Location of Western Sahara. Source: EdmundEzekielMahmudIsa/Wikipedia

Map of Western Sahara. Source:[1]

Western Sahara is a nation in northern-Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania to the south and Morocco to the north. It is being administered by Morocco which claims it and thus, its sovereignty is in dispute. It is mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast.

Western Sahara's environmental issues include: sparse water and lack of arable land. It is susceptible to the hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind which can occur during winter and spring; and also, widespread harmattan haze which exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility

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.

Geography

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

Geographic Coordinates: 24 30 N, 13 00 W

Area: 266,000 km² (266,000 km² land and 0 km² water)

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

Land Boundaries: 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

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

Terrain: Mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast. Its lowest point is Sebjet Tah (-55 metres) and its highest point is an unnamed elevation (805 metres).

Climate: Hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew

Government

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

Independence Date: none

Legal System: none

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

People and Society

Population: 393,831

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 45.1% (male 90,306/female 87,498)
15-64 years: 52.6% (male 101,730/female 105,313)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,786/female 5,198) (2008 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 2.868% NA (2008 est.)

Birth Rate: 39.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: NA

Life Expectancy at Birth: 53.92 years  (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 5.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Languages: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Literacy: NA

Agriculture

Agricultural Products: fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish

Resources

Natural Resources: phosphates, iron ore.

Energy

Conflict

International Disputes: 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

Economy

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): 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%

Population Below Poverty Line: NA %

Industries: phosphate mining, handicrafts

Exports: phosphates 62%

Export Partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)

Imports: fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs

Import Partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)

Economic Aid Recipient: NA%

Currency: Moroccan dirham (MAD)

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

Further Reading

1. [2]