What Is the Capital of Mauritania? Nouakchott

Q: What time zone is Nouakchott in?

Nouakchott is on UTC0 — UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). There is no daylight saving time.

Q: Which capital is closest to Nouakchott?

Among the capitals of neighbouring countries, Dakar (Senegal) is the closest, 411 km away in a straight line.

Nouakchott at a glance

Name origin

The meaning of the name is unclear; it may derive from the Berber nawakshut, meaning "place of the winds;" other variants could translate as "the place where water appears in a new well," "the land where shells abound," "a place with pasture," "a windy place," or "without ears" (the last referring to a local chieftain who could have been the place's namesake).

Time zone

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). No daylight saving time.

Coordinates

18 04 N, 15 58 W · IANA time zone Africa/Abidjan

Location of Mauritania

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara

Capitals of neighbouring countries

Capitals closest to Nouakchott

Straight-line distance between capitals.

Frequently asked questions about Nouakchott

What is the capital of Mauritania?

The capital of Mauritania is Nouakchott. About 1.5 million people live in the Nouakchott urban area — 28.1% of the country's population.

Is Nouakchott the largest city in Mauritania?

Yes — Nouakchott is also the largest urban area of Mauritania (1.5 million).

What time zone is Nouakchott in?

Nouakchott is on UTC0 — UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). There is no daylight saving time.

Where does the name Nouakchott come from?

The meaning of the name is unclear; it may derive from the Berber nawakshut, meaning "place of the winds;" other variants could translate as "the place where water appears in a new well," "the land where shells abound," "a place with pasture," "a windy place," or "without ears" (the last referring to a local chieftain who could have been the place's namesake).

Which capital is closest to Nouakchott?

Among the capitals of neighbouring countries, Dakar (Senegal) is the closest, 411 km away in a straight line.

Data: CIA World Factbook (public domain); population: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0).

Mauritania country profile All countries and capitals Neighbours of Mauritania