Zouérat
Encyclopedia
Zouérat is the largest town in northern Mauritania
and is the capital of Tiris Zemmour
with an approximate population of 38,000 (2005). It lies at the eastern end of the Mauritania Railway
to Nouadhibou
.
, Tazadit and Rouessa. Iron ores were first discovered near Kediet ej Jill
in 1952 and in 1958 concessions on iron extraction were given to Miferma, Société des mines de fer de Mauritanie, which is dominated by European based mining companies. In 1974 Miferma was nationalized by the Mauritanian government. The industry in the area has evolved over the decades; in 1981 a new iron ore was discovered at guelb el Rhein, 35 km north of Zouerat and in 1990 another was found at guelb M'Haoudat, which lies about 65 km from Zouerate.
The reserves of Zouerate (Tazadit mine) is estimated at 200 million tons of hematite
quartz
. The freight trains which take the iron ore to the coast can be as much as 3 km long, reputedly the longest
in the world. Its people are also are employed by regional administration and the military and the town has a notable population of foreign workers from other African countries. A clinic, a club, a pool, a school and a shop are included. An airfield allows the DC3, DC4 and Noratlas to land.
On the mines roads, you travel on the left side, elsewhere on the right. There is a crossing at the Zouerate's north door.
Water is brought by train from Boulenouar which is on the route from Nouadhibou
. Water will be find later near Zouerate.
Zouerate is protected from the very little rain by a great grave.
The sewage, in the north, allows palms and vegetables to grow.
The cinema is open cast like the mines : walls, but no roof.
A shanty town grows around and a wall is made to separate the two cities. It is called "mur de la honte" (wall of shame) by the zouerati. The lack of houses for the mauritanians workers has gone to build new flats between Zouerate and the Kediet.
The climate is dry (no mosquito), and the most displeasing is the sand wind.
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
and is the capital of Tiris Zemmour
Tiris Zemmour
Tiris Zemmour is the northern-most region of Mauritania. Its capital is Zouérate. Other major cities/towns include F'dérik and Bir Moghrein. The region borders Algeria to the north-east, Mali to east, the Mauritanian region of Adrar to the south and Western Sahara to west and north-west.Tiris...
with an approximate population of 38,000 (2005). It lies at the eastern end of the Mauritania Railway
Mauritania Railway
The Mauritania Railway is the national railway of Mauritania. Opened in 1963, it consists of a single, railway line linking the iron mining centre of Zouerate with the port of Nouadhibou, via Fderik and Choum...
to Nouadhibou
Nouadhibou
Nouadhibou is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial centre. The city itself has about 75,000 inhabitants expanding to over 90,000 in the larger metropolitan area. It is situated on a 40-mile peninsula or headland called Ras Nouadhibou, Cap Blanc, or Cabo Blanco, of...
.
Overview
The town is a centre for iron ore mining, including the mines of FderîckFderîck
Fderîck or F'dérick is a city in the north of Mauritania. Situated in a remote area of the Sahara desert, on the Kediet Ijill west side, Fderîck was constructed in the end of the 1950s around the former French Fort Gouraud to exploit the area's iron deposits. The mine name is F'derick too and is...
, Tazadit and Rouessa. Iron ores were first discovered near Kediet ej Jill
Kediet ej Jill
Kediet ej Jill is a mountain in Tiris Zemmour, Mauritania, with the city of Zouérat on its east and Fderick at west. At tall, Kediet ej Jill is the highest peak in Mauritania.The entire mountain is made of magnetite which gives its blue colour....
in 1952 and in 1958 concessions on iron extraction were given to Miferma, Société des mines de fer de Mauritanie, which is dominated by European based mining companies. In 1974 Miferma was nationalized by the Mauritanian government. The industry in the area has evolved over the decades; in 1981 a new iron ore was discovered at guelb el Rhein, 35 km north of Zouerat and in 1990 another was found at guelb M'Haoudat, which lies about 65 km from Zouerate.
The reserves of Zouerate (Tazadit mine) is estimated at 200 million tons of hematite
Hematite
Hematite, also spelled as haematite, is the mineral form of iron oxide , one of several iron oxides. Hematite crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as ilmenite and corundum...
quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
. The freight trains which take the iron ore to the coast can be as much as 3 km long, reputedly the longest
Longest trains
Conventional freight trains can average nearly 2,000 metres. Freight trains with a total length of three or four times that average are possible with the advent of DPUs , or additional locomotive engines between or behind long chains of freight cars...
in the world. Its people are also are employed by regional administration and the military and the town has a notable population of foreign workers from other African countries. A clinic, a club, a pool, a school and a shop are included. An airfield allows the DC3, DC4 and Noratlas to land.
On the mines roads, you travel on the left side, elsewhere on the right. There is a crossing at the Zouerate's north door.
Water is brought by train from Boulenouar which is on the route from Nouadhibou
Nouadhibou
Nouadhibou is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial centre. The city itself has about 75,000 inhabitants expanding to over 90,000 in the larger metropolitan area. It is situated on a 40-mile peninsula or headland called Ras Nouadhibou, Cap Blanc, or Cabo Blanco, of...
. Water will be find later near Zouerate.
Zouerate is protected from the very little rain by a great grave.
The sewage, in the north, allows palms and vegetables to grow.
The cinema is open cast like the mines : walls, but no roof.
A shanty town grows around and a wall is made to separate the two cities. It is called "mur de la honte" (wall of shame) by the zouerati. The lack of houses for the mauritanians workers has gone to build new flats between Zouerate and the Kediet.
The climate is dry (no mosquito), and the most displeasing is the sand wind.