Portendick is an abandoned coastal city in western Mauritania. It was located in the

Ouad Naga Department Ouad Naga is a department of Trarza Region in Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Repu ...

Trarza Region Trarza ( ar, ولاية الترارزة) is a region in southwest Mauritania. Its capital is Rosso. Other major cities and towns include Mederdra and Boutilimit. Trarza borders the regions of Inchiri and Adrar to the north, Brakna to the east, ...

. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Portendick had a significant port for the

gum arabic Gum arabic, also known as gum sudani, acacia gum, Arabic gum, gum acacia, acacia, Senegal gum, Indian gum, and by other names, is a natural gum originally consisting of the hardened sap of two species of the ''Acacia'' tree, '' Senegalia se ...

trade; however, by the 19th century trade from the port became unsustainable due to the area's arid, desert climate and lack of drinking water. As of 1916, all that remained of the city was a small group of huts.

References

Former populated places in Mauritania Trarza Region {{Mauritania-geo-stub