View source for Nouakchott

{{short description|Capital and the largest city of Mauritania}}
{{For|the three regions the city is divided in|Nouakchott-Nord Region|Nouakchott-Ouest Region|Nouakchott-Sud Region}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Nouakchott
| native_name        = {{ubl|{{native name|ar|نواكشوط}}|{{native  name|fuc|Nuwaasoot}}|{{native name|snk|Nuwasooto}}}}
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]]
| image_skyline      = <!-- images and maps  -----------> {{multiple image
| border                   = infobox
| perrow            = 1/2/2/2/2
| total_width       = 250
| image1 = Nouakchott.jpg
| image2 = Grand Saudi Mosque (15143368306).jpg
| image3 = برج سنيم بانواكشوط.jpg
| image4 = Mauritania-presidential-palace-Le-Palais-Présidentiel-Nouakchott.jpg
| image5 = Nouakchott,deGaulle.jpg
| footer = From the top to bottom-right, View of the City, [[Saudi Mosque]], Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière Tower, [[Presidential Palace, Nouakchott|Presidential Palace]], Avenue Général de Gaulle}}
| image_caption      = City view of Nouakchott
| pushpin_map        = Mauritania#Africa
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| mapsize            = 
| map_caption        = Map of Mauritania showing Nouakchott
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Mauritania}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Regions of Mauritania|Wilaya]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{Unbulleted list|[[Nouakchott-Nord]]|[[Nouakchott-Ouest]]|[[Nouakchott-Sud]]}}
| parts_type         = Subdivision
| parts              = Nine communes
| p1                 = [[Arafat, Mauritania|Arafat]]
| p2                 = [[Dar-Naim|Dar Naïm]]
| p3                 = [[El Mina, Mauritania|El Mina]]
| p4                 = [[Ksar, Mauritania|Ksar]]
| p5                 = [[Riyad, Mauritania|Riyad]]
| p6                 = [[Sebkha, Mauritania|Sebkha]]
| p7                 = [[Tevragh-Zeina|Tevragh Zeina]]
| p8                 = [[Teyarett]]
| p9                 = [[Toujouonine|Toujounine]]
| governing_body     = [[Regional Council of Nouakchott]]
| leader_title       = Council president
| leader_name        = [[Fatimatou Abdel Malick]]
| leader_party       = {{Small|[[El Insaf]]}}
| population_as_of   = 2023 census
| population_total   = 1,446,761
| area_total_km2     = 1000
| population_density_km2 = auto
| area_total_sq_mi   = 400
| coordinates        =
{{coord|18|05|07|N|15|58|21|W|format=dms|region:MR_type:city |display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = <ref>[{{geonameslink|gnid=2377450|name=nouakchott}} Nouakchott, Mauritania] in [{{geonamesabout}} Geonames.org (cc-by)]</ref>
| timezone = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
| utc_offset = +00:00
| elevation_m        = 7
| elevation_ft       = 
| website            = {{official URL}}
}}
'''Nouakchott''' ({{IPAc-en|n|w|æ|k|ˈ|ʃ|ɒ|t|,_|n|w|ɑː|-}} {{respell|nwa(h)k|SHOT}}){{efn|{{IPA|fr|nwakʃɔt|lang}}; {{langx|ar|نواكشوط|translit=Nwākshūṭ}}, {{IPA|mey|nwakʃuːtˤ|lang|LL-Q56231 (mey)-Tidjani Saleh-نواكشوط.wav}}; {{langx|wo|Nuwaaksoot}}; {{langx|fuc|Nuwaasoot}}; {{langx|snk|Nuwasooto}}; {{langx|ber|label=[[Berber languages|Berber]]|italic=yes|Nwakcoṭ}}, originally derived from {{langx|ber|label=[[Berber languages|Berber]]|italic=yes|Nawākšūṭ}}, 'place of the winds'<ref name="LorenzZimbelman2014">{{cite book|author1=Lorenz, Ralph D.|author2=Zimbelman, James R.|title=Dune Worlds: How Windblown Sand Shapes Planetary Landscapes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-AO7BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA273|year=2014|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|location=Heidelberg|isbn=978-3-540-89725-5|access-date=2016-07-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224184103/https://books.google.com/books?id=-AO7BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA273|archive-date=2016-12-24|url-status=live}} page 273.</ref> or alternatively {{langx|ber|label=[[Zenaga language|Zenaga]]|italic=yes|in wakchodh}}, 'having no ears'<ref>{{cite book|last1=Room|first1=Adrian|title=African Placenames : Origins and Meanings of the Names for Natural Features, Towns, Cities, Provinces, and Counties.|date=2008|publisher=McFarland & Co.|isbn=9780786495610|edition=2.|url=https://archive.org/details/africanplacename0000room}} page 140.</ref>}} is the [[Capital city|capital]] and largest city of [[Mauritania]]. Located in the southwestern part of the country, it is one of the largest cities in the [[Sahara]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Sahara: Facts, Climate and Animals of the Desert|url=http://www.livescience.com/23140-sahara-desert.html|website=Live Science|access-date=21 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181735/http://www.livescience.com/23140-sahara-desert.html|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 and 500,000.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Handloff |first=Robert E. |title=Mauritania: A Country Study |publisher=Federal Research Division |year=1990 |isbn=9780160197970 |pages=50}}</ref>

{{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 [[Port|deepwater port]] and [[Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport]], one of the country's two international airports. It also hosts the [[University of Nouakchott Al Aasriya|University of Nouakchott]] and several other more specialized institutions of higher learning.

