Atar, Mauritania

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Atar
native_name =

---

imagesize = 340px
image_caption =


image_



map_caption =
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position =bottom
pushpin_mapsize = 300
pushpin_map_caption =Location in Mauritania
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_name =‎
subdivision_name1 = Adrar Region
subdivision_type2 =
subdivision_name2 =
established_title =
established_date =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi =
area_total_km2 =
area_land_sq_mi =
area_land_km2 =
area_urban_sq_mi =
area_urban_km2 =
area_metro_km2 =
area_metro_sq_mi =
population_as_of=
population_footnotes =
population_total =
population_urban =
population_metro =
population_density_sq_mi =
population_density_km2 =
timezone =
utc_offset =
timezone_DST =
utc_offset_DST =
latd=20|latm=31|lats=|latNS=N
longd=13|longm=03|longs=|longEW=W
elevation_footnotes=
elevation_m =
elevation_ft =
postal_code_type =
postal_code =
area_code =
website =
footnotes =

Atar ( _ar. أطار) is a town in northwestern Mauritania, the capital of the Adrar Region and the main settlement on the Adrar Plateau. It is home to an airport, a museum and a historic mosque, constructed in 1674.

Tourism

Today, the Atar is best known to outsiders as an entryway for tourists to visit the ruins of the ancient Moorish cities of Ouadane and Chinguetti. It is also a key stop in the world's longest off-road race, the Paris Dakar Rally, held every January.

Water Supply

While the city sits within the Sahara Desert, a nearby water supply of considerable size was recently discovered. An underground river was discovered by Russian scientists using geoinformation to study the topography of the desert with satellites. They were operating at the request of the Mauritanian government. The find has been confirmed by the Mauritanian military. Eventually, the river will provide water enough to support Atar's entire population of some 50,000 people. [http://english.pravda.ru/world/2002/08/01/33665.html] .