Western Sahara

§1. Western Sahara Introduction

Background:
  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.

§2. Western Sahara Geography

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 km²
  land: 266,000 km²
  water: 0 km²

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 location 463 m

Natural resources:
  phosphates, iron ore

Land use:
  arable land: 0.02%
  permanent crops: 0%
  other: 99.98% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  NA km²

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

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

§3. Western Sahara People

Population:
  273,008 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: NA
  15-64 years: NA
  65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  NA

Birth rate:
  NA births/1,000 population

Death rate:
  NA deaths/1,000 population

Sex ratio:
  NA

Infant mortality rate:
  total: NA
  male: NA
  female: NA

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: NA years
  male: NA years
  female: NA years

Total fertility rate:
  NA children born/woman

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  NA

Major infectious diseases:
  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) (2005)

Nationality:
  noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
  adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian

Ethnic groups:
  Arab, Berber

Religions:
  Muslim

Languages:
  Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Literacy:
  NA

§4. Western Sahara Government

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, 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

Capital:
  none

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

§5. Western Sahara Economy

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. All trade and other
  economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan
  energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast
  of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards
  of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $NA

GDP (official exchange rate):
  NA

GDP - real growth rate:
  NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $NA

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: NA%
  industry: NA%
  services: 40%

Labor force:
  12,000

Labor force - by occupation:
  animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%

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: $NA
  expenditures: $NA

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%

Electricity - production:
  85 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  83.7 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  1,750 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Exports:
  $NA

Exports - commodities:
  phosphates 62%

Exports - partners:
  Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are
  included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004)

Imports:
  $NA

Imports - commodities:
  fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
  Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are
  included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004)

Debt - external:
  $NA

Economic aid - recipient:
  $NA

Currency (code):
  Moroccan dirham (MAD)

Exchange rates:
  Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003),
  11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Western Sahara Communications

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)

Television broadcast stations:
  NA

Internet country code:
  .eh

Internet users:
  NA

§7. Western Sahara Transportation

Airports:
  11 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 3
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 8
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 4
  under 914 m: 3 (2005)

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

§8. Western Sahara Transnational Issues

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


<Factbook 2006>