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Nouakchott}}
Not too long ago, Nouakchott was a small fishing town,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eros.usgs.gov/earthshots/nouakchott-mauritania|title=Nouakchott, Mauritania &#124; EROS}}</ref> having been a fortified fishing village (''ksar'') in pre-colonial times and under [[French West Africa|French rule]]. As Mauritania prepared for independence, it lacked a capital city. The area of present-day Nouakchott was chosen by [[Moktar Ould Daddah]], the first President of Mauritania, and his advisors. Ould Daddah desired the new capital to symbolize modernity and national unity, which ruled out existing cities or towns in the interior. The village was selected as the capital city for its central location between [[Saint-Louis, Senegal]], the city from which the colony of Mauritania was governed, and [[Nouadhibou]]. The village of Nouakchott was originally inhabited by the tribe of Bouhoubainy who are of Amazigh origin and are native to it. They have since been moved to different settlements notably Aknodert which is situated between Nouakchott and the International Airport. One of the intentions of choosing this location was to avoid the sensitive issue of whether the capital was built in an area dominated by the [[Arabs]] and [[Berbers|Amazigh]] (Berbers) or [[Black people|Sub-Saharan Africans]].<ref name="Pazzanita2008">{{cite book|author=Pazzanita, Anthony G. |title=Historical Dictionary of Mauritania|year=2008|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Lanham, Maryland|isbn=978-0-8108-6265-4}}</ref>{{rp|369}}

Construction began in March 1958 to enlarge the village to house a population of 15,000, in 1959 Nouakchott started with its founding by indigenous people from the surrounding region,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/nouakchott-mauritania-1960/#:~:text=Nonetheless%20the%20city%20is%20the,was%20a%20small%20fishing%20village. | title=Nouakchott, Mauritania (1659- ) • | date=3 September 2014 }}</ref> and the basics were completed by the time that the French granted independence on 28 November 1960.<ref>Britannica,
[https://www.britannica.com/place/ Nouakchott Nouakchott], britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019,</ref> Nouakchott was planned with the expectation that commerce and other economic activities would not take place in the city. Nouakchott's [[central business district]] was planned with broad streets and a grid-like structure; the new ''Cinquième Quartier'' (Fifth District) was located close to this area and became the location of a large open-air market and residential area within a few years. During the 1960s, the city obtained its own local government. By the 1970s, these new areas had grown so much that they replaced the old ''ksar'' in terms of importance, as they also hosted the governmental buildings and state enterprises.<ref name="Pazzanita2008"/>{{rp|369}}

The city was attacked twice in 1976 by the [[Polisario Front]] during the [[Western Sahara conflict]], but the guerrillas caused little damage. The city has had massive and unconstrained growth, driven by the North African [[drought]], since the beginning of the 1970s; hundreds of thousands moved there in search of a better life. The official censuses showed 134,000 residents in 1977 and 393,325 in 1988, although both figures were probably smaller than reality.<ref name="Pazzanita2008"/>{{rp|370}} The population is now estimated to consist of at least one third of the country's population of 3.3 million,<ref name=world66>{{cite web|title=Nouakchott Travel Guide|url=http://www.world66.com/africa/mauritania/nouakchott|website=www.world66.com|access-date=19 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619084512/http://www.world66.com/africa/mauritania/nouakchott|archive-date=19 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the 2013 census showed a population of 958,399.<ref name=census>{{cite web|title=Mauritania: Regions, Cities & Urban Localities – Population Statistics in Maps and Charts|url=https://citypopulation.de/Mauritania-Cities.html|website=citypopulation.de|access-date=19 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026070503/http://www.citypopulation.de/Mauritania-Cities.html|archive-date=26 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Nouakchott, districts en.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of Nouakchott with district names]]
[[File:Nouakchott, Mauritania Population Density and Low Elevation Coastal Zones (5457913604).jpg|thumb|Population density and low elevation coastal zones. Nouakchott is especially vulnerable to [[sea level rise]].]]
Located on the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coast of the Sahara Desert, it lies on the west coast of Africa. With the exception of [[Friendship Port of Nouakchott|Friendship Port]] and a small fishing [[port]], the coastal strip is mostly left empty and allowed to flood. The coastline includes shifting [[Shoal|sandbanks]] and sandy beaches. There are areas of [[quicksand]] close to the harbor.<ref name="chinaview">{{cite web|title=Harbor in Nouakchott Marks China-Mauritania Friendship|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/28/content_11787791.htm|website=news.xinhuanet.com|access-date=19 November 2016|date=28 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123950/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/28/content_11787791.htm|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Nouakchott is largely flat,{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} and some of the city lies below sea level.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/06/24/the-venice-of-africa-is-sinking-into-the-sea |title=The "Venice of Africa" is sinking into the sea |newspaper=The Economist |date=24 June 2024 |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref> It is threatened by the sand dunes advancing from its eastern side which pose a daily problem.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nouakchott, Mauritania : Image of the Day|url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=6234|website=earthobservatory.nasa.gov|access-date=19 November 2016|language=en|date=9 January 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010145/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=6234|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> There have been efforts to save particular areas, including work by Jean Meunier.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Welland|first1=Michael|title=Sand: The Never-ending Story|date=2009|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|isbn=9780520254374|edition=1.|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780520254374}}</ref>{{rp|168}} Owing to the rapid build-up, the city is quite spread out, with few tall buildings. Most buildings are one-story.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spasevski |first=+Jugoslav |date=2013-09-29 |title=Nouakchott, Mauritania |url=https://www.tourist-destinations.com/2013/09/nouakchott-mauritania.html |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=Tourist Destinations |language=en-US}}</ref>

