2003 Edition

Administrative divisions

none (under de facto control of Morocco)

Age structure

0-14 years: NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

11 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

total

3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m

3 (2002) Military Western Sahara

Area

land

266,000 sq km

total

266,000 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about the size of Colorado

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. Geography Western Sahara

Birth rate

NA births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

revenues

$NA

Capital

none

Climate

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

Coastline

1,110 km

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Western Sahara

former

Spanish Sahara

Currency

Moroccan dirham (MAD)

Currency code

MAD

Death rate

NA deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$NA

Diplomatic representation from the US

none Economy Western Sahara

Diplomatic representation in the US

none

Disputes - international

Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties have rejected other proposals; Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years; Morocco allowed Spanish fishermen to fish temporarily off the coast of Western Sahara after an oil spill soiled Spanish fishing grounds This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Economic aid - recipient

$NA

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.

Electricity - consumption

83.7 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

90 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

unnamed location 463 m

lowest point

Sebjet Tah -55 m

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

Ethnic groups

Arab, Berber

Exchange rates

Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997)

Executive branch

none

Exports

$NA

Exports - commodities

phosphates 62%

Exports - partners

Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Western Sahara

GDP

purchasing power parity - $NA

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

40% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $NA

GDP - real growth rate

NA%

Geographic coordinates

24 30 N, 13 00 W

Geography - note

the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas People Western 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 OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991

Highways

paved

1,350 km

total

6,200 km

unpaved

4,850 km (1991 est)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

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 (2000)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

phosphate mining, handicrafts

Infant mortality rate

female

NA%

male

NA%

total

NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

International organization participation

none

Internet country code

.eh

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

NA Transportation Western Sahara

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Labor force

12,000

Labor force - by occupation

animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%

Land boundaries

border countries

Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km

total

2,046 km

Land use

arable land

0%

other

100% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

0%

Languages

Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Life expectancy at birth

female

NA years (2003 est.)

male

NA years

total population

NA years

Literacy

definition

NA

female

NA% Government Western Sahara

male

NA%

total population

NA%

Location

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA% Transnational Issues Western Sahara

Nationality

adjective

Sahrawian, Sahraouian

noun

Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)

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

Natural resources

phosphates, iron ore

Oil - consumption

1,800 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Political pressure groups and leaders

none

Population

261,794 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

NA% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

56,000 (1997)

Railways

0 km

Religions

Muslim

Sex ratio

NA (2003 est.)

Suffrage

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

Telephone system

domestic

NA

general assessment

sparse and limited system

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

Telephones - main lines in use

about 2,000 (1999 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

0 (1999)

Television broadcast stations

NA

Televisions

6,000 (1997)

Terrain

mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast

Total fertility rate

NA children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Waterways

none