16 Noteworthy Facts About Nouakchott

Like to know a little more about the capital cities of the world? Take a look at these 16 fun facts about Nouakchott!

Geographical stats…

1. Nouakchott is the capital city of Mauritania.
2. Wondering how to say the name of this wonderful city? It’s pronounced Nwahk-shot.
3. The total land area of Nouakchott is 400 square miles (1,036 square kilometres)…
4. …that’s around 4 times the size of Birmingham…
5. …it also makes Nouakchott one of the largest cities in the Saharan desert!

6. Nouakchott’s population was 968,000 in 2015…
7. …that’s around 150,000 less than Birmingham…
8. …this gives it a population density of around 2,420 residents per square mile.
9. Nouakchott is located 23 ft above sea level!
10. Despite being in the Saharan desert, Nouakchott actually boasts a coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean!
11. Residents of Nouakchott are known as Mauritanians.
12. Mauritanians living in Nouakchott enjoy a hot desert climate with a relatively mild temperature range and an average annual temperature of 26°C.
13. Looking to fly yourself to Nouakchott? You’ll need the coordinates of 18.1000° N, 15.9500° W.
14. Make sure you visit the Banc d’Arguin National Park if you’re in Nouakchott; it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can see a variety of migrating birds, seals, turtles, dolphins and around 45 species of fish!

Social intricacies

15. The official language of Nouakchott is Arabic.
16. Mauritanian Ouguiya is the official currency here.

Do you know any interesting facts about Nouakchott? Share them in the comments below!