Hodh El Gharbi region

Hodh El Gharbi

Hodh El Gharbi is a region in the south of Mauritania. It is very big, covering 53,400 square kilometers.

In 2013, about 294,109 people lived there. The main city is Aïoun, which used to be called Ayoun el Atrous.

Hodh El Gharbi touches many places. Tagant is to the north, Hodh Ech Chargui is to the east, and Assaba is to the west. To the south, it meets Mali, and part of Mali even goes into Hodh El Gharbi.

In 2013, about half of the people were girls and women, and the other half were boys and men. Many people could read and write. For people aged 15 and older, 67.10% could read and write.

Geography

Mauritania is mostly a desert, but its western areas near the Atlantic Ocean have some plants. There are also some places in the desert where water can be found, called oases. Because it is a desert, there are big sand hills that move around. The land is usually about 460 meters (1,510 feet) above sea level.

The north, closer to the Tropic of Cancer, gets only about 100 millimeters (3.9 inches) of rain each year, while the south gets around 660 millimeters (26 inches). Temperatures during the day can reach about 38°C (100°F), and at night they can drop to 0°C (32°F). Because of the harsh desert environment, many people used to move around, but some moved to cities during dry periods in the 1970s and 1980s. Only a few farmers live in the southern parts of the country.

Demographics

The Hodh El Gharbi region had many people living there. The number of people grew over time.

Most families in the area had children. Only a few families were single-person or single-parent families.

The region did not have many services. Only about half of the homes had a public telephone nearby. Very few homes had electricity, health centers, or clean water services. This means the area needed more development and better services.

Economy

In Hodh El Gharbi, many people work for the government or run their own businesses. In schools, not many students go to secondary school. Health services help protect children with vaccines, but many areas still need more support.

Local administration

The Hodh El Gharbi Region has a local government system similar to how France organizes its areas. A Ministry of Internal Control helps manage local places.

Mauritania has 13 regions, and Hodh El Gharbi is one of them. The country is divided into smaller parts called communes. There are 216 communes in total. Communes are grouped into departments, and departments are grouped into districts. Leaders of districts are called district chiefs, and leaders of departments are called hakems.

Local governments have their own funds, workers, and offices. They help with planning and receive money from the government. Elections for local leaders are held every five years. The last elections were in 2023. Hodh El Gharbi Region has four departments.