ARCHIVE // EH // 2009

Western Sahara

2009 Edition — disputed

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Communications
Internet country code [time series]
.eh
Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]
AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
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
Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]
about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]
0 (1999) country comparison to the world: 222
Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]
NA
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]
fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
Budget [time series]
revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA
Debt - external [time series]
$NA
Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]
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. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara.
Electricity - consumption [time series]
83.7 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 192
Electricity - exports [time series]
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports [time series]
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - production [time series]
90 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 192
Exchange rates [time series]
Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 7.526 (2008 est.), 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004)
Exports [time series]
$NA
Exports - commodities [time series]
phosphates 62%
GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]
$NA
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]
$900 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 204
GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: 40% (2007 est.)
Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]
$2,500 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 174
Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports [time series]
$NA
Imports - commodities [time series]
fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
NA%
Industries [time series]
phosphate mining, handicrafts
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
NA%
Labor force [time series]
12,000 (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 208
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
agriculture: 50% industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption [time series]
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
Natural gas - exports [time series]
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 88
Natural gas - imports [time series]
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
Natural gas - production [time series]
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
Oil - consumption [time series]
2,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 181
Oil - exports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 155
Oil - imports [time series]
1,702 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 179
Oil - production [time series]
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 122
Oil - proved reserves [time series]
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 115
Population below poverty line [time series]
NA%
Unemployment rate [time series]
NA%
Geography
Area [time series]
total: 266,000 sq km country comparison to the world: 77 land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative [time series]
about the size of Colorado
Climate [time series]
hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Coastline [time series]
1,110 km
Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed elevation 805 m
Environment - current issues [time series]
sparse water and lack of arable land
International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]
party to: none of the selected agreements
Geographic coordinates [time series]
24 30 N, 13 00 W
Geography - note [time series]
the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
Irrigated land [time series]
NA
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Land use [time series]
arable land: 0.02% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005)
Location [time series]
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Map references [time series]
Africa
Maritime claims [time series]
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Natural hazards [time series]
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 [time series]
phosphates, iron ore
Terrain [time series]
mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Capital [time series]
none time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
none
Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]
none
Executive branch [time series]
none
Government type [time series]
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 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; 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 or MINURSO
International organization participation [time series]
WFTU
Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]
none
Suffrage [time series]
none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
Introduction
Background [time series]
Morocco virtually 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 Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on the territory's final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007 that called for independence. Representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met four times since June 2007 to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, but talks have stalled since the UN envoy to the territory stated in April 2008 that independence is unrealistic.
Military
Manpower fit for military service [time series]
males age 16-49: 52,267 females age 16-49: 59,221 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]
male: 4,796 female: 4,679 (2009 est.)
People
Age structure [time series]
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) (2009 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
39.54 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Death rate [time series]
11.49 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 44
Ethnic groups [time series]
Arab, Berber
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]
NA
Infant mortality rate [time series]
total: 69.66 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 25 male: 69.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 69.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Languages [time series]
Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 54.32 years country comparison to the world: 195 male: 52 years female: 56.73 years (2009 est.)
Literacy [time series]
NA
Median age [time series]
total: 17.3 years male: 16.8 years female: 17.8 years (2009 est.)
Nationality [time series]
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Population [time series]
405,210 country comparison to the world: 172 note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2009 est.)
Population growth rate [time series]
2.829% NA (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 15
Religions [time series]
Muslim
Sex ratio [time series]
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
NA 5.61 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 15
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 81% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
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
Transportation
Airports [time series]
6 (2009) country comparison to the world: 173
Airports - with paved runways [time series]
total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]
total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)