The Bay of Arguin (; ) is a bay on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

shore of

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

and the former mouth of the

Tamanrasset River The Tamanrasset River is an enormous palaeoriver believed to have flowed through West Africa as recently as 5000 years ago during the African humid period. The Tamanrasset River basin is thought to have been comparable with the present-day Gang ...

, now a Paleo-river.

Geography

It is located south of Cap Blanc, north of Cap Timiris. The bay contains three islands, including

Arguin Arguin ( : ''Arghīn''; ) is an island off the western coast of Mauritania in the Bay of Arguin. It is approximately in size, with extensive and dangerous reefs around it. The island is now part of the Banc d'Arguin National Park. History Th ...

and

Tidra Tidra () is an offshore island long and wide. It is the largest island off the shore of Banc d' Arguin, Mauritania (also being the largest in the nation) and is home to a community of Imraguen fishing tribe. The island is part of the Banc d ...

, as well as numerous sandbanks. It is also the site of the 12,000 km²

Banc d'Arguin National Park The Banc d'Arguin National Park (, ) of Bay of Arguin lies in Western Africa on the west coast of Mauritania between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and is the former mouth of the Tamanrasset River. The World Heritage Site is a major site for mig ...

which includes most of the bay. The park's northern boundary is at Minou; it does not include the Dakhlet Nouadhibou, or the westernmost areas. Smaller bays within the Bay of Arguin include

Dakhlet Nouadhibou Dakhlet Nouadhibou is a bay on the Atlantic shore of Mauritania. The Dakhlet Nouadhibou Region, one of the primary administrative divisions of Mauritania, is named after it. Geography It is one of the largest natural ports on the Atlantic coas ...

in the north and Baie de

Tanoudert Tanoudert is a coastal town in Mauritania. It is located in the Dakhlet Nouadhibou region and forms a part of the Banc d'Arguin National Park. It is situated to a homonymous bay lying to the west and further west is Cape Tagarit (Cap-Tagair). ...

in the east. Other promontories include Minou, Cap Sainte-Anne, Argun, Alzaz, Tagarit and Tafarit. The Oued Chibka, a seasonal and occasional stream flowing only when the climate is partly wet, is in the north-central part. Inhabited places by the bay include

Nouadhibou Nouadhibou (; , ), formerly named Port-Étienne, is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial center. The city has about 173,000 inhabitants. It is situated on a 65-kilometre peninsula or headland called Ras Nouadhibou ...

in the north, Arkeiss and Tel-Alloul to the east and Teichott, R'Gueiba and Awguei to the south.

History

The bay is the possible location of Cerne, a Carthaginian outpost founded by

Hanno the Navigator Hanno the Navigator (sometimes "Hannon"; , ; ) was a Ancient Carthage, Carthaginian explorer (sometimes identified as a king) who lived during the 5th century BC, fifth century BC, known for his Navy, naval expedition along the coast of West A ...

around 500 B.C. The first European to visit the bay was

Nuno Tristão Nuno Tristão was a 15th-century Portuguese explorer and slave trader, active in the early 1440s, traditionally thought to be the first European to reach the region of Guinea. Legend has it that he sailed as far as Guinea-Bissau, however, more rec ...

in 1443, after which the remainder of the bay was explored. The area is also known as the place where the French frigate ''Méduse'' was famously wrecked in 1816.

References

External links

Satellite photographs of the bay
by the

European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...

Bays of Mauritania Dakhlet Nouadhibou region {{Mauritania-geo-stub