Dakhlet Nouadhibou

Dakhlet Nouadhibou is a bay on the Atlantic shore of Mauritania. The Dakhlet Nouadhibou Region, one of the primary administrative divisions of Mauritania, is named after it. Geography It is one of the largest natural ports on the Atlantic coast of Africa and the only one in Mauritania. It is limited by the Cap Blanc (also known as Ras Nouadhibou ) headland on its western side. The bay opens towards the south and contains numerous shoals and extends from north to south for about 50 km, creating a bay about 43 km long and 32 km wide at the widest point. In French maps the inner bay is known as Baie de l'Archimède and the wider bay as Baie du Lévrier. In addition to its geographical conditions, the bay of Nouadhibou has very favourable maritime conditions, given the absence of significant currents. The weather conditions also favour its use as a port as it is sheltered from winds and storms. The only unfavourable factor is the shallow sea depth in most of the bay, which has required frequent drainage of the navigation channels.