Nouakchott is built around a large tree-lined street, Avenue Gamal Abdel Nasser, which runs northeast through the city centre from the airport. It divides the city into two, with the residential areas in the north and the [[medina quarter]], along with the ''kebbe'', a shanty town formed due to the displacement of people from other areas by the desert.<ref name=valic>{{cite book|last1=de Valicourt|first1=Benedict|title=Mauritanie|date=2000|publisher=Editions Marcus|location=Paris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Z6asvXDSPcC&q=avenue+gamal+abdel+nasser+nouakchott&pg=PA52|isbn=9782713101533}}</ref>{{rp|50–57}} Other major streets are named (in [[French language|French]]) for notable Mauritanian or international figures of the 1960s: Avenue Gamal Abdel Nasser, Avenue Charles de Gaulle, Avenue Kennedy, and Avenue Lumumba, for example.<ref name="roughguide"/>

The ''kebbe'' consists of [[cement]] buildings that are built overnight and made to look permanent to avoid destruction by the authorities. In 1999, it was estimated that more than half of the city's inhabitants lived in tents and shacks, which were used for residential as well as business purposes.<ref name="lawrence">{{cite web |last1=Lawrence |first1=William |title=Symptom of Crisis or Engine of Development? The Mauritanian Informal Economic Sector |url=http://fletcher.tufts.edu/~/media/Fletcher/Microsites/praxis/xv/Lawrence.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904052819/http://fletcher.tufts.edu/~/media/Fletcher/Microsites/praxis/xv/Lawrence.pdf |archive-date=4 September 2015 |access-date=3 February 2015 |publisher=The Fletcher Journal of Development Studies}}</ref> The city is broken into nine ''arrondissements'', sub-divided into alphabetized ''Îlots''. These are Teyarett, Ksar, Tevragh-Zeïna, Toujounine, Sebkha, El Mina, Dar-Naïm, Arafat and Riad. The Sebkha (Cinquième) Arrondissement is home to a large shopping area.<ref name="roughguide">{{cite book|last1=Hudgens|first1=Jim|last2=Trillo|first2=Richard|title=Rough Guide to West Africa|date=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|location=London|isbn=1843531186|edition=4th|url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetowest0000hudg}}</ref>{{rp|116−17}}

===Climate===
Nouakchott features a [[hot desert climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: BWh) with hot temperatures throughout the year but cool winter night temperatures. Due to the city's oceanside location, Nouakchott is generally not quite as hot as other cities with the same climate. Still, the city can experience sweltering days. While average high temperatures are relatively constant at around {{convert|33|C|abbr=on|0}}, average low temperatures can range from {{convert|25|C|abbr=on|0}} during the fall months (in this city fall is hotter than summer, with September and October being the hottest months) to {{convert|13|C|abbr=on|0}} during the winter months. Minimum temperatures can be as low as {{convert|10|C|abbr=on|0}} during winter nights in Nouakchott. Average rainfall in the city is {{convert|95|mm|in|abbr=on}} a year.<ref name=DWD/>

