Nouakchott

For the three regions the city is divided in, see Nouakchott-Nord Region, Nouakchott-Ouest Region, and Nouakchott-Sud Region.
Nouakchott
Capital city
From the top to bottom-right, View of the City, Saudi Mosque, Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière Tower, Presidential Palace, Avenue Général de Gaulle
City view of Nouakchott
Nouakchott is located in Mauritania
Nouakchott
Nouakchott
Map of Mauritania showing Nouakchott
Nouakchott is located in Africa
Nouakchott
Nouakchott
Nouakchott (Africa)
Coordinates: 18°05′07″N 15°58′21″W / 18.08528°N 15.97250°W / 18.08528; -15.97250[1]
Country Mauritania
Wilaya
Subdivision
Nine communes
Government
 • BodyRegional Council of Nouakchott
 • Council presidentFatimatou Abdel Malick (El Insaf)
Area
 • Total
1,000 km2 (400 sq mi)
Elevation
7 m (23 ft)
Population
 (2023 census)
 • Total
1,446,761
 • Density1,400/km2 (3,600/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+00:00 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)(Not Observed)
Websitecrn.mr/fr/ Edit this at Wikidata

Nouakchott (/nwækˈʃɒt, nwɑː-/ nwa(h)k-SHOT; French: [nwakʃɔt]; Arabic: نواكشوط, romanized: Nwākshūṭ, Hassaniyya: [nwakʃuːtˤ] ⓘ; Wolof: Nuwaaksoot; Pulaar: Nuwaasoot; Soninke: Nuwasooto; Berber: Nwakcoṭ, originally derived from Berber: Nawākšūṭ, 'place of the winds'[2] or alternatively Zenaga: in wakchodh, 'having no ears')[3] is the capital and largest city of Mauritania. Located in the southwestern part of the country, it is one of the largest cities in the Sahara.[4] The city also serves as the administrative and economic center of Mauritania.

Once a mid-sized coastal village, Nouakchott was selected as the capital for the nascent nation of Mauritania, with construction beginning in 1958. It was originally designed to accommodate a population of 15,000, but experienced significant population growth in the 1970s when many Mauritanians fled their home villages due to drought and increasing desertification. Many of the newcomers settled in slum areas of the city that were poorly maintained and extremely overcrowded. By the mid-1980s, Nouakchott's population was estimated to be between 400,000 to 500,000.[5]

As of 2023, the city had a population of nearly 1.5 million people and serves as the hub of the Mauritanian economy. It is home to a deepwater port and Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport, one of the country's two international airports. It also hosts the University of Nouakchott and several other more specialized institutions of higher learning.

  1. ^ Nouakchott, Mauritania in Geonames.org (cc-by)
  2. ^ Lorenz, Ralph D.; Zimbelman, James R. (2014). Dune Worlds: How Windblown Sand Shapes Planetary Landscapes. Heidelberg: Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-3-540-89725-5. Archived from the original on 2016-12-24. Retrieved 2016-07-10. page 273.
  3. ^ Room, Adrian (2008). African Placenames : Origins and Meanings of the Names for Natural Features, Towns, Cities, Provinces, and Counties (2. ed.). McFarland & Co. ISBN 9780786495610. page 140.
  4. ^ "The Sahara: Facts, Climate and Animals of the Desert". Live Science. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  5. ^ Handloff, Robert E. (1990). Mauritania: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. p. 50. ISBN 9780160197970.