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- <text id=93CT1779>
- <title>
- Mauritania--Travel
- </title>
- <history>
- Compact ALMANAC--CIA Factbook
- Northern Africa
- Mauritania
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>CIA World Factbook</source>
- <hdr>
- Travel
- </hdr>
- <body>
- <p> Climate and clothing: Conservative summer apparel is worn
- year round. Bring a light coat or sweater for chilly winter
- evenings. Sturdy suede shoes are best for the sandy terrain.
- </p>
- <p> Customs: An entry visa is required of all US citizens.
- Travelers passing through Dakar need Senegalese visas. Yellow
- fever inoculation is required of visitors planning to stay more
- than a few weeks and of travelers to remote areas. Health
- requirements change; check latest information.
- </p>
- <p> Health: Nouakchott's one, government-run hospital is staffed
- by French-speaking doctors. Health care in the rest of the
- country is very restricted, although hospitals exist in several
- cities and dispensaries are found in smaller towns. Several
- pharmacies stock French pharmaceutical products; no US drugs are
- available. Within Nouakchott, sanitary conditions are generally
- fair, but there have been instances of cholera, hepatitis,
- meningitis, and other diseases; malaria suppressants are
- recommended.
- </p>
- <p> Communications: Radiotelephone service links Nouakchott to
- most regional capitals. Radiotelephone and wireless
- communications with Europe and the United States are available
- on the Nouakchott-Paris line. Nouakchott is five time zones
- ahead of eastern standard time.
- </p>
- <p> Transportation: Public transport in Mauritania is by road or
- air. Nouakchott has a small bus service, and taxis are plentiful
- and inexpensive. The main roads--Dakar-Nouakchott-Akjoujt and
- Nouakchott-Kiffa--are paved and passable in all seasons. All
- other roads are unpaved.
- </p>
- <p> Three direct flights weekly go from New York to Dakar, and
- six flights weekly from Dakar to Nouakchott. A nonstop flight
- goes twice a week roundtrip from Paris to Nouakchott.
- </p>
- <p> Tourist attractions: Saint Louis, former French
- administrative capital of Mauritania, is in Senegal, about 5
- hours by road from Nouakchott. This picturesque colonial town
- was one of the earliest French settlements in Africa. Atar is
- the ancient capital of the Almoravide Kingdom. Chjinguetti is
- the seventh holy city of Islam, with 13-century houses and
- mosques. Travel and accommodations in the interior must be
- planned well in advance.
- </p>
- <p>Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs,
- October 1987.
- </p>
-
- </body>
- </article>
- </text>
-
-