{{Weather box
|location = Nouakchott (1981–2010, extremes 1934–2012)
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 39.9
|Feb record high C = 41.7
|Mar record high C = 44.0
|Apr record high C = 47.5
|May record high C = 47.0
|Jun record high C = 47.2
|Jul record high C = 47.5
|Aug record high C = 45.1
|Sep record high C = 45.5
|Oct record high C = 44.5
|Nov record high C = 42.3
|Dec record high C = 39.6
|year record high C = 47.5
|Jan high C = 29.1
|Feb high C = 30.8
|Mar high C = 33.5
|Apr high C = 34.8
|May high C = 34.3
|Jun high C = 34.7
|Jul high C = 32.4
|Aug high C = 33.0
|Sep high C = 36.1
|Oct high C = 36.7
|Nov high C = 34.0
|Dec high C = 31.0
|year high C = 33.4
|Jan mean C = 21.5
|Feb mean C = 23.0
|Mar mean C = 24.2
|Apr mean C = 24.3
|May mean C = 25.8
|Jun mean C = 26.7
|Jul mean C = 27.3
|Aug mean C = 28.4
|Sep mean C = 29.6
|Oct mean C = 28.8
|Nov mean C = 25.8
|Dec mean C = 22.8
|year mean C = 25.7
|Jan low C = 14.5
|Feb low C = 16.4
|Mar low C = 18.2
|Apr low C = 19.1
|May low C = 20.7
|Jun low C = 22.8
|Jul low C = 24.3
|Aug low C = 25.4
|Sep low C = 25.8
|Oct low C = 23.8
|Nov low C = 19.7
|Dec low C = 16.9
|year low C = 20.6
|Jan record low C = 3.9
|Feb record low C = 7.0
|Mar record low C = 5.0
|Apr record low C = 10.0
|May record low C = 13.0
|Jun record low C = 15.7
|Jul record low C = 15.0
|Aug record low C = 16.1
|Sep record low C = 17.0
|Oct record low C = 13.0
|Nov record low C = 9.3
|Dec record low C = 5.0
|year record low C = 3.9
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 0.7
|Feb precipitation mm = 1.5
|Mar precipitation mm = 0.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 0.1
|May precipitation mm = 0.3
|Jun precipitation mm = 1.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 6.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 36.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 36.3
|Oct precipitation mm = 6.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 2.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 2.8
|year precipitation mm = 95.2
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 0.2
|Feb precipitation days = 0.3
|Mar precipitation days = 0.0
|Apr precipitation days = 0.0
|May precipitation days = 0.0
|Jun precipitation days = 0.3
|Jul precipitation days = 0.8
|Aug precipitation days = 2.6
|Sep precipitation days = 3.0
|Oct precipitation days = 0.7
|Nov precipitation days = 0.2
|Dec precipitation days = 0.3
|year precipitation days = 8.3
|Jan humidity = 36
|Feb humidity = 39
|Mar humidity = 43
|Apr humidity = 49
|May humidity = 54
|Jun humidity = 60
|Jul humidity = 70
|Aug humidity = 72
|Sep humidity = 69
|Oct humidity = 55
|Nov humidity = 44
|Dec humidity = 35
|year humidity = 52
|Jan sun = 232.5
|Feb sun = 220.4
|Mar sun = 260.4
|Apr sun = 270.0
|May sun = 282.1
|Jun sun = 240.0
|Jul sun = 238.7
|Aug sun = 254.2
|Sep sun = 228.0
|Oct sun = 260.4
|Nov sun = 243.0
|Dec sun = 217.0
|year sun = 
|Jand sun = 7.5
|Febd sun = 7.8
|Mard sun = 8.4
|Aprd sun = 9.0
|Mayd sun = 9.1
|Jund sun = 8.0
|Juld sun = 7.7
|Augd sun = 8.2
|Sepd sun = 7.6
|Octd sun = 8.4
|Novd sun = 8.1
|Decd sun = 7.0
|yeard sun = 8.1
|source 1 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]]<ref name = DWD>{{cite web
| url = https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_614420_kt.pdf
| title = Klimatafel von Nouakchott / Mauretanien
| work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world
| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst
| language = de
| access-date = 18 December 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191009193845/https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_614420_kt.pdf
| archive-date = 9 October 2019
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
}}

==== Climate change ====
A 2019 paper published in [[PLOS One]] estimated that under [[Representative Concentration Pathway#4.5|Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5]], a "moderate" scenario of [[climate change]] where global warming reaches ~{{convert|2.5-3|C-change|F-change}} by 2100, the climate of Nouakchott in the year 2050 would most closely resemble the current climate of [[Khartoum]]. The annual temperature would increase by {{convert|2.3|C-change|F-change}}, and the temperature of the warmest month by {{convert|2.8|C-change|F-change}}, while the temperature of the coldest month would decrease by {{convert|0.3|C-change|F-change}}.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bastin |first1=Jean-Francois |last2=Clark |first2=Emily |last3=Elliott |first3=Thomas |last4=Hart |first4=Simon |last5=van den Hoogen |first5=Johan |last6=Hordijk |first6=Iris |last7=Ma |first7=Haozhi |last8=Majumder |first8=Sabiha |last9=Manoli |first9=Gabriele |last10=Maschler |first10=Julia |last11=Mo |first11=Lidong |last12=Routh |first12=Devin |last13=Yu |first13=Kailiang |last14=Zohner |first14=Constantin M. |last15=Thomas W. |first15=Crowther |title=Understanding climate change from a global analysis of city analogues |journal=PLOS ONE |date=10 July 2019 |volume=14 |issue=7 |at=S2 Table. Summary statistics of the global analysis of city analogues. |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0217592 |pmid=31291249 |pmc=6619606 |bibcode=2019PLoSO..1417592B |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://crowtherlab.pageflow.io/cities-of-the-future-visualizing-climate-change-to-inspire-action |title=Cities of the future: visualizing climate change to inspire action |at=Current vs. future cities |access-date=8 January 2023 |archive-date=8 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108082440/https://crowtherlab.pageflow.io/cities-of-the-future-visualizing-climate-change-to-inspire-action |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to [[Climate Action Tracker]], the current warming trajectory appears consistent with {{convert|2.7|C-change|F-change}}, which closely matches RCP 4.5.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-thermometer/ |title=The CAT Thermometer |access-date=8 January 2023}}</ref>

