Hodh El Gharbi region

Hodh El Gharbi is a region in the southern part of Mauritania. It covers a large area of 53,400 square kilometers. In 2013, the region was home to 294,109 people, and its capital city is Aïoun, which used to be called Ayoun el Atrous.

The region shares borders with several other Mauritanian regions: Tagant lies to the north, Hodh Ech Chargui to the east, and Assaba to the west. To the south, it touches Mali, and part of Mali even reaches into Hodh El Gharbi.

In 2013, about half of the people in Hodh El Gharbi were female, and the other half were male. Many people in the region were able to read and write, with a literacy rate of 67.10% for those aged 15 and older.

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. Studies show that changes in the Sahara Desert have led to less rain since the 1960s, when the area used to get nearly 250 millimeters (9.8 inches) of rain each year.

Demographics

As of 2013, the Hodh El Gharbi region had a population of 294,109 people. In 2011, this number was 274,443, showing growth over the years. In terms of family types from 2008, most families had children, with only a small percentage being single-person or single-parent families.

The region also had limited access to certain services. For example, only about 58% of households had a public telephone nearby, while less than 2% had electricity, health centers, or sanitary services close by. This shows that many areas in the region still 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 — only about 10 out of every 100 students. Health services help protect children with vaccines, but many areas still need more support.

Local administration

The Hodh El Gharbi Region follows a system of local government that is based on the way France manages its regions. There is a Ministry of Internal Control that helps manage local areas. Originally, leaders called Governors managed each district, but after elections in 1994, power was shared more locally.

Mauritania is split into 13 regions, and Hodh El Gharbi is one of them. The smallest parts of the country are called communes, and there are 216 of them in total. Groups of communes make up a department, and groups of departments make up a district. The leaders of districts are called district chiefs, and leaders of departments are called hakems.

Local governments have their own money, staff, and offices. They help plan development and get money from the government. Elections for local leaders happen every five years, along with other big elections in the country. The most recent elections were in 2023. Hodh El Gharbi Region has four departments.