Outline of Western Sahara
Encyclopedia
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
is a disputed territory located in western North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, bordered by Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
to the north, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
in the northeast, Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
to the east and south, and the North Atlantic Ocean on the west. It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly consisting of desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
flatlands. The largest city is El Aaiún
El Aaiún
El-Aaiún , is a city in Western Sahara founded by the Spanish in 1928. Administered by Morocco since 1976, El-Aaiún is the capital of what the Moroccan government call the region of Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, and POLISARIO call Occupied Territories...
(Laâyoune), which is home to over half of the population of the territory.
Western Sahara has been on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories
United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories
The United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories is a list of countries that, according to the United Nations, are non-decolonized. The list was initially prepared in 1946 pursuant to Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter, and has been updated by the General Assembly on recommendation...
since the 1960s when it was a Spanish colony. The Kingdom of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and the Polisario Front
Polisario Front
The POLISARIO, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
independence movement (and government of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a partially recognised state that claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. SADR was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on February 27, 1976, in Bir Lehlu, Western Sahara. The SADR government controls about...
or SADR) dispute control of the territory.
Since a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
-sponsored ceasefire agreement in 1991, most of the territory has been controlled by Morocco, with the remainder under the control of the Polisario/SADR, backed by Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. Internationally, major powers such as the United States have taken a generally ambiguous and neutral position on each side's claims, and have pressed both parties to agree on a peaceful resolution. Both Morocco and Polisario have sought to boost their claims by accumulating formal recognition, essentially from African, Asian, and Latin American states in the developing world. Polisario has won formal recognition for SADR from roughly 45 states
Foreign relations of Western Sahara
Western Sahara, formerly the Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara, is a disputed territory claimed by both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front...
, and was extended membership in the African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
, while Morocco has won formal recognition for its position from 25 states, as well as the membership of the Arab League
Arab League
The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...
. In both instances, recognitions have over the past two decades been extended and withdrawn according to changing international trends.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Western Sahara:
General reference
- PronunciationInternational Phonetic AlphabetThe International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
: - Common English country name: Western SaharaWestern SaharaWestern Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
- Official English country name: none
- Common endonym(s):
- Official endonym(s):
- Adjectival(s): Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
- Demonym(s):
- EtymologyEtymologyEtymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
: Name of Western Sahara - ISO country codes: EH, ESH, 732
- ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:EHISO 3166-2:EHISO 3166-2:EH is the entry for Western Sahara in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently no ISO 3166-2 codes are...
- InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
country code top-level domainCountry code top-level domainA country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
: .eh.ehWestern Sahara is a disputed territory, in turn it has no country code top-level domain , but .eh is reserved for that purpose. IANA has no sponsoring organizations assigned to this domain....
Geography of Western Sahara
- Western Sahara is: a country
- Location
- Western Sahara is situated within the following regions:
- Northern HemisphereNorthern HemisphereThe Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
and Western HemisphereWestern HemisphereThe Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions... - AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
- Sahara DesertSaharaThe Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
- North AfricaNorth AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
- Sahara Desert
- Northern Hemisphere
- Time zoneTime zoneA time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
: Coordinated Universal TimeCoordinated Universal TimeCoordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
UTC+00 - Extreme points of Western Sahara
- High: unnamed location 805 m (2,641 ft)
- Low: Sebjet Tah -55 m
- Land boundaries: 2,046 km
- Western Sahara is situated within the following regions:
-
Mauritania 1,561 km
Morocco 443 km
Algeria 42 km
- Coastline: North Atlantic Ocean 1,110 km
- Population of Western Sahara: 480,000 - 167th most populous country
- Area of Western Sahara: 266,000 km2
- Atlas of Western Sahara
Environment of Western Sahara
- Climate of Western Sahara
- Environmental issues in Western Sahara
- Ecoregions in Western Sahara
- Renewable energy in Western Sahara
- Geology of Western Sahara
- Protected areas of Western Sahara
- Biosphere reserves in Western Sahara
- National parks of Western Sahara
- Wildlife of Western SaharaWildlife of Western SaharaThe wildlife of Western Sahara is composed of its flora and fauna. It has 40 species of mammals and 207 species of birds....
