The El Ayoun (Arabic العيون, Spanish: El Aaiún), also known as Λααγιούν, is the largest city in the disputed Western Sahara. The city is the capital of the Moroccan-run Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region under the auspices of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO). At the same time, however, it is also its capital Arab Democratic Republic of the Sahara. It is located 20 km east of the Atlantic Ocean coast in Western Sahara. It has a population of 192,640 inhabitants. The city was the center of the local Zemla Intifada uprising of the natives (Sahrawi) that took place on June 17, 1970 which resulted in heavy bloodshed, resulting in deaths ranging from 2 to 11 people.
