Rosso روصو | |
|---|---|
Commune and town | |
 Rosso Town Centre | |
  Rosso Location in Mauritania | |
| Coordinates:16°30′46″N15°48′18″W / 16.51278°N 15.80500°W /16.51278; -15.80500 | |
| Country | Mauritania |
| Region | Trarza |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Bamba Sidi Daramane |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Population (2013 census) | |
• Commune and town | 51,026 |
| • Urban | 33,518 |
Rosso is the major city of south-westernMauritania and capital ofTrarza region. It is situated on theSenegal River at the head of the river zone allowing year-round navigation.
The town is 204 km south of the capitalNouakchott.
Rosso was once the capital of theEmirate of Trarza, a Precolonial Sahrawi State.
UnderFrench colonial ruleSenegal and Mauritania were administered as a single entity. When Independence came, the new frontier was drawn along the Senegal River, splitting the small town of Rosso in two. This article refers to Mauritanian Rosso, on the northern bank of the river.
Originally a staging-post for thegum arabic trade, Rosso has grown rapidly since independence.
In 1986, the town was elevated to the status of urban commune. The commune's population was 50 560 in 2013, with 33 518 living in the city of Rosso itself.[1] Having grown from a mere 2 300 in 1960, it has now overtakenKaédi to become the 3rd largest city in the country.
Southwestern Mauritania is historically a predominantlyWolof-speaking area, but many members of Mauritania's other ethnic groups have moved to the town to escape the severe problems ofdesertification further north.
Rosso occupies a strategic position at the international ferry-crossing on the main road betweenNouakchott and the Senegalese capital ofDakar. Economically the town has benefited, but its fortunes are very dependent on the state of relations between the two countries.
From 1990 to 1992 theborder crossing was closed, due to theMauritania–Senegal Border War, and there have been repeated movements of refugees in both directions through the town.
Rosso has ahot desert climate (Köppen climate classificationBWh). Rosso has the highest annual rainfall in the country, at 300mm/yr, and is one of the market towns which serve the narrow strip of agricultural land stretching along the southern frontier of Mauritania. But even here theSahara is encroaching. Major irrigation projects have been carried out on the northern bank of the Senegal River, financed by theUnited Arab Emirates, allowing an expansion in the production ofcash crops such asmint.
In 2004 however up to 80% of crops were lost as a result of the infestation oflocusts which affected the whole of the westernSahel. This was followed by a severe drought. It was a bitter irony then that in August 2005, some 10,000 people were displaced by flooding.
| Climate data for Rosso | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37 (99) | 42 (108) | 43 (109) | 45 (113) | 45 (113) | 45 (113) | 45 (113) | 43 (109) | 42 (108) | 45 (113) | 42 (108) | 40 (104) | 45 (113) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29 (84) | 32 (90) | 33 (91) | 36 (97) | 37 (99) | 36 (97) | 34 (93) | 34 (93) | 35 (95) | 36 (97) | 33 (91) | 30 (86) | 34 (93) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23 (73) | 26 (79) | 27 (81) | 28 (82) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 28 (82) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17 (63) | 19 (66) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 26 (79) | 26 (79) | 25 (77) | 22 (72) | 18 (64) | 22 (72) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 8 (46) | 11 (52) | 11 (52) | 11 (52) | 12 (54) | 13 (55) | 20 (68) | 22 (72) | 19 (66) | 16 (61) | 11 (52) | 7 (45) | 7 (45) |
| Average precipitation days | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| Source:[2] | |||||||||||||
The city is near theDiawling National Park. Rosso is also known for the internationally renownedSatara Zone Housing project. A small library, set up by the local Catholic priest, has been functioning since 2005.[3]
A technology institute - ISET - was opened in 2009, offering courses in agriculture.
The former mayor, Professor Yerim Fassa, a doctor, was elected in 2007.[4] The current mayor is named Bamba Sidi Daramane.[5]
Rosso has been twinned withMoissy-Cramayel since 1986.
From August 2007 through May 2009, Michael Auerbach - Regional Coordinator for theUnited States Peace Corps - resided in Rosso as he evaluated the efficacy of existing gender equality movements in the region. He was succeeded by Brandon Forester, the final Regional Coordinator for the United States Peace Corps Program until the total closure of the program in 2010.
16°30′46″N15°48′18″W / 16.51278°N 15.80500°W /16.51278; -15.80500
