273008
Standard Arabic (national), Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Laayoune 262,000 (2014)
- Conventional long form
- none
- Conventional short form
- Western Sahara
- Local long form
- Local short form
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, was 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 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)
- Name
- El-Aaiun
- Geographic coordinates
- Time difference
- UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Daylight saving time
- +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
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.
- Inflation
- None%
- Total tax rate (% of commercial profits)
- None%
- Real Interest Rate
- None%
- Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP)
- None%
- Current Account Balance
- US$
- Labor Force, Total
- Employment in Agriculture
- %
- Employment in Industry
- %
- Employment in Services
- %
- Unemployment Rate
- %
- Imports of goods and services
- US$
- Exports of goods and services
- US$
- Total Merchandise Trade
- %
- FDI, net inflows
- US$
- Commercial Service Exports
- US$
fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
phosphate mining, handicrafts
- Commodities
- phosphates 62% (2012 est.)
- Partners
- Commodities
- fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
- Partners