Skip to main content
Home

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Main Menu

  • EROS Home
  • Image Gallery
  • Video Library
  • Earthshots
  • Remote Sensing Classroom

Earthshots

  • Earthshots
    • Nouakchott, Mauritania
      • City Growth
      • Re-greening
      • New Airport
  • Download Cards
  • More Information
  • Contact Information
Earthshots Logo

Re-greening A Nouakchott, Mauritania story

Cities  / 
Deserts
  1. Nouakchott, Mauritania
  2. Re-greening
Description

Nouakchott is surrounded by a succession of sand dune belts, some of which are highly mobile and can reach 20 m high.

North and east of the city, a green belt was established between 1975 and 1990. Various trees and grasses were planted to curb sand encroachment. Evidence of this effort is seen in Landsat images, where the green belt actually appears red. Landsat’s ability to see various infrared wavelengths of light allows us to more easily differentiate actively growing vegetation from the urban areas and open desert. This vegetation appears red in these images because of Landsat’s near-infrared imaging capability, which reveals actively growing vegetation.

This green belt has changed recently because of the city’s expansion. From 2000–2007, a new project extended the plantings around the city. During this project, 800 ha of inland dunes were stabilized with various trees and grasses.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

Dec. 26, 1965, Corona KH-4A 1028 —Nouakchott, Mauritania

Dec. 26, 1965, Corona KH-4A 1028 —Nouakchott, Mauritania

Sep. 25, 1973, Landsat 1 (path/row 220/48) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Sep. 25, 1973, Landsat 1 (path/row 220/48) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Sep. 29, 1989, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Sep. 29, 1989, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Aug. 13, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Aug. 13, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Aug. 21, 2001, Landsat 7 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Aug. 21, 2001, Landsat 7 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

July 2, 2009, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

July 2, 2009, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Sep. 30, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Sep. 30, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Aug. 6, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Aug. 6, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

July 30, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

July 30, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Dec. 26, 1965, Corona KH-4A 1028 —Nouakchott, Mauritania
Sep. 25, 1973, Landsat 1 (path/row 220/48) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania
Sep. 29, 1989, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania
Aug. 13, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania
Aug. 21, 2001, Landsat 7 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania
July 2, 2009, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania
Sep. 30, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania
Aug. 6, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania
July 30, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/47) — Re-greening in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Nouakchott, Mauritania Additional Imagery & Stories

City Growth
City Growth

Nouakchott was a small fishing village for hundreds of years. As recently as 1950, it had only about 200 residents. Drought throughout the 1970s broug...

Read More
New Airport
New Airport

Nouakchott’s airport is visible as the straight diagonal line near the city’s center in the images in the other subsections. Over the time series of i...

Read More
  • DOI Privacy Policy
  • Legal
  • Accessibility
  • Site Map
  • Contact USGS

  • U.S. Department of the Interior
  • DOI Inspector General
  • White House
  • E-gov
  • No Fear Act
  • FOIA