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Western Sahara

2015 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
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 (2008)
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
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]
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 key 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 December 2013 finalized a four-year agreement allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including 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.
Exchange rates [time series]
Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - | 8.3798 (2014) | 8.3803 (2013) | 8.6 (2012) | 8.0899 (2011) | 8.4172 (2010)
Exports [time series]
$NA
Exports - commodities [time series]
phosphates 62% (2012 est.)
Fiscal year [time series]
calendar year
GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]
$NA
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]
$906.5 million (2007 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205
GDP - composition, by sector of origin [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: 196
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: 178
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
agriculture: 50% | industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line [time series]
NA%
Taxes and other revenues [time series]
NA%
Unemployment rate [time series]
NA%
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions (Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy) [time series]
316,100 Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 189
Crude oil - exports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210
Crude oil - imports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 148
Crude oil - production [time series]
0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210
Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]
0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210
Electricity - consumption [time series]
83.7 million kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 202
Electricity - exports [time series]
0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 215
Electricity - from fossil fuels [time series]
100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 2
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants [time series]
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 213
Electricity - from nuclear fuels [time series]
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 209
Electricity - from other renewable sources [time series]
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 144
Electricity - imports [time series]
0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 217
Electricity - installed generating capacity [time series]
58,000 kW (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 184
Electricity - production [time series]
90 million kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 202
Natural gas - consumption [time series]
0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 211
Natural gas - exports [time series]
0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210
Natural gas - imports [time series]
0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 81
Natural gas - production [time series]
0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 148
Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]
0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 207
Refined petroleum products - consumption [time series]
1,700 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 189
Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 145
Refined petroleum products - imports [time series]
1,702 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 185
Refined petroleum products - production [time series]
0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 147
Geography
Area [time series]
total: 266,000 sq km | land: 266,000 sq km | water: 0 sq km | country comparison to the world: 78
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
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: 2,049 km | border countries (3): Algeria 41 km, Mauritania 1,564 km, Morocco 444 km
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 18.8% | arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 18.8% | forest: 2.7% | other: 78.5% (2011 est.)
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 officially, the territory west of the Moroccan berm falls under de facto Moroccan control; Morocco claims the territory of Western Sahara, the political status of which is considered undetermined by the US Government; portions of the regions Guelmim-Es Smara and Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra as claimed by Morocco lie within Western Sahara; Morocco also claims Oued Eddahab-Lagouira, another region that falls entirely within Western Sahara
Capital [time series]
Laayoune (administrative center) | time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) | daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in September
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), based out of refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ
International organization participation [time series]
AU, CAN (observer), WFTU (NGOs)
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]
Western Sahara is a disputed territory on the northwest coast of Africa bordered by Morocco, Mauritania, and Algeria. After Spain withdrew from its former colony of Spanish Sahara in 1976, Morocco annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara 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 cease-fire and the establishment of a UN peacekeeping operation. As part of this effort, the UN sought to offer a choice to the peoples of the Western Sahara between independence (favored by the Polisario Front) or integration into Morocco. A proposed referendum never took place due to lack of agreement on voter eligibility. The 2,700 km- (1,700 mi-) long defensive sand berm, built by the Moroccans from 1980 to 1987 and running the length of the territory, continues to separate the opposing forces with Morocco controlling the roughly 80 percent of the territory west of the berm. Local demonstrations criticizing the Moroccan authorities occur regularly, and there are periodic ethnic tensions between the native Sahrawi population and Moroccan immigrants. Morocco maintains a heavy security presence in the territory.
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: 37.83% (male 109,147/female 106,789) | 15-24 years: 19.63% (male 56,412/female 55,624) | 25-54 years: 33.93% (male 95,296/female 98,391) | 55-64 years: 4.87% (male 12,974/female 14,829) | 65 years and over: 3.75% (male 9,406/female 11,998) (2015 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
30.24 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 40
Death rate [time series]
8.34 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 84
Dependency ratios [time series]
total dependency ratio: 40.2% | youth dependency ratio: 36.1% | elderly dependency ratio: 4.1% | potential support ratio: 24.4% (2015 est.)
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: 54.7 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 59.61 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 49.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 27
Languages [time series]
Standard Arabic (national), Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 62.64 years | male: 60.35 years | female: 65.02 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 190
Major urban areas - population [time series]
Laayoune 262,000 (2014)
Median age [time series]
total: 20.9 years | male: 20.5 years | female: 21.4 years (2015 est.)
Nationality [time series]
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) | adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Population [time series]
570,866 (July 2013 est.) | note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 172
Population growth rate [time series]
2.82% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 12
Religions [time series]
Muslim
Sex ratio [time series]
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.97 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female | total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
4 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 38
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 80.9% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 3.27% 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; approximately 90,000 Sahrawi refugees continue to be sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria, which has hosted Sahrawi refugees since the 1980s
Transportation
Airports [time series]
6 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 174
Airports - with paved runways [time series]
total: 3 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2013)
Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]
total: 3 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | 914 to 1,523 m: 1 | 1 (2013)
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
major seaport(s): Ad Dakhla, Laayoune (El Aaiun)