==== Sustainability ====
Responding to a 450% projected increase in electricity demand between 2010 and 2030, Nouakchott's [[List of power stations in Mauritania#Solar|Sheikh Zayed solar power plant]] was completed in 2012 and is considered the largest solar power plant in Africa.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=El Hacen Jed |first1=Mohamed |last2=Ihaddadene |first2=Razika |last3=Ihaddadene |first3=Nabila |last4=Elhadji Sidi |first4=Cheikh ELBanany |last5=EL Bah |first5=Menny |date=2020-03-01 |title=Performance analysis of 954,809 kWp PV array of Sheikh Zayed solar power plant (Nouakchott, Mauritania) |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755008419302157 |journal=Renewable Energy Focus |language=en |volume=32 |pages=45–54 |doi=10.1016/j.ref.2019.11.002 |bibcode=2020REneF..32...45E |s2cid=213995904 |issn=1755-0084|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The desert climate causes dust accumulation, which negatively impacts the performance of photovoltaic solar panels.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lasfar |first1=Sara |last2=Haidara |first2=Fanta |last3=Mayouf |first3=Chiva |last4=Abdellahi |first4=Fatimatou Med |last5=Elghorba |first5=Mohamed |last6=Wahid |first6=Achraf |last7=Kane |first7=Cheikh Sid Ethmane |date=2021-08-01 |title=Study of the influence of dust deposits on photovoltaic solar panels: Case of Nouakchott |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0973082621000569 |journal=Energy for Sustainable Development |language=en |volume=63 |pages=7–15 |doi=10.1016/j.esd.2021.05.002 |bibcode=2021ESusD..63....7L |s2cid=236250729 |issn=0973-0826|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Government==
[[File:15-Nouakchott-eH-R0058185.jpg|thumb|A partial view of the city]]

Nouakchott is divided into three administrative [[regions of Mauritania|regions]] (''wilayat'') led by governors appointed by the central government, each of which contains three [[departments of Mauritania|departments]] (''moughataa''):

* '''[[Nouakchott-Nord Region|Nouakchott-Nord]]''' (Nouakchott-North): [[Dar-Naim]], [[Teyarett]], [[Toujouonine]] 
* '''[[Nouakchott-Ouest Region|Nouakchott-Ouest]]''' (Nouakchott-West): [[Ksar, Mauritania|Ksar]], [[Sebkha, Mauritania|Sebkha]], [[Tevragh-Zeina]] 
* '''[[Nouakchott-Sud Region|Nouakchott-Sud]]''' (Nouakchott-South): [[Arafat, Mauritania|Arafat]], [[El Mina, Mauritania|El Mina]], [[Riyad, Mauritania|Riyad]]

Separate from the ''wilayat'', a directly elected [[Regional Council of Nouakchott|regional council]] was established in Nouakchott in 2018, which took over the roles of promoting social and economic development from the [[Urban Community of Nouakchott|Urban Community]] that it replaced. [[Fatimatou Abdel Malick]] was elected Council president in September 2018, and re-elected in May 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.regions-francophones.org/actualite/2438/5606-la-region-de-nouakchott.htm | title=La Région de Nouakchott |language=fr |publisher={{ill|International Association of Francophone Regions|fr|Association internationale des régions francophones}} |date=1 July 2020 |access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=MyCeni – Résultats 2023 |url=https://res-myceni.org/#/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=res-myceni.org}}</ref>

Nouakchott was initially divided into four departments in 1973. In 1986 the current nine departments were created.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ami.mr/fr/bulletin20010701.htm |title=Actualité du dimanche 01juillet 2001 |publisher=Ami.mr |access-date=2009-07-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928011606/http://www.ami.mr/fr/bulletin20010701.htm |archive-date=28 September 2007 }}</ref>

Formerly a district, in 1990 Nouakchott became a region of Mauritania.<ref name=statoids>{{cite web |last=Law |first=Gwillim |url=http://www.statoids.com/umr.html |title=Regions of Mauritania |website=Statoids |access-date=14 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627164123/http://www.statoids.com/umr.html |archive-date=27 June 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 25 November 2014, it was split into the three current regions,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fr.alakhbar.info/9671-0-Mauritanie-la-capitale-Nouakchott-sera-decoupee-en-trois-regions.html |title=Mauritanie: la capitale Nouakchott, sera découpée en trois wilayas |date=26 November 2014 |publisher=Alakhbar |access-date=14 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016083310/http://fr.alakhbar.info/9671-0-Mauritanie-la-capitale-Nouakchott-sera-decoupee-en-trois-regions.html |archive-date=16 October 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> with the previous governor of Nouakchott Mahi Ould Hamed becoming the first governor of Nouakchott-Nord.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lecalame.info/?q=node/1184 |title=Les trois wali de Nouakchott connus |date=12 December 2014 |publisher=le calame |access-date=14 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214184344/http://lecalame.info/?q=node%2F1184 |archive-date=14 February 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations|1961|5,807|1965|15,000|1970|25,000|1977|134,704|1981|232,000|1988|393,325|2000|558,195|2013|958,399|2023|1,446,761}}
For comparison, its population was only 20,000 in 1969. Part of the difficulty in estimating the city's population is that part of it is [[nomad]]ic, setting up tents in suitable locations, then packing up when the need strikes. Some estimates put the 2008 population at over 2 million.<ref name="world66" /> The 2013 census gave the city's population as 958,399.<ref name="census" />

