Nouakchott

views updated Jun 08 2018

NOUAKCHOTT

capital of mauritania.

Nouakchott is located 4 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean, just south of central Mauritania. Three years before Mauritania's independence from France in 1960, Nouakchott, then just a village, was selected as the capital of the future independent Mauritania. City architects planned for a potential 15,000 inhabitants. By 1967, 20,000 people had moved to Nouakchott. As a result of Saharan droughts in recent decades, hordes of people have moved to the city, and as of the early twenty-first century more than 800,000 people inhabited Nouakchott, around 25 percent of the Mauritanian population.

Nouakchott, Mauritania's administrative and economic center, is home to all ethnicities. North of Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, a city of 100,000 people, also is a center of trade. Fishing, light industry, and handicraft manufacturing centers are located in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. Foreign investment remains crucial for increased economic growth as population size and skilled labor are limited.

From any point in Nouakchott, Islamic prayer calls can be heard emanating from the mosques five times a day. Nouakchott has two large markets with men and women vendors lined up selling items such as fabric, electronics, Qurʾans, meats, vegetables, and rice. One of the markets is located in the Cinquième district, where more of the Pulaar population live and sell their products. The other large market, in the Capitale district, is mainly populated with black and white Maure vendors and shoppers. Nouakchott has restaurants of all types, a movie theater, internet cafés, beautiful mosques, a university, and an international airport.

naomi zeff

Nouakchott

views updated Jun 11 2018

Nouakchott Capital of Mauritania, nw Africa, in the sw part of the country, c.8km (5mi) from the Atlantic Ocean. Originally a small fishing village, it was chosen as capital when Mauritania became independent in 1960. Nouakchott now has an international airport and is the site of modern storage facilities for petroleum. Light industries have been developed and handicrafts are important. Pop. (2000) 611,883.