Map of Western Sahara | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976 and claimed 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 the territory's 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 that called for independence. Representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met four times since June 2007 to negotiate the status of Western Sahara but talks have stalled since the UN envoy to the territory stated in April 2008 that independence is unrealistic.


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Location: Northern Africa bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Mauritania and Morocco

Geographic coordinates: 24 30 N 13 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 266,000 km²
Rank: 77
Land: 266,000 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries
Total: 2,046 km
Border countries: (3) Algeria 42 km; Mauritania 1561 km; Morocco 443 km

Coastline: 1110 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
Extremes highest point: unnamed elevation 805 m

Natural resources: phosphates iron ore

Land use
Arable land: 0.02%
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 99.98% (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

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

Geography
Note: the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas


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Population: 405,210
Rank: 172
Note: estimate is based on projections by age sex fertility mortality and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2009 est.)
Growth rate: 2.829% NA (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 15
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Sahrawi Sahraoui
Adjective: Sahrawi Sahrawian Sahraouian

Ethnic groups: Arab Berber

Languages: Hassaniya Arabic Moroccan Arabic

Religions: Muslim

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 44.9%
15-64 years: 52.8% (male 105,191/female 108,803)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,881/female 5,337) (2009 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 17.3 years
Male: 16.8 years
Female: 17.8 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.829% NA (2009 est.)
Rank: 15

Birth rate: 39.54 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 19

Death rate: 11.49 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 44

Net migration rate

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 81% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: sparse water and lack of arable land
International agreements party to: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 69.66 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 25
Male: 69.84 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 69.47 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 54.32 years
Rank: 195
Male: 52 years
Female: 56.73 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: NA 5.61 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 15

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
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 when Spain withdrew 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)

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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

Executive branch: none

Legislative branch

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: WFTU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none
From the us: none

Flag description

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $900 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 204

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: $2,500 (2007 est.)
Rank: 174

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

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: 12,000 (2005 est.)
Rank: 208
By occupation agriculture: 50%
By occupation industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $NA
Expenditures: $NA

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA%

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $NA
Commodities: phosphates 62%

Imports: $NA
Commodities: fuel for fishing fleet foodstuffs

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 7.526 (2008 est.) 8.3563 (2007) 8.7722 (2006) 8.865 (2005) 8.868 (2004)


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Electricity
Production: 90 million kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 192
Consumption: 83.7 million kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 192
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 113
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 121
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 88
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 113
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 121

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: about 2000 (1999 est.)
Mobile cellular: 0 (1999)
Mobile cellular rank: 222

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

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .eh

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 6 (2009)
Rank: 173
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 3
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2009)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Ad Dakhla Cabo Bojador Laayoune (El Aaiun)


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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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs