| 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 cease-fire; a referendum on final status has
been repeatedly postponed and is not expected to occur until
at least 2002. |
| Location: |
Northern Africa,
bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and
Morocco |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
24 30 N, 13 00 W |
| Area: |
total:
266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| 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 |
| 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%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 19%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 81% |
| 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 |
| Population: |
250,559 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Arab, Berber |
| Languages: |
Hassaniya Arabic,
Moroccan Arabic |
| Literacy: |
definition:
NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara
former: Spanish Sahara |
| Government
type: |
legal status of
territory and question 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); 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 OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities
continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was
implemented 6 September 1991 |
| Administrative
divisions: |
none (under de
facto control of Morocco) |
| Suffrage: |
none; a
UN-sponsored voter identification campaign has yet to be
completed |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
none |
| International
organization participation: |
none |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
none |
| Economy
- overview: |
Western Sahara, a
territory poor in natural resources and lacking sufficient
rainfall, depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and
phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the
population. Most of the food for the urban population must
be imported. All trade and other economic activities are
controlled by the Moroccan Government. Incomes and standards
of living are substantially below the Moroccan level. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $NA |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $NA |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: 40%-45% (1996 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
NA% |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
animal husbandry
and subsistence farming 50% |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital
expenditures of $NA |
| Industries: |
phosphate mining,
handicrafts |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
90 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
83.7 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
fruits and
vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats
(kept by nomads) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
phosphates 62% |
| Exports
- partners: |
Morocco claims
and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are
included in overall Moroccan accounts |
| Imports
- commodities: |
fuel for fishing
fleet, foodstuffs |
| Imports
- partners: |
Morocco claims
and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are
included in overall Moroccan accounts |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$NA |
| Currency: |
Moroccan dirham
(MAD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Moroccan dirhams
per US dollar - 10.590 (January 2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804
(1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997), 8.716 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| 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: 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 |
| Televisions: |
6,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.eh |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
6,200 km
paved: 1,350 km
unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est.) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Ad Dakhla, Cabo
Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
| Disputes
- international: |
claimed and
administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved and
the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the
UN-administered cease-fire has been in effect since
September 1991 |
|
