Nouakchott

On the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and the capital city, Nouakchott provides a good out-of-the-way tourist destination.

It is Mauritania's administrative and economic centre and is served by an international airport and a seaport nearby. Its population is 600,000 (1987 estimate).

From its beginnings as a village in the desert on the route north from Dakar, the community grew after being chosen to be the site of the national capital in 1957, three years before Mauritania achieved full independence.

The National School of Administration (1966), the National Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (1961), the National Library, and the National Archives are all here.