Zouérat
| Zouérat الزويرات |
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| State : |
 Mauritania
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| Region : | Tiris Zemmour | ||
| Coordinates : | 22 ° 41 ′ N , 12 ° 28 ′ W | ||
| Height : | 356 meters above sea level | ||
| Residents : | 49,089 (2005) | ||
| Time zone : | GMT ( UTC ± 0 ) | ||
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Zouérat ,الزويرات, is the capital of the administrative unit Tiris Zemmour in the north of the West African state of Mauritania .
history
The history of the city Zouérat is closely related to iron ore - mining coupled the region. A public limited company was founded in 1952 to mine the iron deposits at Kediet Ijill . In 1958, the Société des mines de fer de Mauritanie (MIFERMA) received the mining permit, and mining began in 1960. In 1974, Mifema was nationalized.
In 1981 a second iron deposit was discovered at Guelb El Rhein , 35 km north of Zouérat, and in 1990 a third in Mhadaouat , 65 km from Zouérat.
The population increased continuously. In 1977 it was 17,947 and in 1988 it was 25,892 people, and by 2000 it had risen to 33,929. In 2005, an estimated 37,977 people lived in Zouérar, making it the sixth largest city in Mauritania and the largest city in the Tiris Zemmour administrative unit.
economy
The city's economy is characterized by iron ore mining, which takes place in the area of the Kediet Ijill mountain. It is the center of iron ore extraction and logistics for the mines in F'dérik , Tazadit and Rouessa . The iron ore reserves in Zouérat are estimated at around 200 million tons of hematite , together with the surrounding area, around twice that amount is estimated.
The main employer is the Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière (SNIM) , the majority state-owned Mauritanian mining company with over 5000 employees. In addition to mining, the regional administration and the military play a role as employers in the city.
traffic
Zouérat is located at the eastern end of Mauritania's only railway line, the Nouadhibou – M'Haoudat railway , which connects the mines with the port city of Nouadhibou on the Atlantic.
See also
Web links
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d Zouerate in lexicorient, accessed May 28, 2011.
- ↑ City Population - Historical population figures for the cities of Mauritania
- ↑ Mongabay - Current population figures for the cities of Mauritania