Choum
Encyclopedia
Choum is a town in northern Mauritania
, lying in the Adrar Region
close to the border with the Western Sahara
(Non-Self-Governing Territory). Choum has a population of around 5,000.
. It declined with the trade, and in 1977 was attacked by French troops as a suspected base of the Polisario Front
, the national liberation movement
fighting for independence for the Western Sahara. Fortifications from the period survive around the town.
from Nouadhibou
on the Atlantic coast to Zouérat
, and a transport interchange for access to the Adrar Plateau
and the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott
. It is the railway which has made Choum famous - or infamous - in the European colonial legacy to Africa.
, but imposed conditions unacceptable to the French.
The French engineers therefore built the line parallel with the border and tunneled through the Choum hillspur - two kilometres through solid granite
just to stay within French territory. The tunnel has been called a "monument to European stupidity in Africa".
The absurdity was highlighted when the southern part of the territory of Western Sahara was briefly administered by Mauritania after the Spanish withdrew in 1975-6. 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 (21.354867°N 13.012644°W).
Another description of this stupidity is Beggar thy neighbour
.
There are links by dirt track to Atar
.
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, lying in the Adrar Region
Adrar (region)
Adrar is a large region in Mauritania, named for the Adrar Plateau. Its capital is Atar. Other major towns include Choum, Chinguetti and Ouadane...
close to the border with the Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
(Non-Self-Governing Territory). Choum has a population of around 5,000.
History
The town grew from its position on trans-Saharan trading routesTrans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara to reach sub-Saharan Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the late 16th century.- Increasing desertification and economic incentive :...
. It declined with the trade, and in 1977 was attacked by French troops as a suspected base of the Polisario Front
Polisario Front
The POLISARIO, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
, the national liberation movement
National Liberation Movement
A national liberation movement is an organization engaged in a war of national liberation.National Liberation Movement may also refer to:* Movement of National Liberation, a leftist party founded by former Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas...
fighting for independence for the Western Sahara. Fortifications from the period survive around the town.
Transport
Choum is now a stop on the Mauritania RailwayMauritania Railway
The Mauritania Railway is the national railway of Mauritania. Opened in 1963, it consists of a single, railway line linking the iron mining centre of Zouerate with the port of Nouadhibou, via Fderik and Choum...
from Nouadhibou
Nouadhibou
Nouadhibou is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial centre. The city itself has about 75,000 inhabitants expanding to over 90,000 in the larger metropolitan area. It is situated on a 40-mile peninsula or headland called Ras Nouadhibou, Cap Blanc, or Cabo Blanco, of...
on the Atlantic coast to Zouérat
Zouérat
Zouérat is the largest town in northern Mauritania and is the capital of Tiris Zemmour with an approximate population of 38,000 . It lies at the eastern end of the Mauritania Railway to Nouadhibou.- Overview :...
, and a transport interchange for access to the Adrar Plateau
Adrar Plateau
The Adrar Plateau is a highland area of the Sahara Desert in northern Mauritania. It was heavily settled in the Neolithic era, and the more recent aridification has left much of the archaeology intact, most notable several stone circles and the later town of Azougui.The plateau is known for its...
and the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott
Nouakchott
-Government:The town was first divided into districts in 1973. First it was divided into four. From 1986, the city has been split into nine districts.* Arafat* Dar Naim* El Mina* Ksar* Riad* Sebkha* Tevragh-Zeina* Teyarett* Toujounine...
. It is the railway which has made Choum famous - or infamous - in the European colonial legacy to Africa.
National railway passing through foreign territory
The town stands on a spur of land which carries the major turning-point in the border between Mauritania and the Western Sahara. When the French colonial authorities in Mauritania, in the early 1960s, 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 desertDesert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
, but imposed conditions unacceptable to the French.
The French engineers therefore built the line parallel with the border and tunneled through the Choum hillspur - two kilometres through solid granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
just to stay within French territory. The tunnel has been called a "monument to European stupidity in Africa".
The absurdity was highlighted when the southern part of the territory of Western Sahara was briefly administered by Mauritania after the Spanish withdrew in 1975-6. 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 (21.354867°N 13.012644°W).
Another description of this stupidity is Beggar thy neighbour
Beggar thy neighbour
In economics, a beggar-thy-neighbour policy is an economic policy through which one country attempts to remedy its economic problems by means that tend to worsen the economic problems of other countries.- Original application :...
.
There are links by dirt track to Atar
Atar, Mauritania
Atar 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...
.
See also
- Railway stations in Mauritania
- National railway passing through foreign territory
- Enclave and exclave