Ensiklopedia Dunia

Choum شوم
Commune and town

Choum Location in Mauritania
Coordinates: 21°18′N 13°04′W / 21.300°N 13.067°W / 21.300; -13.067
Country	Mauritania
Region	Adrar Region
Department	Atar Department
Elevation	328.0 m (1,076.1 ft)
Population (2000)
• Total	2,735^[1]
Time zone	UTC (UTC±00:00)

Choum (Arabic: شوم) is a town in northern Mauritania, lying in the Adrar Region close to the border with Western Sahara.

In the year 2000, Choum had a population of 2,735.^[1]

History

The town grew from its position on trans-Saharan trading routes. It declined with the trade, and, in 1977, was attacked by French troops as a suspected base of the Polisario Front, the rebel organization fighting for independence for the Western Sahara. Fortifications from the period survive around the town.

Transport

Choum is a stop on the Mauritania Railway from Nouadhibou on the Atlantic coast to Zouérat, and a transport interchange for access to the Adrar Plateau and the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott.

Railway tunnel

The town stands on a spur of land which carries the major turning-point in the border between Mauritania and the Western Sahara.

In the early 1960s, the French colonial authorities in Mauritania wished to build the line from Nouadhibou to Zouérat to exploit the iron ore reserves at Zouérat. The Spanish authorities then responsible for the Western Sahara negotiated to allow the railway to be built through Spanish territory over relatively level desert, but imposed many conditions unacceptable to the French.

The French engineers therefore designed the line parallel to the border and a tunnel through the Choum hill spur — two kilometers through solid granite just to stay within French territory.

The tunnel is no longer in use and a 5 km section of the railway cuts right through the Polisario controlled part of the Western Sahara (21°21′18″N 13°00′46″W / 21.354867°N 13.012644°W / 21.354867; -13.012644).

The N1 highway from Atar now runs all the way to north Zouérat. The sandy track paralleling the railway west to Nouadhibou traverses low dune cordons. Regular vehicles can be loaded onto a flatbed wagon at Choum.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "STATISTIQUES DEMOGRAPHIQUES : Résultats du RGPH 2000 des Wilayas" (in French). Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
^ "Mauritania's Iron Ore Train". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2024-02-29.

Griffiths, Ieuan (July 1986). "The scramble for Africa: inherited political boundaries". The Geographical Journal. 152 (2). The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers): 204–216. doi:10.2307/634762. ISSN 0016-7398. JSTOR 634762.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Choum.

v t e Communes of Mauritania
Urban Industrial	Arafat Benichab Choum Dar-Naim El Mina Kiffa Ksar Nouadhibou Riyad Rosso Sebkha Tevragh-Zeina Teyarett Toujouonine Zouérat
Urban Agricultural	Adel Bagrou Aere Mbar Aghchorguitt Ain Ehel Taya Aioun Ajar Aleg Amourj Aoueinat Zbel Aoujeft Arr Atar Azgueilem Tiyab Bababé Bagrou Barkeol Bassiknou Bethet Meit Boghé Bokkol Bou Lahrath Bougadoum Bouhdida Boulenouar Bouly Boumdeid Bousteila Boutilimitt Cheggar Chinguitti Dafor Daghveg Dar El Barka Dionaba Djeol Djiguenni El Ghabra El Ghaire Fassala Foum Gleita Ghabou Gouraye Gueller Guerou Hamod Hassichegar Jidr-El Mouhguen Kaédi Kamour Kankossa Keur-Macene Kobeni Koumbi Saleh Lahraj Legrane Leouossy Lexelba Maghama Magta-Lahjar Male Mbagne Mbalal Mbout Mederdra Monguel Moudjeria Nbeika Ndiago Néma Niabina Noual Ouad Naga Ouadane Oualata Oueid Jrid Ould Yenge Rdheidhi R' Kiz Sangrave Sélibaby Soudoud Tachott Tamchekett Tawaz Tékane Tichit Tidjikja Tiguent Timbedra Timzinn Tintane Touil Tufunde Cive Wahatt Woumpou
Rural Agricultural	Agharghar Aghoratt Agoueinit Ain Savra Ain Varba Ajoueir Aouleiguatt Aweintat I Bagodine Baidiyam Bangou Bareina Beileguet Litama Beneamane Beribavatt Blajmil Boeir Tores Bouanze Boubacar Ben Amer Boutalhaya Chelkhet Tiyad Daw Devaa Dhar Diadjibine Gandéga Dielwar Dodol Cover Doueirara Edbaye El Hejaj Edebaye Ehl Guelay Egjert El Aria El Khatt El Medah El Megve El Melgua El Mouyessar El Verea Elb Address Feireni Ganki Gasra El Barka Ghlig Ehel Boye Gogui Guateidoume Hassi Abdallah Hassi Attilla Hassi Ehel Ahmed Bechna Hassimhadi Hsey Tine Inal Jreif Kouroudjel Ksar el Barka Laftah Lahrach Leghligue Lehreijat Lehseira Lekhcheb Leweynatt Lexeiba Maaden Mabrouk I Mabrouk II Megva Melga Melzem Teichett Modibougou N' Savenni Nebaghia Nere Walo Nouamghar Nouamleine Nteichitt Ntrguent Ouad Amour Ould Birem Ouldmbouni Oum Avnadech Ou, Lahyadh, Radhi Sagne Sani Sava Soufa Taguilalett Tarenguet Ehel Moul Tektaka Tenaha Ten Hamadi Tensigh Tikobra Tinghadej Tmeimichatt Tokomadji Toutel Voulaniya Vrea Litama Wali

History

Transport

Railway tunnel

See also

References

External links