- Flora of Western Sahara
- Fauna of Western Sahara
- Birds of Western Sahara
- Mammals of Western Sahara
Natural geographic features of Western Sahara
- Glaciers in Western Sahara: none
- Islands of Western Sahara
- Lakes of Western Sahara
- Mountains of Western Sahara
- Volcanoes in Western Sahara
- Rivers of Western Sahara
- Waterfalls of Western Sahara
- Valleys of Western Sahara
- World Heritage Sites in Western Sahara: None
Ecoregions of Western Sahara
Administrative divisions of Western Sahara
- Provinces of Western Sahara
- Districts of Western Sahara
- Municipalities of Western Sahara
- Districts of Western Sahara
Municipalities of Western Sahara
- Capital of Western Sahara:
- Bir Lehlou (de facto - headquarters of the Polisario FrontPolisario FrontThe POLISARIO, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
) - El AaiúnEl AaiúnEl-Aaiún , is a city in Western Sahara founded by the Spanish in 1928. Administered by Morocco since 1976, El-Aaiún is the capital of what the Moroccan government call the region of Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, and POLISARIO call Occupied Territories...
(de jure - headquarters of Morrocan occupation)
- Bir Lehlou (de facto - headquarters of the Polisario Front
- Cities of Western Sahara
Government and politics of Western Sahara
- Main article: Government of Western Sahara and Politics of Western SaharaPolitics of Western SaharaThe politics of Western Sahara take place in a framework of an area claimed by both the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and the Kingdom of Morocco, which controls the majority of the territory....
- Form of governmentForm of governmentA form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
: - Capital of Western Sahara:
- Bir Lehlou (de facto - headquarters of the Polisario FrontPolisario FrontThe POLISARIO, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
) - El AaiúnEl AaiúnEl-Aaiún , is a city in Western Sahara founded by the Spanish in 1928. Administered by Morocco since 1976, El-Aaiún is the capital of what the Moroccan government call the region of Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, and POLISARIO call Occupied Territories...
(de jure - headquarters of Morrocan occupation)
- Bir Lehlou (de facto - headquarters of the Polisario Front
- Elections in Western SaharaElections in Western SaharaElections in the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic gives information on election and election results in the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic claims the Western Sahara, a territory largely administered by Morocco since Spain abandoned it in 1975...
- (specific elections)
- Political parties in Western Sahara
- Political scandals of Western Sahara
- Taxation in Western Sahara
Executive branch of the government of Western Sahara
- Head of stateHead of StateA head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
: President of Western Sahara, Mohamed AbdelazizMohamed AbdelazizMohamed Abdelaziz is the 3rd and current Secretary General of the Polisario Front and President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic since 1976... - Head of governmentHead of governmentHead of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
: Prime Minister of Western Sahara, - Cabinet of Western Sahara
Legislative branch of the government of Western Sahara
- Parliament of Western Sahara (bicameral)
- Upper houseUpper houseAn upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
: Senate of Western Sahara - Lower houseLower houseA lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
: House of Commons of Western Sahara
- Upper house
Judicial branch of the government of Western Sahara
- Supreme Court of Western Sahara
Foreign relations of Western Sahara
- Diplomatic missions in Western Sahara
- Diplomatic missions of Western Sahara
International organization membership
Western Sahara is a member of:- World Federation of Trade UnionsWorld Federation of Trade UnionsThe World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
(WFTU)
Law and order in Western Sahara
- Capital punishment in Western Sahara
- Constitution of Western Sahara
- Crime in Western Sahara
- Human rights in Western SaharaHuman rights in Western SaharaMorocco sees Western Sahara as its Southern Provinces. Morocco considers the Polisario Front as a separatist movement given the Moroccan origins of many of its leaders, and a puppet in the hands of Algeria....
- LGBT rights in Western Sahara
- Freedom of religion in Western Sahara
- Law enforcement in Western Sahara
Military of Western Sahara
- Command
- Commander-in-chiefCommander-in-ChiefA commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
:- Ministry of Defence of Western Sahara
- Commander-in-chief
- Forces
- Army of Western Sahara
- Navy of Western Sahara
- Air Force of Western Sahara
- Special forces of Western Sahara
- Military history of Western Sahara
- Military ranks of Western Sahara
History of Western Sahara
- Main article: History of Western SaharaHistory of Western SaharaThe history of Western Sahara can be traced back to the times of Carthaginian explorer Hanno the Navigator in the 5th century BC. Though few historical records are left from that period, Western Sahara's modern history has its roots linked to some nomadic groups such as the Sanhaja group and the...
