Néma () is a town in southeastern

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

, close to the border with

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

. It is located at around at the eastern end of the

Aoukar Aoukar or Erg Aoukar () is a geological depression area of south eastern Mauritania. It is located between Kiffa and Néma, south of the Tagant Plateau. The region is also referred to as Hodh or (). Barth, Henry''Travels and Discoveries in Nor ...

. It is the capital of

Hodh Ech Chargui Region Hodh Ech Chargui () is a large Regions of Mauritania, region in eastern Mauritania, with an area of 182,700 km2. Its capital is Néma, but the largest town, in Bassikounou (department), Bassiknou Department, is Fassala (or Vassale) at the extreme ...

and of the Néma Department. While the urban population of Nema is approximately 20,000, the surrounding rural sites served by the city make it closer to 100,000 in the whole Department. Mauritanians value ''brousse'', or country living, as a throwback to their nomadic roots. " The Road of Hope", which stretches from the capital,

Nouakchott Nouakchott ( ) is the capital and largest city of Mauritania. Located in the southwestern part of the country, it is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. The city also serves as the administrative and economic center of Mauritania. Once a ...

, ends in Nema near the market quartier. There are ten quartiers, sections, of the city, the oldest being Edelibu Quartier, northeast of the road, Shovia Quartier, dating from the 1950s, is the only section south of the road.

Climate

Néma has a

hot arid climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''BWh''). Although there is a clearly defined

rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' ...

from July to September during which of the annual rainfall of falls, even in these months evaporation clearly exceeds rainfall.

Facilities

There is a

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

with fewer than ten doctors but the women's services section is well-staffed and efficient. It is overseen by the DRAS, or regional medical director. As it is the capital of the Hodh-el-Shargi Region, Nema has a Wali (regional governor), Maire (mayor for municipal affairs), and Hakim (deals with civil matters), in descending order of influence. There are eleven madrasas (

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

s), two colleges (

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

s), and a lycée (

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

). These are overseen by the DREN, or regional education director. There is a Condition Feminine, or Women's Ministry, overseen by a woman appointed by the National government. In addition, there are numerous NGOs (

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

s) present including

Sante Sud Sante is both a masculine Italian given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name: *Sante Bentivoglio (1426–1462), Italian nobleman *Sante Geronimo Caserio (1873–1894), Italian anarchist and assassin * Sante Cattaneo ...

, a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

health organization. The

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

(American) was present 2007–2008.

Demographics

The cultural demographic is predominantly Moor, but there are

Pulaar Pulaar (in Latin script, Latin: , in Ajami script, Ajami: ), often referred to as Pulaar du Nord, is dialect of the Fula language spoken primarily as a first language by the Fula people, Fula and Toucouleur peoples in the Senegal River valley ar ...

and Bambara present.

Transport

Nema is close to the Malian border and there is constant traffic, either heading south to Mali via Adel Bagrou, East to

Bassikounou Bassiknou or Bassikounou is a town and commune in the Hodh Ech Chargui Region of south-eastern Mauritania. In 2013, it had a population of 10,561. History The region around Bassikounou was a part of the Tichitt culture area. Oral traditions ...

and Léré (Mali) or north to the ancient town of

Oualata Oualata or Walāta () (also Biru in 17th century chronicles) is a small oasis town in southeast Mauritania, located at the eastern end of the Aoukar basin. Oualata was important as a caravan city in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries as th ...

(pronounced Walata).

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

picks up in November and December when the temperatures become bearable. The city is served by the

Néma Airport Néma Airport is an airport serving Néma, a city in the Hodh Ech Chargui region of southeastern Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by ...

. The former carrier Mauritania Airways had flights from Néma to

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...

and

Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital city of the Canary Islands (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the m ...

. These destinations were served from October 2009 until December 2012. The most common form of transport into and out of Nema is via car, though donkey cart, camel, and foot are always available. There is one hotel,

Hotel Deraha A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refr ...

, on the west side of the city right off the road. Mauritanians are always hospitable, though, and it is entirely possible to find short-term lodging with complete strangers. Nema is bounded on the north and east sides by small mountain plateaus and provides many opportunities for hiking.

Recent history

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (, ), or AQIM, is an Islamist militant organization (of al-Qaeda) that aims to overthrow the Algerian government and institute an Islamic state. To that end, it was then engaged in an insurgency ...

(AQIM) became active in the desert regions of Mauritania, including Hodh El Chargui, in the summer of 2008. The area is considered dangerous to

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

foreigners.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nema Regional capitals in Mauritania Communes of Hodh Ech Chargui region