Western Sahara
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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), for three quarters occupied by Morocco, is disputed.
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 | Mohamed Abdelaziz | ||||
| Prime Minister | Abdelkader Taleb Oumar | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 83th 266,000 km² Negligible | ||||
| Population
- Total - Density | Ranked 182th
261,794 (July 2003 est.) 1/km² | ||||
| Independence - Declared - Claimed | 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) | ||||
| Table of contents |
History
Main article: History of Western Sahara
Morocco virtually annexed 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.
Politics
Main articles: Politics of Western Sahara, Foreign relations of Western Sahara, Military of Western Sahara
Legal status of territory and question of sovereignty is unresolved; territory is contested by Morocco and Polisario Front.
Map of Western Sahara
Geography
Main article: Geography of Western SaharaWestern 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, a territory poor in natural resources and lacking sufficient rainfall, depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. 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's an estimation of 261,794 people living on 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
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