The capital of Mauritania is Nouakchott. It is located on the coast and is the largest city in the country with about 900,000 inhabitants. Nouakchott has the second largest port in the country (the largest is located in Nouadhibou, in the extreme north on the coast).
Which country is Nouakchott?
Mauritania is a country in West Africa. It borders Algeria, Mali, Senegal and the Western Sahara. In addition, the country has a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The country is about three times the size of Germany, but has only as many inhabitants as the state of Saxony.


Nouakchott is the capital and at the same time the largest city in the country. About every fifth inhabitant of Mauritania lives there. Unlike in many other West African countries, the official language in Mauritania is Arabic.
Mauritania consists largely of desert. That is why comparatively few people live in Mauritania. For example, Germany has 20 times as many inhabitants as Mauritania. Mauritania is more than twice as big as Germany.
As the most important mineral resource, iron ore is mined. There is also gold and oil, but little of it is still mined. That is why fishing and agriculture are important in the economy of Mauritania.
What country is Mauritania now?
How do I get to Nouakchott?
Is Mauritania black or Arab?