Atar, Mauritania
| Atar أطار |
|
|---|---|
| Commune and town | |
| Atar Market
Atar Market
|
|
 Atar
|
|
| Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | |
| Country |  Mauritania |
| Region | Adrar Region |
| Elevation | 270 m (890 ft) |
| Population (2013 census) | |
| • Total | 25,190 |
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. It is home to an airport, a museum and a historic mosque, constructed in 1674. In 2013 it had a population of 25,190.[1]
Contents
Geology and geography
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 is the difficult way to Chinguetti, Ouadane and the astonishing Richat Structure.
Climate
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).
The highest record temperature was 49 °C (120 °F) on August 5, 1965, while the lowest record temperature was 4 °C (39 °F) on December 21, 1979.[2]
| Climate data for Atar | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 38 (100) |
44 (111) |
43 (109) |
45 (113) |
48 (118) |
48 (118) |
48 (118) |
49 (120) |
48 (118) |
44 (111) |
44 (111) |
37 (99) |
49 (120) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 28 (82) |
30 (86) |
32 (90) |
34 (93) |
38 (100) |
41 (106) |
42 (108) |
41 (106) |
40 (104) |
37 (99) |
32 (90) |
28 (82) |
35.3 (95.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 13 (55) |
14 (57) |
16 (61) |
19 (66) |
22 (72) |
26 (79) |
27 (81) |
27 (81) |
26 (79) |
23 (73) |
18 (64) |
14 (57) |
20.4 (68.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5 (41) |
8 (46) |
10 (50) |
10 (50) |
14 (57) |
17 (63) |
20 (68) |
14 (57) |
18 (64) |
15 (59) |
10 (50) |
4 (39) |
4 (39) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 2 (0.08) |
2 (0.08) |
1 (0.04) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2 (0.08) |
6 (0.24) |
25 (0.98) |
24 (0.94) |
4 (0.16) |
3 (0.12) |
4 (0.16) |
73 (2.88) |
| Average rainy days | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8.8 |
| Source #1: Weather2Travel[3] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Voodoo Skies for record temperatures[2] | |||||||||||||
Water Supply
While the city sits within the Sahara Desert, a nearby water supply of considerable size was recently discovered. An underground river was discovered by Russian scientists using geoinformation to study the topography of the desert with satellites. They were operating at the request of the Mauritanian government. The find has been confirmed by the Mauritanian military. Eventually, the river will provide water enough to support Atar's entire population. [1]. The Terjit oasis is near Atar.
Tourism
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
The "samaras" (from Arab smela : sole) are made in Atar and well known in Mauritania. It's a leather sole with straps.
Military
Recently an air force school was founded in Atar, to train pilots and crew for the Military of Mauritania.[4]
Notable people
- Med Hondo - film director (born 1936)
References
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External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atar. |
Atar travel guide from Wikivoyage
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