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 with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
24 30 N, 13 00 W
Africa
total: 266,000 sq km ; land: 266,000 sq km ; water: 0 sq km
about the size of Colorado
total: 2,046 km ; border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
1,110 km
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m ; highest point: unnamed location 463 m
phosphates, iron ore
arable land: 0.02% ; permanent crops: 0% ; other: 99.98% (2005)
NA


hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
sparse water and lack of arable land
party to: none of the selected agreements ; signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
382,617 ; note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421) ; 15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895) ; 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)

NA
NA
NA

NA
total: NA ; male: NA ; female: NA
total population: NA ; male: NA ; female: NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) ; adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Arab, Berber
Muslim
Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
NA
degree of risk: intermediate ; food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever ; vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2007)

conventional long form: none ; conventional short form: Western Sahara ; former: Spanish Sahara
legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991
none ; time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
none (under de facto control of Morocco)





none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
none



none
none

none
none





Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara.
$NA
$NA
NA%
$NA
agriculture: NA% ; industry: NA% ; services: 40%
12,000
agriculture: 50% ; industry and services: 50%
NA%
NA%
lowest 10%: NA% ; highest 10%: NA%

NA%

revenues: $NA ; expenditures: $NA

fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
phosphate mining, handicrafts
NA%
85 million kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 100% ; hydro: 0% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
79.05 million kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
1,750 bbl/day (2005 est.)
0 bbl/day (2004)
1,698 bbl/day (2004)
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

$NA
phosphates 62%
Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
$NA
Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)


$NA



Moroccan dirham (MAD)
MAD
Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003)
calendar year
$NA
about 2,000 (1999 est.)
0 (1999)
general assessment: sparse and limited system ; domestic: NA ; international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
56,000 (1997)
NA
6,000 (1997)
.eh

1 (2000)
NA

9 (2007)
total: 3 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
total: 6 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 3 ; under 914 m: 2 (2007)






Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)








Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria



