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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Northern Africa,
bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and
Morocco |
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Geographic coordinates:
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24 30 N, 13 00 W |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
266,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about the size of
Colorado |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km,
Morocco 443 km |
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Coastline:
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1,110 km |
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Climate:
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hot, dry desert;
rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy
dew |
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Terrain:
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mostly low, flat
desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to
small mountains in south and northeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
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Natural resources:
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phosphates, iron
ore |
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Land use:
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arable land:
0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dry,
dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and
spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often
severely restricting visibility |
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Environment - current issues:
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sparse water and
lack of arable land |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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the waters off
the coast are particularly rich fishing areas |
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Population:
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267,405 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA% (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
|
NA% (2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
NA births/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
|
NA deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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NA (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
|
total: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% (2004 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
|
NA children
born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi,Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Arab, Berber |
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Religions:
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Muslim |
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Languages:
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Hassaniya Arabic,
Moroccan Arabic |
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Literacy:
|
definition:
NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara
former: Spanish Sahara |
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Government type:
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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 |
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Capital:
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none |
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Administrative divisions:
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none (under de
facto control of Morocco) |
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Suffrage:
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none; a
UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed |
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Executive branch:
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none |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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none |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none |
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $NA |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA% |
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GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power
parity - $NA |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: 40% (1996 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
NA% |
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Labor force:
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12,000 |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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animal husbandry
and subsistence farming 50% |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of
$NA |
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Industries:
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phosphate mining,
handicrafts |
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Industrial production growth rate:
|
NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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90 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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83.7 million kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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1,800 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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fruits and
vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats
(kept by nomads) |
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Exports:
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$NA |
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Exports - commodities:
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phosphates 62% |
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Exports - partners:
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Morocco claims
and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included
in overall Moroccan accounts |
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Imports:
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$NA |
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Imports - commodities:
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fuel for fishing
fleet, foodstuffs |
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Imports - partners:
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Morocco claims
and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included
in overall Moroccan accounts (2000) |
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Debt - external:
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$NA |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$NA |
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Currency:
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Moroccan dirham
(MAD) |
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Currency code:
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MAD |
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Exchange rates:
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Moroccan dirhams
per US dollar - 9.574 (2003), 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001),
10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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about
2,000 (1999 est.) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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0
(1999) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA
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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2,
FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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NA |
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Internet country code:
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.eh |
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Internet users:
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NA |
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Railways:
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0 km |
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Highways:
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total:
6,200 km
paved: 1,350 km
unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Ports and harbors:
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Ad Dakhla, Cabo
Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) |
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Airports:
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11 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2003 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Disputes - international:
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Morocco claims
and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains
unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect
since September 1991 but attempts to hold a referendum have
failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered
proposals; Polisario, Algeria and European supporters agree to
latest US-brokered UN proposals for limited temporary autonomy
for 4-5 years followed by a referendum on independence, but a
final response from Morocco is pending; Mauritanian claims to
Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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