, Timeline of the history of Western Sahara, and Current events of Western Sahara
- Economic history of Western Sahara
- Military history of Western Sahara
Culture of Western Sahara
- Architecture of Western Sahara
- Cuisine of Western Sahara
- Ethnic minorities in Western Sahara
- Festivals in Western Sahara
- Humor in Western Sahara
- Languages of Western Sahara
- Media in Western Sahara
- National symbols of Western Sahara
- Coat of arms of Western Sahara
- Flag of Western Sahara
- National anthem of Western Sahara
- People of Western Sahara
- Prostitution in Western Sahara
- Public holidays in Western Sahara
- Records of Western Sahara
- Religion in Western Sahara
- Buddhism in Western Sahara
- Christianity in Western Sahara
- Hinduism in Western Sahara
- Islam in Western SaharaIslam in Western SaharaAccording to the CIA World Factbook, Muslims make up nearly 100% of the population of the Western Sahara....
- Judaism in Western Sahara
- Sikhism in Western Sahara
- World Heritage Sites in Western Sahara: None
Art in Western Sahara
- Art in Western Sahara
- Cinema of Western Sahara
- Literature of Western Sahara
- Music of Western SaharaMusic of Western SaharaSahrawi music shares much in common with neighbouring musical traditions such as those of Mauritanian and southern Moroccan. The Tbal is the basic instrument of percussion, though the traditional string instrument called Tidinit, has largely been replaced by electric guitar.The first Sahrawi music...
- Television in Western Sahara
- Theatre in Western Sahara
Sports in Western Sahara
- Football in Western Sahara
- Western Sahara at the Olympics
Economy and infrastructure of Western Sahara
- Agriculture in Western Sahara
- Banking in Western Sahara
- National Bank of Western Sahara
- Communications in Western SaharaCommunications in Western SaharaTelephones - main lines in use:about 2,000 Telephones - mobile cellular:0 Telephone system:sparse and limited systemdomestic:NAinternational:...
- Internet in Western Sahara
- Companies of Western Sahara
- Currency of Western SaharaCurrencyIn economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
: DirhamMoroccan dirhamThe dirham is the currency of Morocco. The plural form is pronounced darahim, although in French and English "dirhams" is commonly used. Its ISO 4217 code is "MAD". It is subdivided into 100 santimat . The dirham is issued by the Bank Al-Maghrib, the central bank of Morocco...
- ISO 4217ISO 4217ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
: MAD
- ISO 4217
- Economic history of Western Sahara
- Energy in Western Sahara
- Energy policy of Western Sahara
- Oil industry in Western Sahara
- Health care in Western Sahara
- Mining in Western Sahara
- Western Sahara Stock Exchange
- Tourism in Western Sahara
- Transport in Western SaharaTransport in Western Sahara-Rail:Western Sahara has no freight or passenger service railways, with the exception of a section of the Mauritania Railway; which , cuts across the extreme south-eastern corner of the territory.-Roads:...
- Airports in Western Sahara
- Rail transport in Western Sahara
- Roads in Western Sahara
- Water supply and sanitation in Western Sahara
See also
- Index of Western Sahara-related articles
- List of international rankings
- List of Western Sahara-related topics
- Outline of AfricaOutline of AfricaThe following outline provides an overview of and topical guide to the continent Africa:Africa – world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia.-Geography of Africa:* Atlas of Africa* List of cities in Africa...
- Outline of geographyOutline of geographyThe following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
- Outline of MoroccoOutline of MoroccoThe Kingdom of Morocco is a sovereign country located in western North Africa. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea...
- Outline of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicOutline of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicThe Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a partially recognised state which claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. SADR was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on February 27, 1976. The SADR government currently controls about 20% of the territory it...
External links
OverviewsNews
Special topics
- Western Sahara, Landmine Monitor Report 2003 On the Baker PlanBaker PlanThe Baker Plan is a United Nations initiative to grant self-determination to Western Sahara...
debate - Western Sahara Project: archaeology and past environmental change in Western Sahara
Maps
- http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/dpko/minurso.pdf Minurso Deployment as of October 2006, Map No. 3691 Rev. 53 United Nations, October 2006 (Colour), Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Cartographic Section
Tourism
Other