Nouadhibouis 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 which the western side, with the city
of Lagouira, is part of Western Sahara. Nouadhibou is consequently located
merely a couple of kilometers from the border between Mauritania and Western
Sahara