Nouadhibou (; formerly
Port-Étienne) is the second largest city in
Mauritania and serves as a major commercial centre. The city itself has about 118,000 inhabitants expanding to over 140,000 in the larger metropolitan area. It is situated on a 65-kilometre
peninsula or
headland called
Ras Nouadhibou, Cap Blanc, or Cabo Blanco, of which the western side, with the city of
La Güera, is part of
Western Sahara. Nouadhibou is consequently located merely a couple of kilometers from the border between Mauritania and
Western Sahara.