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Africa :: Western Sahara

- ## Introduction :: WESTERN SAHARA

- Background:
  Western Sahara is a disputed territory on the northwest coast of Africa bordered by Morocco, Mauritania, and Algeria. After Spain withdrew from its former colony of Spanish Sahara in 1976, Morocco annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara and claimed the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Morocco's sovereignty ended in a 1991 cease-fire and the establishment of a UN peacekeeping operation. As part of this effort, the UN sought to offer a choice to the peoples of the Western Sahara between independence (favored by the Polisario Front) or integration into Morocco. A proposed referendum never took place due to lack of agreement on voter eligibility. The 2,700 km- (1,700 mi-) long defensive sand berm, built by the Moroccans from 1980 to 1987 and running the length of the territory, continues to separate the opposing forces with Morocco controlling the roughly 80 percent of the territory west of the berm. Local demonstrations criticizing the Moroccan authorities occur regularly, and there are periodic ethnic tensions between the native Sahrawi population and Moroccan immigrants. Morocco maintains a heavy security presence in the territory.

- ## 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
  country comparison to the world: 78
  Area - comparative:
  about the size of Colorado
  Land boundaries:
  total: 2,049 km
  border countries (3): Algeria 41 km, Mauritania 1,564 km, Morocco 444 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
  Natural resources:
  phosphates, iron ore
  Land use:
  agricultural land: 18.8%
  arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 18.8%
  forest: 2.7%
  other: 78.5% (2011 est.)
  Irrigated land:
  NA
  Natural hazards:
  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
  Geography - note:
  the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas

- ## People and Society :: WESTERN SAHARA

- Nationality:
  noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
  adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
  Ethnic groups:
  Arab, Berber
  Languages:
  Standard Arabic (national), Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
  Religions:
  Muslim
  Population:
  570,866 (July 2013 est.)
  note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 172
  Age structure:
  0-14 years: 37.83% (male 109,147/female 106,789)
  15-24 years: 19.63% (male 56,412/female 55,624)
  25-54 years: 33.93% (male 95,296/female 98,391)
  55-64 years: 4.87% (male 12,974/female 14,829)
  65 years and over: 3.75% (male 9,406/female 11,998) (2015 est.)
  population pyramid:
  Dependency ratios:
  total dependency ratio: 40.2%
  youth dependency ratio: 36.1%
  elderly dependency ratio: 4.1%
  potential support ratio: 24.4% (2015 est.)
  Median age:
  total: 20.9 years
  male: 20.5 years
  female: 21.4 years (2015 est.)
  Population growth rate:
  2.82% (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 12
  Birth rate:
  30.24 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 40
  Death rate:
  8.34 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 84
  Urbanization:
  urban population: 80.9% of total population (2015)
  rate of urbanization: 3.27% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
  Major urban areas - population:
  Laayoune 262,000 (2014)
  Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
  0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
  15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
  25-54 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
  55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
  Infant mortality rate:
  total: 54.7 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 59.61 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 49.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 27
  Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 62.64 years
  male: 60.35 years
  female: 65.02 years (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 190
  Total fertility rate:
  4 children born/woman (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 38
  HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  NA
  HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  NA
  HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  NA

- ## Government :: WESTERN SAHARA

- Country name:
  conventional long form: none
  conventional short form: Western Sahara
  former: Rio de Oro, Saguia el Hamra, 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, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), based out of refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ
  Capital:
  Laayoune (administrative center)
  time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
  daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in September
  Administrative divisions:
  none officially, the territory west of the Moroccan berm falls under de facto Moroccan control; Morocco claims the territory of Western Sahara, the political status of which is considered undetermined by the US Government; portions of the regions Guelmim-Es Smara and Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra as claimed by Morocco lie within Western Sahara; Morocco also claims Oued Eddahab-Lagouira, another region that falls entirely within Western Sahara
  Suffrage:
  none; (residents of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara participate in Moroccan elections)
  Executive branch:
  none
  Political pressure groups and leaders:
  none
  International organization participation:
  AU, CAN (observer), WFTU (NGOs)
  Diplomatic representation in the US:
  none
  Diplomatic representation from the US:
  none

