Nouakchott

Nouakchott, the capital and largest city of Mauritania, sits on the Atlantic coast and has a walkable centre with a range of cafés and restaurants. One of the largest cities in the Sahara, it was founded in 1958 when Mauritania's first president, Moktar Ould Daddah, and French President Charles de Gaulle laid its cornerstone — transforming what had been a small desert settlement into the country's administrative and economic hub within just a few years of independence.

• Population1,184,530
• Nearest water from center0.6 km