Atar, Mauritania

Commune and town in Adrar Region, Mauritania

Atar

أطار

Commune and town

Atar Market Street

Atar

Location in Mauritania

Coordinates: 20°31′N 13°03′W﻿ / ﻿20.517°N 13.050°W﻿ / 20.517; -13.050
Country|  Mauritania
Region| Adrar Region
Area

• Total

| 200.8 km2 (77.5 sq mi)
Elevation

| 270 m (890 ft)
Population

(2023 census)

• Total

| 35,170
• Density| 180/km2 (450/sq mi)

Atar (Arabic: أطار, Berber for mountain) is a town in northwestern Mauritania, the capital of the Adrar Region and the main settlement on the Adrar Plateau. Situated on the Oued Seguellil, it is home to an airport, a museum and a historic mosque, constructed in 1674.

In 2023, it had a population of 35,170.[1]

## Geology and geography

[edit]

The Adrar's mountains are from the primary era against the precambrian Tiris Zemmour. Near Atar, you can find stromatolites. In the North, you can find Choum with the train that comes from Nouadhibou and goes to Zouerate. East of Atar, through Amojjar Pass, is the difficult way to Chinguetti, Ouadane and the astonishing Richat Structure.[2]

## Climate

[edit]

Atar Mosque

Atar has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) typical of the Sahara Desert, south of the tropic of Cancer. The weather is usually very hot, very sunny and very dry but it can be overcast sometimes. The annual average temperature is close to 30 °C (86 °F), meaning that excessive heat persists year-round. The annual mean rainfall amount is very low, averaging no more than 35 mm and it mainly falls in August and in September while the sunshine duration is high, at over 3,540 h of bright sunshine yearly.[citation needed] In 2019, Khadijetou Lekweiry reported the first appearance of the Plasmodium vivax parasite in the town.[3]

Climate data for Atar

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 28.0
(82.4)  | 31.0
(87.8)  | 33.0
(91.4)  | 36.0
(96.8)  | 40.0
(104.0)  | 43.0
(109.4)  | 44.0
(111.2)  | 44.0
(111.2)  | 42.0
(107.6)  | 38.0
(100.4)  | 33.0
(91.4)  | 29.0
(84.2)  | 36.8
(98.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)  | 21.0
(69.8)  | 24.0
(75.2)  | 26.5
(79.7)  | 29.5
(85.1)  | 33.0
(91.4)  | 35.5
(95.9)  | 36.5
(97.7)  | 36.5
(97.7)  | 35.0
(95.0)  | 32.0
(89.6)  | 27.0
(80.6)  | 22.5
(72.5)  | 29.9
(85.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 14.0
(57.2)  | 17.0
(62.6)  | 20.0
(68.0)  | 23.0
(73.4)  | 26.0
(78.8)  | 28.0
(82.4)  | 29.0
(84.2)  | 29.0
(84.2)  | 28.0
(82.4)  | 26.0
(78.8)  | 21.0
(69.8)  | 16.0
(60.8)  | 23.1
(73.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 1
(0.0)  | 1
(0.0)  | 1
(0.0)  | 0
(0)  | 1
(0.0)  | 1
(0.0)  | 2
(0.1)  | 11
(0.4)  | 11
(0.4)  | 3
(0.1)  | 0
(0)  | 1
(0.0)  | 33
(1)
Average rainy days  | 0.3  | 0.2  | 0.1  | 0.1  | 0.2  | 0.4  | 1.1  | 2.3  | 2.0  | 0.6  | 0.3  | 0.2  | 7.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 276.0  | 264.0  | 322.0  | 325.0  | 341.0  | 325.0  | 317.0  | 303.0  | 264.0  | 265.0  | 273.0  | 267.0  | 3,542
Source 1: Climate Atar - meteoblue[4]
Source 2: Étude méthodologique pour l'utilisation des données climatologiques de l'Afrique tropicale (French document for sunshine hours only) [5]

## Tourism

[edit]

Atar Centre

Today, the Atar is best known to outsiders as an entryway for tourists to visit the ruins of the ancient Moorish cities of Ouadane and Chinguetti. It was a key stop in the world's longest off-road race, the Paris Dakar Rally, held every January.

## Small business sector

[edit]

The "samaras" (from Arab smela : sole) are made in Atar and well known in Mauritania. It's a leather sole with straps.

## Military

[edit]

In 2012, an air force school was founded in Atar to train pilots and crew for the Military of Mauritania.[6]

## Notable people

[edit]

* Med Hondo \- film director (1936–2019)
* Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya \- 5th President of Mauritania (born 1941)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Atar (Agricultural Urban Commune, Mauritania) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
2. ^ Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. p. 42\. ISBN 0-89577-087-3.
3. ^ "Paludisme : P. vivax détecté dans l'oasis Atar | IRD le Mag'". lemag.ird.fr (in Spanish). 2019-01-08. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
4. ^ "Climate Atar". Retrieved 2014-01-15.
5. ^ "Étude méthodologique pour l'utilisation des données climatologiques de l'Afrique tropicale" (PDF). horizon.documentation.ird.fr/. Comité interafricain d'études hydrauliques. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
6. ^ "The Directorate of Air". Archived from the original on 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2014-07-31.

20°31′N 13°03′W﻿ / ﻿20.517°N 13.050°W﻿ / 20.517; -13.050

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atar.

* Atar travel guide from Wikivoyage

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