- ## Economy :: WESTERN SAHARA

- Economy - overview:
  Western Sahara has a small market-based economy whose main industries are fishing, phosphate mining, and pastoral nomadism. The territory's arid desert climate makes sedentary agriculture difficult, and Western Sahara imports much of its food. The Moroccan Government administers Western Sahara's economy and is a key source of employment, infrastructure development, and social spending in the territory. Western Sahara's unresolved legal status makes the exploitation of its natural resources a contentious issue between Morocco and the Polisario. Morocco and the EU in December 2013 finalized a four-year agreement allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Oil has never been found in Western Sahara in commercially significant quantities, but Morocco and the Polisario have quarreled over who has the right to authorize and benefit from oil exploration in the territory. Western Sahara's main long-term economic challenge is the development of a more diverse set of industries capable of providing greater employment and income to the territory.
  GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $906.5 million (2007 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 205
  GDP (official exchange rate):
  $NA
  GDP - real growth rate:
  NA%
  GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $2,500 (2007 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 196
  GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
  agriculture: NA%
  industry: NA%
  services: 40% (2007 est.)
  Agriculture - products:
  fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
  Industries:
  phosphate mining, handicrafts
  Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%
  Labor force:
  144,000 (2010 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 178
  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%
  Budget:
  revenues: $NA
  expenditures: $NA
  Taxes and other revenues:
  NA%
  Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
  NA%
  Fiscal year:
  calendar year
  Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  NA%
  Exports:
  $NA
  Exports - commodities:
  phosphates 62% (2012 est.)
  Imports:
  $NA
  Imports - commodities:
  fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
  Debt - external:
  $NA
  Exchange rates:
  Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar -
  8.3798 (2014)
  8.3803 (2013)
  8.6 (2012)
  8.0899 (2011)
  8.4172 (2010)

- ## Energy :: WESTERN SAHARA

- Electricity - production:
  90 million kWh (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 202
  Electricity - consumption:
  83.7 million kWh (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 202
  Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 215
  Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 217
  Electricity - installed generating capacity:
  58,000 kW (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 184
  Electricity - from fossil fuels:
  100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 2
  Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
  0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 209
  Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
  0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 213
  Electricity - from other renewable sources:
  0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 144
  Crude oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 210
  Crude oil - exports:
  0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 210
  Crude oil - imports:
  0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 148
  Crude oil - proved reserves:
  0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 210
  Refined petroleum products - production:
  0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 147
  Refined petroleum products - consumption:
  1,700 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 189
  Refined petroleum products - exports:
  0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 145
  Refined petroleum products - imports:
  1,702 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 185
  Natural gas - production:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 148
  Natural gas - consumption:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 211
  Natural gas - exports:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 210
  Natural gas - imports:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 81
  Natural gas - proved reserves:
  0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 207
  Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
  316,100 Mt (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 189

- ## Communications :: WESTERN SAHARA

- 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 (2008)
  Broadcast media:
  Morocco's state-owned broadcaster, Radio-Television Marocaine (RTM), operates a radio service from Laayoune and relays TV service; a Polisario-backed radio station also broadcasts (2008)
  Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
  Television broadcast stations:
  NA
  Internet country code:
  .eh

- ## Transportation :: WESTERN SAHARA

- Airports:
  6 (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 174
  Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 3
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2013)
  Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 3
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 1
  under 914 m:
  1 (2013)
  Ports and terminals:
  major seaport(s): Ad Dakhla, Laayoune (El Aaiun)

- ## Military :: WESTERN SAHARA

- Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 16-49: 79,489
  females age 16-49: 87,362 (2010 est.)
  Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
  male: 5,523
  female: 5,429 (2010 est.)

- ## Transnational Issues :: WESTERN SAHARA

- Disputes - international:
  many neighboring states reject Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; 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; approximately 90,000 Sahrawi refugees continue to be sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria, which has hosted Sahrawi refugees since the 1980s

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