Khatt Atui

Khatt Atui is a wadi in North Africa. This dry riverbed begins near Aousserd in the disputed territory of Western Sahara and runs southwest through the Dakhlet Nouadhibou and Inchiri Regions of Mauritania,[1] ending at the Baie d'Aouati on the Atlantic coast east of Iouik, Mauritania in Banc d'Arguin National Park.[2]

Khatt Atui Khatt Atoui, Wad Atui, Uad Atui, Oued Atui, Oued Atwiy
1989 map of Western Sahara showing the course of Khatt Atui (Uad Atui)
Location
Countries	Mauritania, Western Sahara
Regions	Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Inchiri (Mauritania)
Physical characteristics
Source	northeast of Aousserd, Western Sahara
• coordinates	22°47′N 14°07′W
Mouth	Baie d'Aouati, Atlantic Ocean
• coordinates	19°53′N 16°15′W
Basin size	83,295 km2 (32,160 sq mi)
Basin features
Population	99,599

The Atui basin as defined by the Transboundary Waters Assessment Programme of the Global Environment Facility covers 83,295 square kilometres (32,160 sq mi) and is home to an estimated 99,599 people.[3] The Mauritanian settlements of Chami (on the highway between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou), Imkebden and N'Talfa are located along the wadi,[4] as is the Tasiast gold mine.[5]

Khatt Atui has been suggested as the location of the lower reaches of a major ancient river, dubbed the Tamanrasett paleoriver, that flowed through the Sahara to the Arguin Basin during humid episodes in the late Quaternary.[6] Early Neolithic archaeological sites have been found along the Mauritanian portion of the wadi.[7]