Nouakchott is a coastal city bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Sahara. 

From independence around 1960, Nouakchott was created ex-nihilo to embody the capital of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and since then the city has experienced exponential population growth. 

Several threats weigh on the city of Nouakchott with climate change such as the aridification of the area, increased flooding, as well as torrential rains and rising sea levels.

The city experiences a variety of urban issues including anarchic expansion, precarious housing, high land speculation, inadequate infrastructure network, complex urban governance, urban poverty and lack of urban identity.