Western Sahara
Western Sahara (EH in ISO 3166-1) is a region of northwestern Africa, bordering Morocco on the north, Algeria on the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. The largest city is Laayoune.
Whether it is part of Morocco or is the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), is disputed. At present it is largely occupied, and entirely claimed, by Morocco, but this claim is far from universally recognized and in fact a majority of other nations do not recognize the Moroccan claim.
In the peace plan a future Western Sahara Authority (WSA) is envisaged.
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| National motto: none | |||||
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| Official language | Arabic | ||||
| Capital | Laayoune | ||||
| Largest city | Laayoune | ||||
| President (in exile) | Mohamed Abdelaziz | ||||
| Prime Minister (in exile) | Abdelkader Taleb Oumar | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 83rd 266,000 km² Negligible | ||||
| Population
- Density | Ranked 182nd
1/km² | ||||
| Independence - Declared - Claimed and controlled | From Spain February 27, 1976 By Morocco | ||||
| Currency | Moroccan Dirham (MAD) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC 0 | ||||
| National anthem | ? | ||||
| Internet TLD | None (.eh is reserved) | ||||
| Calling Code | + 212. (same code as Morocco) | ||||
| Contents |
History
Main article: History of Western Sahara
Morocco occupied the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war carried by the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 cease-fire; a referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. The 1991 peace accords included an agreement on the carrying out of a referendum among the indigenous population. The referendum was planned to give the population the option between independence or inclusion to Morocco. The referendum has, however, to this date not been carried out due to lack of willingness from the Moroccan government.
Politics
Main articles: Politics of Western Sahara
The legal status of the territory and the question of its sovereignty is unresolved; the territory is contested by Morocco and Polisario Front.
See also Foreign relations of Morocco, Foreign relations of Western Sahara
Geography
Main article: Geography of Western Sahara
Western Sahara is located in Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco. It also borders Algeria to the northeast.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a territory poor in natural resources and lacking sufficient rainfall. It depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as principal sources of income. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan government. Incomes and standards of living are substantially below the Moroccan level.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Western Sahara
As of July 2003 there are an estimated 261,794 people living in the territory of Western Sahara, most of the Sahrawi nationality. They speak Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic and Spanish. The main religion is Islam.
From the CIA World Factbook 2003
See also
- Communications in Western Sahara
- Transportation in Western Sahara
- Culture of Western Sahara (Music of Western Sahara)
- List of cities in Morocco (Includes cities in Western Sahara)
- Moroccan Wall
- MINURSO
External links
- http://www.arso.org/
- http://www.wsahara.net/
- http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/suttonlink/334ws.pdf
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update/
- [1] (http://www.icbl.org/lm/2003/western_sahara.html) - landmines
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| Other areas: Canary Islands | Madeira Islands | Mayotte | Réunion | Saint Helena | Western Sahara | ||
ar:صحراء غربية da:Vestsahara de:Demokratische Arabische Republik Sahara et:Lääne-Sahara es:Sahara Occidental eo:Okcidenta Saharo fr:Sahara occidental id:Sahara Barat it:Sahara Occidentale ms:Sahara Barat nl:Westelijke Sahara ja:西サハラ no:Vest-Sahara pt:Saara Ocidental sl:Zahodna Sahara fi:Länsi-Sahara sv:Västsahara wa:Sara Coûtchantrece
Categories: Disputed territories | Western Sahara