regions of Mauritania
Adrar • Assaba • Brakna • Dakhlet Nouadhibou • Gorgol • Guidimaka • Hodh Ech Chargui • Hodh El Gharbi • Inchiri • Nouakchott • Tagant • Tiris Zemmour • Trarza