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

top of page


Background: Western Sahara is a non-self governing 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 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 approximately 1,600 km- (almost 1,000 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 three-quarters of the territory west of the berm. There are periodic ethnic tensions between the native Sahrawi population and Moroccan immigrants. Morocco maintains a heavy security presence in the territory.


top of page


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
Land: 266,000 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 79
Comparative: about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries
Total: 2,049 km
Border countries: (3) Algeria 41 km; , Mauritania 1564 km; , Morocco 444 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
Mean elevation: 256 m
Elevation extremes: -55 m
Note: lowest point: Sebjet Tah

Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore

Land use
Agricultural land: 18.8% (2011 est.)
Forest: 2.7% (2011 est.)
Other: 78.5% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2012)

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


top of page


Population
Distribution: most of the population lives in the two-thirds of the area west of the berm (Moroccan-occupied) that divides the territory; about 40% of that populace resides in Laayoune:
Rank: 168
Growth rate: 2.64% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 17
Below poverty line note: NA

Nationality
Noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
Adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian

Ethnic groups: Arab, Berber

Languages: Standard Arabic, Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, Berber, Spanish, French

Religions: Muslim

Demographic profile: Western Sahara is a non-self governing territory; approximately 75% is under Moroccan control. It was inhabited almost entirely by Sahrawi pastoral nomads until the mid-20th century. Their traditional vast migratory ranges, based on following unpredictable rainfall, did not coincide with colonial and later international borders. Since the 1930s, most Sahrawis have been compelled to adopt a sedentary lifestyle and to live in urban settings as a result of fighting, the presence of minefields, job opportunities in the phosphate industry, prolonged drought, the closure of Western Sahara’s border with Mauritania from 1979-2002, and the construction of the defensive berm separating Moroccan- and Polisario-controlled (Sahrawi liberalization movement) areas. Morocco supported rapid urbanization to facilitate surveillance and security.Today more than 80% of Western Sahara’s population lives in urban areas; more than 40% live in the administrative center Laayoune. Moroccan immigration has altered the composition and dramatically increased the size of Western Sahara’s population. Morocco maintains a large military presence in Western Sahara and has encouraged its citizens to settle there, offering bonuses, pay raises, and food subsidies to civil servants and a tax exemption, in order to integrate Western Sahara into the Moroccan Kingdom and, Sahrawis contend, to marginalize the native population.Western Saharan Sahrawis have been migrating to Europe, principally to former colonial ruler Spain, since the 1950s. Many who moved to refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, also have migrated to Spain and Italy, usually alternating between living in cities abroad with periods back at the camps. The Polisario claims that the population of the Tindouf camps is about 155,000, but this figure may include thousands of Arabs and Tuaregs from neighboring countries. Because international organizations have been unable to conduct an independent census in Tindouf, the UNHCR bases its aid on a figure of 90,000 refugees. Western Saharan coastal towns emerged as key migration transit points (for reaching Spain’s Canary Islands) in the mid-1990s, when Spain’s and Italy’s tightening of visa restrictions and EU pressure on Morocco and other North African countries to control illegal migration pushed sub-Saharan African migrants to shift their routes to the south.

Age structure
0-14 years: 36.93% (male 115,703 /female 113,121)
15-24 years: 19.49% (male 60,793 /female 59,948)
25-54 years: 34.52% (male 105,420 /female 108,462)
55-64 years: 5.11% (male 14,773 /female 16,880)
65 years and over: 3.95% (male 10,787 /female 13,664) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 45 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 41.4 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 3.7 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 27.1 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 21.5 years
Male: 21 years
Female: 21.9 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 181

Population growth rate: 2.64% (2018 est.)
Rank: 17

Birth rate: 28.9 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 41

Death rate: 7.9 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 95

Net migration rate

Population distribution: most of the population lives in the two-thirds of the area west of the berm (Moroccan-occupied) that divides the territory; about 40% of that populace resides in Laayoune

Urbanization
Urban population: 86.7% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 2.61% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 232,000 Laayoune (2018)

Environment
Current issues: desertification; overgrazing; sparse water and lack of arable land

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 0.97 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 50.5 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 55.3 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 45.6 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 27

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 63.8 years (2018 est.)
Male: 61.4 years (2018 est.)
Female: 66.2 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 195

Total fertility rate: 3.79 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 40

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

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

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Western Sahara
Former: Rio de Oro, Saguia el Hamra, Spanish Sahara
Etymology: self-descriptive name specifying the territorys western location on the African continents vast desert

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), near Tindouf, Algeria, was led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ until his death in May 2016; current President Brahim GHALI elected in July 2016; 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 - Morocco between 1980 and 1987 built a fortified sand berm delineating the roughly 75% of Western Sahara west of the barrier that currently is controlled by Morocco; 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 (MINURSO)

Capital
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

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

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: none; (residents of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara participate in Moroccan elections)

Executive branch: none

Legislative branch

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: AU, CAN (observer), WFTU (NGOs)

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

Flag description

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: Western Sahara has a small market-based economy whose main industries are fishing, phosphate mining, tourism, and pastoral nomadism. The territory's arid desert climate makes sedentary agriculture difficult, and much of its food is imported. 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. As of April 2018, Moroccan and EU authorities were negotiating an amendment to renew the agreement.Oil has never been found in Western Sahara in commercially significant quantities, but Morocco and the Polisario have quarreled over rights 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. However, following King MOHAMMED VI’s November 2015 visit to Western Sahara, the Government of Morocco announced a series of investments aimed at spurring economic activity in the region, while the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises announced a $609 million investment initiative in the region in March 2015.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $906.5 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 205

Real gdp growth rate: NA

Real gdp per capita: $2,500 (2007 est.)
Rank: 198 (2007 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Date: (2007 est.)
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
Note: NA

Labor force: 144,000 (2010 est.)
Rank: 178
By occupation agriculture: 50%
By occupation industry: 50%
By occupation industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line
Note: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Surplus or deficit note: NA

Taxes and other revenues
Note: NA

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar 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% (2012 est.)

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:


top of page


Electricity
Production: 0 kWh
Production note: NA (2016 est.)
Production rank: 220
Consumption: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 219
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 218
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 218
Installed generating capacity: 58,000 kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 188
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 22
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 212
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 214
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 214

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 215
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 216
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 216
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 213

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 216
Products consumption: 1700 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 197
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 216
Products imports: 1702 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 193

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 215
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 214
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 213
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 213
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 208

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 268,400 Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 194

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones

Telephone system
General assessment: sparse and limited system (2015)
International: country code - 212; tied into Moroccos system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco (2015)

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)

Internet
Country code: .eh

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 6 (2013)
Rank: 178
With paved runways total: 3 (2013)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways total: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Ad Dakhla, Laayoune (El Aaiun)


top of page


Disputes international: no country has recognized Morocco’s claim to the Western Saharaseveral states have extended diplomatic relations to the 'Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic' represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeriamore than 100,000 Sahrawi refugees continue to be sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria, which has hosted Sahrawi refugees since the 1980s

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs