Last modified: 2026-10-10 by rob raeside
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Since 2018, Mauritania has been made up of 6 new decentralized regions,
within which are the 15 provinces (wilayas) which now move to the second
administrative level (see link below). The 3 provinces of Nouakchott created in
2014 constituted the “Urban Community of the Capital” (or Capital District)
which has been renamed “Region of Nouakchott”.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:R%C3%A9gions_et_wilayas_de_Mauritanie,_2018.png
Jean-Marc Merklin, 9 January 2022
There is some confusion in publications regarding the names of Mauritania's
administrative divisions. Wikipedia still shows the pre-2018 structure, the
French Wikipedia even refers to the former Capital District as a "Federal
district". Yet, the 2018 constitution clearly indicates that the country remains
a unitary state but has reorganized into six numbered regionalized entities
called "Jihat". These are translated in various ways, such as "Part"
(reminiscent of the Bonarense "partido"), "Side" (as in the Isle of Man), or
"Entity" (per Google), but not as "region". However, the term region is most
commonly used to translate the status of these regionalized entities, creating
confusion with the second administrative tier (formerly called "province" in
French and "wilayah" in Arabic) and now officially termed "wilayah (région)" in
Mauritanian French (and still "wilayah" in Arabic). The map featured in the
Assaba Region logo confirms that it refers to the wilaya (which is located in
the 2nd Jihat).
The only two regions for which we found a flag are the
"Nouakchott Region" (formally the Capital District and now officially the 5th
Jihat, comprising three régions/wilayas) and Dakhlet Nouadhibou (which coincides
with the 6th Jihat)...
Jean-Marc
Merklin, 7 September 2026
