Nouakchott

Lore & Background

As Mauritania prepared for independence, it lacked a capital city. The area was chosen by Moktar Ould Daddah, the first President, and his advisors, who desired the new capital to symbolize modernity and national unity, ruling out existing interior towns. The village was selected for its central location between Saint-Louis, Senegal, and Nouadhibou, and to avoid the sensitive issue of building in an area dominated by Arabs and Amazigh or Sub-Saharan Africans. The city experienced massive growth in the 1970s when many Mauritanians fled their home villages due to drought and increasing desertification, settling in slum areas that were poorly maintained and overcrowded. The kebbe, a shanty town formed due to displacement by the desert, consists of cement buildings built overnight to appear permanent to avoid destruction.

Reader's Guide

Nouakchott's significance lies in its rapid transformation from a small fishing village to a major Saharan capital, driven by drought and desertification that forced mass migration. It now houses at least one third of Mauritania's population and serves as the nation's economic hub, with a deepwater port and international airport. The city's growth has been largely unconstrained, leading to widespread slums and infrastructure challenges. Its selection as capital was a deliberate political act to avoid ethnic tensions and symbolize unity. The city's climate is hot desert, with average rainfall of 95 mm per year, and it faces threats from advancing sand dunes. Nouakchott's legacy is one of both opportunity and struggle, embodying the tensions of modernization, environmental change, and urban poverty in the Sahel.

Did You Know?

• Nouakchott was originally a fortified fishing village (ksar) inhabited by the tribe of Bouhoubainy of Amazigh origin.
• The kebbe slum consists of cement buildings built overnight to appear permanent and avoid destruction by authorities.