2010 Edition

Background

Morocco 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 Morocco's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on the territory's final status has been repeatedly postponed. The UN since 2007 has sponsored intermittent talks between representatives of the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front to negotiate the status of Western Sahara. Morocco has put forward an autonomy proposal for the territory, which would allow for some local administration while maintaining Moroccan sovereignty. The Polisario, with Algeria's support, demands a popular referendum that includes the option of independence.

Area

land

266,000 sq km

total

266,000 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about the size of Colorado

Climate

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

Coastline

1,110 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

unnamed elevation 805 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

Geographic coordinates

24 30 N, 13 00 W

Geography - note

the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

border countries

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

total

2,046 km

Land use

arable land

0.02%

other

99.98% (2005)

permanent crops

0%

Location

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

Map references

Africa

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

Natural resources

phosphates, iron ore

Terrain

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 44.9% (male 92,428/female 89,570) 15-64 years: 52.8% (male 105,191/female 108,803) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,881/female 5,337) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

32.56 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

9.13 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Ethnic groups

Arab, Berber

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

56.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

67.13 deaths/1,000 live births

total

61.97 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Life expectancy at birth

female

62.99 years (2010 est.)

male

58.57 years

total population

60.74 years

Literacy

NA

Median age

female

20.6 years (2010 est.)

male

19.7 years

total

20.1 years

Nationality

adjective

Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian

noun

Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)

Population

491,519 note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

3.169% (2010 est.)

Religions

Muslim

Sex ratio

at birth

1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.37 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

81% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

none (territory west of the berm under de facto Moroccan control)

Capital

none

time difference

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Western Sahara

former

Rio de Oro, Saguia el Hamra, Spanish Sahara

Diplomatic representation from the US

none

Diplomatic representation in the US

none

Executive branch

none

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, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; 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 80 percent 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)

International organization participation

AU, WFTU

Political pressure groups and leaders

none

Suffrage

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

Agriculture - products

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

Debt - external

$NA

Economy - overview

Western Sahara has a small market-based economy whose main indutries are fishing, phosphate mining, and pastoral nomadism. The territory's arid desert climate makes sedentary agriculture difficult, and Wstern Sahara imports much of its food. The Moroccan Government administers Western Sahara's economy and is a source of employment, infrstructure 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 July 2006 signed a four-year agreement allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Oil has never been found in Western Sahara in commercially significant quantities, but Morocco and the Polisario have quarreled over who has the right 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.

Electricity - consumption

83.7 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

90 million kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 8.3619 (2009), 7.526 (2008), 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722 (2006)

Exports

$NA

Exports - commodities

phosphates 62%

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

40% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

NA%

GDP (official exchange rate)

$NA

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$900 million (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$NA

Imports - commodities

fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

phosphate mining, handicrafts

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

Labor force

144,000 (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

50%

industry and services

50% (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

2,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

1,702 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

NA%

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

Telephone system

domestic

NA

general assessment

sparse and limited system

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

Telephones - main lines in use

about 2,000 (1999 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

0 (1999)

Airports

6 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2010)

Ports and terminals

Ad Dakhla, Laayoune (El Aaiun)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 76,483 females age 16-49: 83,988 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

5,280 (2010 est.)

male

5,376

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; 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 page last updated on January 13, 2011 ======================================================================