===Slum resettlement===
In 2009, the government of Mauritania announced that it would begin a process of clearing the slum on the outskirts of Nouakchott, as 24,000 families would eventually be relocated to planned housing in the city. The process was scheduled to begin with the relocation of 9,000 families from the outskirts into the poor [[Arafat, Mauritania|Arafat department]] neighborhood of "Kosovo", popularly named for its high crime rate and poor services.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} The government planned to begin moving families in June 2009, despite concerns from aid agencies that needed infrastructure could not be put in place in the receiving neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web|title=City versus slum|url=http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=83724|website=IRIN|access-date=19 November 2016|date=31 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613015533/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=83724|archive-date=13 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2013, it was reported that "slums have been replaced by social dwellings for the poorest"<ref name="ecomena">{{cite web|title=The City of Nouakchott – Perspectives and Challenges|url=http://www.ecomena.org/tag/slums/|publisher=EcoMENA|access-date=3 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203230640/http://www.ecomena.org/tag/slums/|archive-date=3 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[World Bank]] reported that the plan met with substantial success; it resulted in access to improved services for 181,035 people in the slum areas.<ref name="wb">{{cite web|title=Implementation Completion Report (ICR) Review – Urban Development Program|url=http://lnweb90.worldbank.org/oed/oeddoclib.nsf/DocUNIDViewForJavaSearch/8525682E0068603785257B3D00720810?opendocument|publisher=World Bank|access-date=3 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203225806/http://lnweb90.worldbank.org/oed/oeddoclib.nsf/DocUNIDViewForJavaSearch/8525682E0068603785257B3D00720810?opendocument|archive-date=3 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Now in 2023 the population is approximately 1.5M people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mauritania: Regions, Cities & Urban Localites – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/mauritania/cities/ |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/mauritania/nouakchott|title=Nouakchott, Mauritania Population 2024|website=worldpopulationreview.com}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Nkttbeach.jpg|thumb|A beach in Nouakchott]]
Nouakchott is the center of the Mauritanian economy, with three-quarters of service sector enterprises located in the city {{as of|1999|lc=on}} with 90% of the city's economic activity consisting of informal transactions. The ''Capital'' downtown area is home to the headquarters of multiple major national banks and companies and the site of a cluster of open-air markets.

The city is the focus of many modernization and foreign investment projects, with two five-star hotels finishing construction in 2024.

== Transport ==
[[File:مطار نواكشوط الدولي ام التونسي.jpg|thumb|[[Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport]]]]
Nouakchott has a Chinese-built [[Friendship Port of Nouakchott|deepwater port]] that opened in 1986. It was designed for a capacity of {{DWT|500000|LT|disp=long}} of cargo a year, but has been handling 1,500,000 tons (DWT) by 2009.<ref name=chinaview/> China agreed in 2009 to invest US$282&nbsp;million in the port, aiming to extend the main [[Wharf|quay]] by over {{convert|900|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=China to Invest US$282 Million in Nouakchott Port Expansion – Dredging News Online|url=http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/article.asp?v1=11604|website=www.sandandgravel.com|access-date=19 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119120001/http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/article.asp?v1=11604|archive-date=19 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2011, the [[World Bank]] was investigating funding a new [[shipping container]] facility at the port.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mauritania – Port of Nouakchott Development Project|url=http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/250361468052152298/pdf/650800PID0MAUR0port0of0Nouakchott0rev.pdf|website=The World Bank: Documents and Reports|access-date=19 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119182450/http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/250361468052152298/pdf/650800PID0MAUR0port0of0Nouakchott0rev.pdf|archive-date=19 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Air service is provided by [[Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport]], which replaced the previous [[Nouakchott International Airport]] in June 2016.<ref name="jeuneafrique">{{cite news | url=http://www.jeuneafrique.com/337110/economie/mauritanie-inauguration-nouvel-aeroport-international-de-nouakchott/ | title=Mauritanie : inauguration du nouvel aéroport international de Nouakchott | work=[[Jeune Afrique]] | date=27 June 2016 | access-date=4 July 2016 | language=fr | trans-title=Inauguration of new Nouakchott international airport | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701074044/http://www.jeuneafrique.com/337110/economie/mauritanie-inauguration-nouvel-aeroport-international-de-nouakchott | archive-date=1 July 2016 | url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Cairo–Dakar Highway]] leg from Nouakchott to Nouadhibou was paved in 2004, although the Nouakchott-[[Rosso]] leg was paved before independence.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Steck|first1=Benjamin|title=West Africa Facing the Lack of Traffic Lanes: A Study Case: The Nouakchott-Nouadhibou Road (Mauritania)|url=http://echogeo.revues.org/pdf/13101|access-date=19 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122153519/http://echogeo.revues.org/pdf/13101|archive-date=22 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> A {{convert|1100|km|mi|adj=on}} road (''Route de l'Espoir'' (Road of Hope)) connects the city with [[Néma]] via [[Boutilimit]] and [[Kiffa]].<ref name="Pazzanita"/>{{rp|235}} In the city, there is a public transport and commuter system, with vehicles serving major boulevards.<ref name=lawrence/>

