Nonstop flight route between Nouakchott, Mauritania and Des Moines, Iowa, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Nouakchott International Airport (NKC), Nouakchott, Mauritania and Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,772 miles (or 7,679 kilometers).

A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the large distance between Nouakchott International Airport and Des Moines International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.

Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between Nouakchott International Airport and Des Moines International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Nouakchott International Airport (NKC):

• Nouakchott International Airport handled 209,932 passengers last year.
• Because of Nouakchott International Airport's relatively low elevation of 7 feet, planes can take off or land at Nouakchott International Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
• Nouakchott International Airport (NKC) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Nouakchott International Airport (NKC) is Île des Pins Airport (BMY), which is nearly antipodal to Nouakchott International Airport (meaning Nouakchott International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Île des Pins Airport), and is located 12,322 miles (19,830 kilometers) away in Waala, Belep Islands, New Caledonia.
• The closest airport to Nouakchott International Airport (NKC) is Boutilimit Airport (OTL), which is located 92 miles (148 kilometers) ESE of NKC.

Facts about Des Moines International Airport (DSM):

• The closest airport to Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) NNE of DSM.
• On March 13, 2008, an Atlanta-bound ASA flight was delayed more than five hours when a mouse was discovered shortly before take-off from DSM.
• The furthest airport from Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,789 miles (17,363 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• On December 2, 1978, Douglas C-47A N41447 of SMB Stage Line crashed short of the runway while on a cargo flight from Chicago, Illinois.
• Des Moines International Airport (DSM) has 2 runways.
• In 2011, the City of Des Moines transferred control from the city to the Des Moines Airport Authority.
• As of March 2014, Delta Air Lines handled of DSM passengers, followed by United Airlines, American Airlines, US Airways, Southwest Airlines, Allegiant Airlines, and Frontier Airlines.
• Because of Des Moines International Airport's relatively low elevation of 958 feet, planes can take off or land at Des Moines International Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.