Ayoun el Atrous

Place in Hodh El Gharbi, Mauritania

16°40′N 9°37′W / 16.667°N 9.617°W / 16.667; -9.617Country

MauritaniaRegionHodh El GharbiArea

• City111.4 km² (43.0 sq mi)Elevation

259 m (850 ft)Population

(2013 census)

• City24,199 • Urban

22,796

Ayoun al Atrous (also known as Aioun el Atrouss) (Arabic: عيون العتروس) is a town in southern Mauritania. It is located at around 16°40′0″N 9°37′0″W / 16.66667°N 9.61667°W / 16.66667; -9.61667. It is the capital of Hodh El Gharbi region.

The city is served by the Aioun el Atrouss Airport, 6 kilometres (4 mi) north-west of the city. The town is located in the southern area of the Aoukar, a former lake basin.^[1]

Ayoun al Atrous was one of the stops in the 2007 Dakar Rally.