In July 2022, a [[Nouakchott tramway|tramway project]] was presented; it does not have a scheduled opening date.<ref name=Tram>{{cite news |url=https://alakhbar.info/?q=node/41742 |title=مذكرة تفاهم بإنشاء قطار في نواكشوط |trans-title=Memorandum of Understanding to establish a train in Nouakchott |language=ar |newspaper=AlAkhbar.info |date=2022-07-21 |access-date=2022-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mauritania extends for six months MoU with Cairo-based Arab Contractor to build tramway in Nouakchott – The North Africa Post |url=https://northafricapost.com/71602-mauritania-extends-for-six-months-mou-with-cairo-based-arab-contractor-to-build-tramway-in-nouakchott.html |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Education==
The city is home to the [[University of Nouakchott Al Aasriya]], the main university in [[Mauritania]], opened in 1981. As of 1995, it had 70 [[professor]]s and 2,800 students. Other higher education facilities include the [[Lebanese International University (Mauritania)|Lebanese International University of Mauritania]], the National School of Administration, the [[College of Science and Technology (Mauritania)|College of Science and Technology]] and the Higher Scientific Institute.<ref name="Pazzanita">{{cite book|last1=Pazzanita|first1=Anthony G.|title=Historical dictionary of Mauritania|date=1996|publisher=Scarecrow|location=Lanham, Maryland|isbn=0-8108-3095-7|edition=2.}}</ref>{{rp|105}}

Public schools in Nouakchott are dispersed throughout the city, while private schools are concentrated in middle and upper-class districts. Among the most prominent international schools for citizens and expats alike are the American International School of Nouakchott,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aisnmauritania.com/ |title=American International School of Nouakchott |publisher=Aisnmauritania.com |access-date=18 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807064456/http://aisnmauritania.com/ |archive-date=7 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Lycée Français Théodore Monod (Mauritania)|Lycée Français Théodore Monod]], and TLC International School.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tlcmauritania.com/|title=TLC International School – Where A World of Ideas Comes Together|date=January 10, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://lftm-mr.net/ |title=Lycée Français Théodore Monod de Nouakchott, Mauritanie |publisher=Lftm-mr.net |access-date=18 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030075524/http://www.lftm-mr.net/ |archive-date=30 October 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Culture ==
[[File:NouakchottNationalMuseum1.jpg|thumb|[[National Museum of Mauritania]]]]
Attractions in Nouakchott include the [[National Museum of Mauritania]], the [[National Library of Mauritania|National Library]], the [[Port de Pêche]],<ref>{{Cite web | title=Attractions in Nouakchott, Mauritania – Lonely Planet | url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/mauritania/nouakchott/attractions | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920214542/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/mauritania/nouakchott/attractions | access-date=2025-05-30 | archive-date=2020-09-20}}</ref> and the [[National Archives of Mauritania|National Archives]].<ref name="lp">{{cite book|last1=Ham|first1=Anthony|title=West Africa|date=2006|publisher=Lonely Planet|location=Footscray, Vic.|isbn=1740597710|edition=6th|url=https://archive.org/details/westafrica00hama}}</ref> The city hosts several [[Marketplace|markets]], including the [[Marocaine market]] and the [[beach]]es. One beach is devoted to fishing boats where fish can be bought fresh at the [[Fish market (Nouakchott)|Fish market]]. Nouakchott is a principal selling place of native [[Meteorite#The Sahara|Saharan meteorites]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Nouakchott, Mauritania – "The Place of the Winds"|url=https://whatsthecapitalof.com/2016/09/11/nouakchott-mauritania-the-place-of-the-winds/|website=What's the Capital of...?|access-date=19 November 2016|date=11 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119181936/https://whatsthecapitalof.com/2016/09/11/nouakchott-mauritania-the-place-of-the-winds/|archive-date=19 November 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[file:Nouakchott-mosquee.jpg|thumb|The [[Saudi Mosque]], one of Nouakchott's twelve mosques]]

== Places of worship ==
Nouakchott, like the rest of the country, is populated by a [[Sunni Muslim]] [[supermajority|super-majority]],{{clarify |reason= what proportion of the population is Sunni Muslim?|date=January 2025}} and mosques are extremely common in neighborhoods. The [[Saudi Mosque]] and Masjid Ibn Abbas are the most notable, due to their grand architecture and size.<ref>Britannica,
[https://www.britannica.com/place/Mauritania Mauritania] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409103738/https://www.britannica.com/place/Mauritania|date=2019-04-09}}, britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019</ref>

There are also few [[Christianity|Christian]] churches and temples: the most well-known is the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Nouakchott]] ([[Catholic Church]]).{{cn|date=October 2025}}

