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| Nouakchott | ||
| province | Nouakchott Nord, Nouakchott Ouest and Nouakchott Sud | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1.077.169 (2016) | |
| height | 7 m | |
| Tourist info | 222 45 29 03 44 tourisme-mauritanie.mr | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Nouakchott is the capital of the Islamic Republic on the Atlantic coast Mauritania in northwest Africa. Almost a quarter of the country's population lives here.
Districts
Originally the capital only had four districts. Due to the strong growth, the city was divided into nine official districts (French arrondissements, hassan. moughataa) assigned:
- Arafat (after Yasser Arafat and the plain near Mecca)
- Dar Naim (Arabic "House / Land of Naim")
- El Mina (Arabic "port"), too Cinquième district (French "fifth district")
- Ksar (Arabic, al-qaṣr, "Castle", "fortress")
- Riad (Riyadeh, after the Saudi Arabian capital)
- Sebkha (hassania, "loamy valley", Sebcha)
- Tavragh-Zeina ("the beautiful woman")
- Teyarett ("Valley between two dunes")
- Toujounine (old Berber place name)
In the meantime, two more districts have been added.
- Las Palmas
- Tensouelim
background
Nouakchott became the capital of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in 1962. Until 1958 it was mainly a fishing village with 6,000 inhabitants. With the independence and the status as capital, a rapid population growth set in. In the 1970s in particular, this development was intensified by the drought prevailing in North Africa at the time. In 1980 Nouakchott already had 150,000 inhabitants, the million was exceeded in 2015. In 1981 the University of Nouakchott was founded. It is divided into the areas of humanities, natural sciences, and law and economics.
The city is dominated by Arabs, the Negroid ethnic groups from the south are rarely represented. Plastic waste is a problem that cannot be overlooked.
getting there
As the country's capital and largest city, Nouakchott is also an important transport hub. The main travel routes are by plane or by road. There is no railway line, just as there is no regular ferry or passenger ship traffic.
By plane
The newly built, significantly larger airport, now located north of the city, opened in 2016. Scheduled flights from Germany are operated by Frankfurt to Nouakchott e.g. from Royal Air Maroc via Casablanca or from Air France via Paris offered. Binter canarias also flies from 2018 Gran Canaria Airport.Entry visas are issued upon arrival.
By bus
Mainly minibuses run between the few cities.
From the Western Sahara there is now (2019) the possibility in Dakhla buy a bus ticket to Nouakchott for around € 35. It is advisable to do this one to two days in advance, as the bus is usually fully booked. He drives at 8 a.m. to the border in El Guerguarat. There you will be taken through no man's land in a minibus. The driver takes care of most of the visa affairs. Then it goes on by minibus to the capital. The journey takes a full day.
In the street
Nouakchott is the center of the trunk road network. The three main arteries N1-N3 are paved.
The N2 comes from the north Western Sahara and Nouadhibou and continues south to the border crossing into the Senegal at Rosso (روصو). She will too Impériale slope called and is part of the Cairo-Dakar Highway.
The N1 leads over 1125 km to the northeast to Bir Moghrein (بير مغرين, Fort Trinquet) or Zouérat.
It also leads to the east route de l’Espoir or Tariq al-Amal (طريق الأمل -Tarīq al-ʾĀmal) called N3. This "road of hope" or Transmauritanienne is the only one in the west-east direction. The road, completed in 1985, connects Nouackchott with over 1100 km Boutilimit, Kiffa, Ayoun el-Atrouss to Nema (النعمة).
mobility
The yellow taxis are a quick way to get around town. The markets are easy to explore on foot.
The traffic is a bit chaotic in general. Many of the vehicles in the city are way beyond road safety (2019).
Tourist Attractions
Churches, mosques, synagogues and temples
- 1 Catholic Cathedral of St. Joseph (الكنيسة الكاثوليكية), Rue Abdallaye, Nouakchott, Mauritania. Tel.: 255 759 967 020. The only Catholic church and main church of the Nouakchott diocese Dioecesis Nuakchottensis.
Castles, chateaux and palaces
Buildings
- 1 Stade Olympique (ملعب أولمبي, الملعب الأولمبي بنواكشوط, Olympic Stadium).
Multipurpose stadium for 40,000 spectators. Almost all games of the first division and the national team take place here. - 2 Congress Palace (Palais Des Congrès, قصر المؤتمرات), Ave du Palais des Congres.
Monuments
Museums
- 2 National Museum (National Museum). Late Maoist building that was built with Chinese help. Part of the exhibition is dedicated to the scholar Muḥammad Sālim walad ʿAdūd. The museum also contains the national library.Open: Mon.-Fri. 8.00-18.00.
