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Rosso
Town in Mauritania with 55,000 inhabitants (2005 estimate),
Rosso is located at the point where the Senegal River is navigable all around the year. The town is really divided in two between Senegal and Mauritania, along the Senegal River.
Local agriculture produces gum arabic, millet, corn, beans, melons, mint and livestock. Recent irrigation schemes have helped improve yields. Border activities are also of great importance, being on the line between the capitals of Senegal and Mauritania.
Rosso has fair connections with other urban centres in the country by road, and connected to Senegal across the river by small ferries. Nouakchott is 200 km north.
Originally a Wolof town, Rosso today houses peoples of several ethnic groups, having moved in from the north.
Near Rosso lies the Diawling National Park.
History
1990: Border crossings between Senegal and Mauritania are closed.
1992: The border is reopened.
2004: Locusts destroy up to 80% of the crops around Rosso.
2005 August: Flooding forces tens of thousands to be displaced.
© Copyright 1996-2008 LookLex Ltd. All rights reserved
By: Tore Kjeilen
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