==Sport==
Nouakchott hosts ten of the fourteen teams of the Mauritanian [[Super D1]] as of the 2023–2024 season, including [[ACS Ksar]], [[AS Douanes (Mauritania)|AS Douanes]], [[AS Garde Nationale]], [[ASAC Concorde]], [[ASC Police]], [[ASC Tidjikja]], [[FC Gourel Sangue]], [[FC Tevragh-Zeina]], [[Kaedi FC]], and [[Nouakchott Kings]].{{cn|date=October 2025}}

==Twin towns – Sister cities==
Nouakchott is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with: 
* {{flagicon|PSE}} [[Al-Quds]], Palestine (2012)<ref>{{cite web |title=توقيع أتفاقية توأمة بين نواكشوط والقدس|url=http://www.ami.mr/Depeche-25006.html|publisher=Agence Mauritanienne d'Information|language=ar|date=2012-05-31|access-date=2020-10-22}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|JOR}} [[Amman]], Jordan (1999)<ref>{{cite web|title=Amman's Relations with Other Cities|url=http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/english/relations/r12.asp|website=Municipality of Greater Annam|access-date=19 November 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102224333/http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/english/relations/r12.asp|archive-date=2 January 2008}}</ref> 
*{{flagicon|PRC}} [[Lanzhou]], China (2000)<ref>{{cite web|title=List of Gansu's Sister Cities by 2012|url=http://gansu.chinadaily.com.cn/2013-10/24/content_17055490.htm|website=gansu.chinadaily.com.cn|access-date=18 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706145828/http://gansu.chinadaily.com.cn/2013-10/24/content_17055490.htm|archive-date=6 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Madrid]], Spain (1986)<ref>{{cite web|title=Twinnings and Agreements With Cities|url=http://www.madrid.es/portales/munimadrid/es/Inicio/Herramientas/English/Madrid-International?vgnextfmt=default&vgnextoid=97806a71fca62410VgnVCM1000000b205a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=29367421ee261510VgnVCM2000000c205a0aRCRD&idCapitulo=7189053|website=¡Madrid!|access-date=19 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119182216/http://www.madrid.es/portales/munimadrid/es/Inicio/Herramientas/English/Madrid-International?vgnextfmt=default&vgnextoid=97806a71fca62410VgnVCM1000000b205a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=29367421ee261510VgnVCM2000000c205a0aRCRD&idCapitulo=7189053|archive-date=19 November 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> 
*{{flagicon|MAR}} [[Oujda]], Morocco<ref>{{cite web |title=La ville d'Oujda jumelée à Al-Qods|url=https://www.2m.ma/fr/news/la-ville-doujda-jumelee-a-al-qods-20180717/|language=fr|date=2018-07-17|access-date=2020-10-22}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Mauritania}}
* [[List of cities in Mauritania]]
* [[Economy of Mauritania]] 
* [[Transport in Mauritania]] 
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{See also|Timeline of Nouakchott#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Nouakchott}}
* Armelle Choplin et Riccardo Ciavolella, 2008. " Marges de la ville en marge du politique ? Logiques d’exclusion, de dépendance et d’autonomie à Nouakchott (Mauritanie) », Autrepart, n°45. {{in lang|fr}}
* Choplin A., 2006. ''Fabriquer des villes-capitales entre monde arabe et Afrique noire: Nouakchott (Mauritanie) et Khartoum (Soudan), étude comparée''. Université Paris 1, 535 p. {{in lang|fr}}
* Choplin A., 2006. ''Le foncier urbain en Afrique: entre informel et rationnel, {{lang|fr|l’exemple}} de Nouakchott, Mauritanie'', [[Les annales de géographie]], n°647, pp.&nbsp;69–91. {{in lang|fr}}
* Anne-Marie Frérot, ''Nouakchott, du puits nomade à la ville des pétroliers. Risques et représentations'', ''Maghreb-Machrek'', n°190, c. December 2006 – 2007. {{in lang|fr}}
* Philippe Tanguy, « L'urbanisation irrégulière à Nouakchott: 1960–2000 », ''Insaniyat'', n°22, October – December 2003, (vol. VII, 4). {{in lang|fr}}
* Diagana I., 1993. ''Croissance urbaine et dynamique spatiale à Nouakchott, Thèse doct.'': géographie: Lyon II, 314 p.  {{in lang|fr}}
* Pitte J.-R., 1977. ''Nouakchott, capitale de la Mauritanie''. Paris : Univ. de Paris-Sorbonne, p.&nbsp;200.  {{in lang|fr}}
* Mohamed Salem Ideidbi, Mauritanie : la Richesse d'une nation, Nouakchott, al-Manar, 2011.

==External links==
* {{official website}} {{in lang|fr|ar}}

{{Sister bar|auto=y}}
{{Regions of Mauritania}}
{{List of African capitals}}
{{Capitals of Arab countries}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Nouakchott| ]]
[[Category:Capitals in Africa]]
[[Category:Planned communities]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Mauritania]]
[[Category:Populated places in Mauritania]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1659]]