Portendick

Portendick
Portendick Location in Mauritania
Coordinates: 18°35′N 16°7′W / 18.583°N 16.117°WCoordinates: 18°35′N 16°7′W / 18.583°N 16.117°W
Country	Mauritania
Region	Trarza

Portendick is an abandoned coastal city in western Mauritania.^[1] It was located in the Ouad Naga Department of Trarza Region. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Portendick had a significant port for the gum arabic trade; however, by the 19th century trade from the port became unsustainable due to the area's arid, desert climate and lack of drinking water.^[2] As of 1916, all that remained of the city was a small group of huts.^[3]

References

1. Portendick at GEOnet Names Server
2. Webb, James L. A. (1995). Desert Frontier: Ecological and Economic Change Along the Western Sahel, 1600-1850. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 227.
3. East Atlantic Pilot. United States Hydrographic Office. 1916.