Nouakchott (نواكشوط)

After Senegal and Mauritania became independent in 1960, Mauritania was left without a capital, so the coastal village of Nouakchott was chosen, as it sat on a large fertile grassy plain. In 1960, as the fertile area was very large, the town was far away from the desert, but bacause of its rapid growth and the encroaching desert, nowadays people in Nouakchott's outskirts fight a constant battle against the sand.

In 1989 there were some riots but peace returned soon. The city was originally meant to house 200,000 people, but it has grown many times bigger than that and nowadays it is Mauritania's largest city. Because of the rapid growth there is an enormous housing shortage. Most dwellings on the outskirts consists of little more than shacks or tents.

Since the city is so new there is little of interest, apart from the thriving market and several mosques. There is a cathedral in the northwestern part of Nouakchott. In the Zone Industrielle du Ksar, northeast of the city center, you can visit the National Carpet Center, where the country's famous carpets are manufactured. Women make the carpets by hand. The National Museum has exhibitions on the culture and lifestyle of the country's nomads.

Not far from town is the Port de Pêche (Fishing Port), where most workers are Wolof and Pulaar people. The area around the port is very nice.

There is plenty of accommodation in Nouakchott and there are also many restaurants, especially around the main street, Ave Abdel Nasser. The gare routière is to the west of town, close to the airport.

Miscellaneous Information

Latitude: 18°07' N
Longitude: 15°36' W
Elevation: 7 m (23 ft)

Population: 1,000,000
Cost-of-living compared to Washington D.C.: 137%

Hours from UTC: 0
Daylight savings time: n/a

City phone code: Not required
Country phone code: 222

Average Weather Patterns

	Temperature	Precipitation
January	21.7°C (71.1°F)	n/a
April	25°C (77°F)	n/a
July	27.5°C (81.5°F)	1.3 cm (0.51 in)
October	27.2°C (81°F)	1 cm (0.39 in)

Hotels in Nouakchott

Images

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