🌍 Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Area & Boundaries
Total Area
266,000 km²
Land Area
266,000 km²
Water Area
N/A km²
World Rank by Area
#null
Land Boundaries
2,049 km
Coastline
1,110 km
Bordering Countries
Algeria (41 km)
Mauritania (1,564 km)
Morocco (444 km)
Terrain & Climate
Terrain: mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Climate: hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Elevation
Highest Point
: N/Am
Lowest Point
: nullm
Mean Elevation
256m
Natural Resources
phosphates, iron ore
👥 Demographics
Population Overview
Total Population (2024)
N/A
World Rank
#null
Growth Rate
2.54%
Urbanization
null%
Age & Life Expectancy
Median Age
21.8 years
Life Expectancy
null years
Birth Rate
28 per 1,000
Death Rate
7.7 per 1,000
Major Urban Areas
Languages
- Standard Arabic
- Hassaniya Arabic
- Moroccan Arabic
- Berber
- Spanish
- French
Education
Literacy Rate: null% (Male: null%, Female: null%)
💼 Economy
Western Sahara has a small market-based economy whose main industries are fishing, phosphate mining, tourism, and pastoral nomadism. The territory's arid desert climate makes sedentary agriculture difficult, and much of its food is imported. 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. As of April 2018, Moroccan and EU authorities were negotiating an amendment to renew the agreement. ++ Oil has never been found in Western Sahara in commercially significant quantities, but Morocco and the Polisario have quarreled over rights 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. However, following King MOHAMMED VI's November 2015 visit to Western Sahara, the Government of Morocco announced a series of investments aimed at spurring economic activity in the region, while the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises announced a $609 million investment initiative in the region in March 2015.
GDP & Economic Indicators
GDP (PPP)
N/A
GDP (Official Rate)
N/A
GDP per Capita (PPP)
N/A
World GDP Rank
#null
GDP Growth Rate
null%
Unemployment Rate
null%
Inflation Rate
null%
Public Debt (% of GDP)
null%
GDP Composition by Sector
Agriculture
null%
Industry
null%
Services
40%
Major Industries
phosphate mining, handicrafts
Trade
Exports
N/A
Imports
N/A
Foreign Exchange Reserves
N/A
Currency
(null)
🏛️ Government
Government Type
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), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ until his death in May 2016; current President Brahim GHALI elected in July 2016; 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 75% 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)
Suffrage
none; (residents of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara participate in Moroccan elections)
Executive Branch
Chief of State:
Head of Government:
Legislative Branch