ARCHIVE // EH // 2011

Western Sahara

2011 Edition — disputed

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Communications
Broadcast media [time series]
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 [time series]
.eh
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]
NA (2010)
Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]
NA (2010)
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 has a small market-based economy whose main industries are fishing, phosphate mining, and pastoral nomadism. The territory's arid desert climate makes sedentary agriculture difficult, and Western Sahara imports much of its food. The Moroccan Government administers Western Sahara's economy and is a source of employment, infrastructure 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 [time series]
83.7 million kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 196
Electricity - exports [time series]
0 kWh (2009 est.)
Electricity - imports [time series]
0 kWh (2009 est.)
Electricity - production [time series]
90 million kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 196
Exchange rates [time series]
Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 8.3619 (2010) 8.0571 (2009) 8.3563 (2007) 8.7722 (2006)
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: 202
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: 179
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]
144,000 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 177
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
agriculture: 50% industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption [time series]
0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 143
Natural gas - exports [time series]
0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 205
Natural gas - imports [time series]
0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 203
Natural gas - production [time series]
0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 143
Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]
0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 205
Oil - consumption [time series]
2,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 192
Oil - exports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 209
Oil - imports [time series]
1,802 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 182
Oil - production [time series]
0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 146
Oil - proved reserves [time series]
0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 208
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: 78 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 (territory west of the berm under de facto Moroccan control)
Capital [time series]
none time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in July
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Rio de Oro, Saguia el Hamra, 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, 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 [time series]
AU, WFTU
Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]
none
Suffrage [time series]
none; (residents of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara participate in Moroccan elections)
Introduction
Background [time series]
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 and the nearly 1,700 mile-long defensive sand berm built by the Moroccans from 1980 to 1987 separates the opposing forces with Morocco controlling the roughly 80 percent of the territory west of the berm. 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. Ethnic tensions in Western Sahara occasionally erupt into violence requiring a Moroccan security force response.
Military
Manpower fit for military service [time series]
males age 16-49: 79,489 females age 16-49: 87,362 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]
male: 5,523 female: 5,429 (2010 est.)
People and Society
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 38.9% (male 99,797/female 97,700) 15-64 years: 57.5% (male 143,808/female 147,823) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 7,918/female 10,114) (2011 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
32.1 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 40
Death rate [time series]
8.96 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 71
Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]
NA
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: 60.44 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 34 male: 65.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 55.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)
Languages [time series]
Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 61.13 years country comparison to the world: 184 male: 58.94 years female: 63.41 years (2011 est.)
Literacy [time series]
NA
Major urban areas - population (Major cities - population) [time series]
EL AAIUN (capital) 213,000 (2009)
Median age [time series]
total: 20.3 years male: 19.8 years female: 20.8 years (2011 est.)
Nationality [time series]
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Population [time series]
507,160 (July 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 171 note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries
Population growth rate [time series]
3.097% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
Religions [time series]
Muslim
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]
NA
Sex ratio [time series]
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 (2011 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
4.3 children born/woman (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 36
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 82% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 3.5% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
Many neighboring states reject Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; 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 (2010) country comparison to the world: 174
Airports - with paved runways [time series]
total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2010)
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 (2010)
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
Ad Dakhla, Laayoune (El Aaiun)