Formerly known as Port-Étienne, this town in northwestern Mauritania is the administrative centre of the Dakhlet-Nouadhibou region, on a peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean. Nouadhibou, the second largest city in Mauritania, dedicated primarily to fishing, fish-processing and mining commerce.

Nouadhibou's population is 70,000 (1992 update).

Nouadhibou, in addition to being an iron ore and fishing port, is also a commercial port.

The nearby seaport of Point-Central in 1963 became the shipping centre for iron ore, which is produced in the interior around Fdérik, the capital if Tiris Zemmour region. A 670km (416 mile) railway links Nouadhibou to the Fderik ore fields.

A National Fishery and Maritime School was established in Nouadhibou in 2000. It is a specialized training school, attesting to the importance of fishing to the Mauritanian econo my. The building’s foundation are marine-quality concrete (the shoreline site is at risk of flooding) and required the highest possible standards of construction. It was built by local craftsmen with European support.

There are international airports at Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, and other cities are linked by regular air services.

Movie theatres are found in the main urban centers, and cercles (social, sporting clubs) provide recreational opportunities in Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, and Rosso.

At the site of Cap Blanc, at the farthest tip of the peninsula, just beyond the boundaries of Banc d’Arguin Park, there are still monk seals, but they are in danger of extinction.

References: ArchNet Digital Library http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=1687

Library of Congress Country Studies http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field