Streets and squares
Parks
various
activities
shop
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The visit to the "fish market" is worth seeing. That means the fishermen returning with their small boats in the evening, from 4:30 p.m., sell their catch. The smell is “authentic.” Gutting and scaling takes place on site (for a fee). Fish is comparatively cheap.
kitchen
The prices of the few real restaurants are quite European.
accommodation
In addition to the few hotels (in 2018 you have to calculate € 70-80 for an at best average room) with international standards, there are numerous simpler ones Auberges, and smaller hotels. The prices are overall rather above the average in neighboring Morocco.
Brief overview of accommodation from the tourism authority
- 1 Terjit Vacances Hotel & Grill (At the beach). Tel.: 222 26 26 25 26. Campsite, simple cabins and bungalows. Another accommodation is nearby Sabbah (نواكشوط).Price: Free parking spaces, but you are expected to eat inside.
- 2 Maison d'hôtes Jeloua. Tel.: 222 44 53 08 67. Under French management, which used to be the Auberge Menata has led. Camping spaces for self-drivers, self-catering kitchen, library, laundry service, mosquito nets. English and German are also spoken.Open: Reception 8 am-10pm.Price: room 1000-1600 new OUR.
- 3 Hotel Tfeila (formerly Novotel), Av. Charles De Gaulle (Northwest of the Presidential Palace). Tel.: 222 45 25 74 00, Fax: 222 45 25 74 29. 4*.Price: from 42,200 UM plus 330 UM tax.
security
The police and the military are highly corrupt.
health
The capital is also the only place in Mauritania where specialists are available, there is both an ophthalmic and orthopedic clinic. In general, however, no European standard is achieved anywhere.
Due to the relatively unbridled growth and the infrastructural infrastructure with, above all, inadequate sanitary facilities and standing bodies of water within the urban area, malaria cases have increased significantly since 2000. Most of the cases occurred in the two northeastern boroughs Dar Naim and Teyarett on.
Toilet paper for personal use should always be carried with you.
Hospitals
- 1 Hôpital Ophtalmologique de la Fondation Bouamatou (Ophthalmological Hospital), Avenue Moctar Ould Dadda (Northeast of the Presidential Palace). Tel.: 222 45 29 73 78, Fax: 222 45 29 46 02.Supported by the Boumatou Foundation.
- 2 Hôpital Militaire Nouakchott (Military Hospital, Military hospital), Le Ksar Nouakchott. Tel.: 22245 25 70 15.
- 3 Hôpital Sabah, Avenue Gamal Abdel Nasser (West of the Grand Hôpital de Mauretiene and opposite the Ministry of Energy).
- 4 Center Hospitalier National de Nouakchott (Grand National Hospital of Mauritania), Avenue Jamal Abdel Nasser, BP 612 Nouakchott (East of the Hôpital Sabah and opposite the Institut National de Recherches en Sante Publique). Tel.: 222 45 25 21 35, Fax: 222 45 29 29 54, Email: [email protected].
The largest hospital in Mauritania.Open: 24/7.
Practical advice
In summer, power outages are more common, so surge protection is recommended for electronic devices.
post
Embassies and consulates
The embassy district is in the area 300-500 m west of the presidential palace.
- 6 Federal Republic of Germany (German Embassy Nouakchott, سفارة ألمانيا), Ambassade de la République fédérale d'Allemagne, B.P. 372, Nouakchott, Mauritania. Tel.: 22 2 45 25 17 29, 22 2 45 25 10 32, Fax: 22 2 45 25 17 22.The emergency telephone number is 222 46 48 00 81.Open: Mon - Fri 8:15 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. (entry visa / RK department) Mon - Thu. 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. (passport collection) Fri 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (Passport collection).
- 7 Austrian Honorary Consulate, 10, Rue Mamadou Konaté, “Al Khaima City Center,” 5th floor, Nouakchott. Tel.: 222 45 251 111, Fax: 222 45 253 683, Email: [email protected]. No passport authorization!
For Swiss people, their representation in Dakar in the Senegal responsible.
The following can be useful for obtaining a visa for onward travel to neighboring countries:
- 8 Mali (سفارة مالي), Ave du Palais des Congres.
- (The 10 old message).
Travel on
- Atar: To get to Atar, go to the Gare routiére du Atar. The first group of buses leaves every day at 7am (officially, but actually you have to wait until 8am) and the second at 4pm. The bus ticket should not cost more than 4000 OUG, except for the buses from Teissir (5000 OUG), which are considered the safest by the locals and should therefore be reserved at least a day in advance.
literature
- Choplin, Armelle; Nouakchott: au carrefour de la Mauritanie et du monde; Paris 2009 (Karthala); ISBN 9782811102395
