Hodh Ech Chargui Region

Hodh ech Chargui ولاية الحوض الشرقي
Region of Mauritania
Country	Mauritania
Departments	7 Amourj Bassiknou Djiguenni Néma Oualata Timbédra N'Beiket Ledwach
Capital	Néma
Area
• Total	182,700 km2 (70,500 sq mi)
Population (2013 census)
• Total	430,668
• Density	2.4/km2 (6.1/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	MR-01

Hodh Ech Chargui (Arabic: ولاية الحوض الشرقي‎‎) is a large region in eastern Mauritania, with an area of 182,700 km². Its capital is Néma, but the largest town, in Bassiknou Department, is Vassale at the extreme southeast of Mauritania, with 65,927 inhabitants at the 2013 Census. The region borders the Mauritanian regions of Adrar, Tagant and Hodh El Gharbi to the west and Mali to the east and south. The Aoukar basin, which formerly gave name to the greater region, is located in the southwestern part of Hodh El Gharbi.

Departments

Departments of Hodh Ech Chargui

Hodh Ech Chargui is divided into seven departments, listed below with their area and populations at the 2013 Census:

Name	Area (km2)	Population at Census 25 March 2013
Amourj	9,200	94,559
Bassiknou	16,500	88,432
Djiguenni	3,900	59,614
Néma	10,000	87,048
Oualata	134,000	13,086
Timbédra	9,100	79,069
N'Beiket Lehwach	*	8,860

* New department, area unknown.

Population

Hodh Ech Chargui (or Hodh el Sharqui) is the most populous of Mauritania's regions (outside of the city of Nouakchott). The Census enerated on 25 March 2013 found 430,668 people living in Hodh Ech Chargui. The region sees many travelers going through to Mali, either south through Bassiknou to Bamako or east to Timbuktu. The major population centers are far-spread and many people fall under the poverty level, making it easy for extremist groups like Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb to infiltrate and work.

See also

• Regions of Mauritania
• Districts of Mauritania