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. In April 2007, Morocco presented an
autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers
serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in
2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco
and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of
Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March
2008.
Geography
Western Sahara
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the
North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Geographic coordinates:
24 30 N, 13 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about the size of Colorado
Land boundaries:
total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco
443 km
Coastline:
1,110 km
Maritime claims:
contingent upon resolution of
sovereignty issue
Climate:
hot, dry desert; rain is rare;
cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Terrain:
mostly low, flat desert with
large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south
and northeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sebjet Tah
-55 m highest point: unnamed elevation 805 m
hot, dry, dust/sand-laden
sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze
exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Environment - current issues:
sparse water and lack of arable
land
Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the
selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the
selected agreements
Geography - note:
the waters off the coast are
particularly rich fishing areas
People
Western Sahara
Population:
393,831 note:
estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and
migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring
countries (July 2008 est.)
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Western Sahara former:
Spanish Sahara
Government type:
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 on 6 September 1991 (Security
Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum
in Western Sahara or MINURSO
Capital:
none time
difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (under de facto control of
Morocco)
Suffrage:
none; a UN-sponsored voter
identification campaign not yet completed
Executive branch:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
none
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none
Economy
Western Sahara
Economy - overview:
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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
GDP (official exchange rate):
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40%
Labor force:
12,000 (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Budget:
revenues: expenditures:
Agriculture - products:
fruits and vegetables (grown in
the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
Morocco claims and administers
Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan
accounts (2006)
Imports:
Imports - commodities:
fuel for fishing fleet,
foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Morocco claims and administers
Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan
accounts (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Debt - external:
Currency (code):
Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Currency code:
MAD
Exchange rates:
Moroccan dirhams per US dollar
- 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Western Sahara
Telephones - main lines in use:
about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
0 (1999)
Telephone system:
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
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
56,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
NA
Televisions:
6,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.eh
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
NA
Transportation
Western Sahara
Airports:
9 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3 2,438 to
3,047 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 6 1,524 to
2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2
(2007)
Ports and terminals:
Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador,
Laayoune (El Aaiun)
Transnational Issues
Western Sahara
Disputes - international:
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
