Western Sahara - Sahara Zachodnia

Western Sahara
location
Flag
Main information
Capital city	Al-Ujuna
Political system	presidential republic
Currency	Moroccan dirham
Surface	266 000
Population	406 200
Tongue	Arabic and Spanish
religion	Islam
Code	212
Internet domain	.eh
Time zone	UTC 0
Time zone	UTC 0

Western Sahara - former Spanish colony (as the Spanish Sahara) in the north Africa over the Atlantic Ocean, currently occupied by Moroccowhich he calls the Southern Province. Western Sahara shares borders with Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania. To date, disputes about the belonging or independence of this territory have not been resolved

Characteristic

Geography

Western Sahara is a politically unregulated territory that lies in the western part of Africa on the Atlantic Ocean. The country under Moroccan control is characterized by a dry and desert climate, where the landscape is devoid of vegetation. Much of the country is covered by plains and highlands, which make up more than half of the country's territory. The highest point is one of the peaks in the southern part of the Atlas Mountains, which is 701 meters high.

Climate

The entire area of ​​Western Sahara is located in a tropical dry and extremely dry climate zone. Desert weather conditions prevail throughout the country, mainly characterized by high thermal amplitudes between day and night. The western part of the country is under the influence of the cold Canary Current.

History

In 1911, the territories of Western Sahara became a Spanish colony under the name of the Spanish Sahara, in exchange for the recognition by Spain of a French protectorate over Morocco. It ceased to be so in 1975, when after the action known as the green march, when 300,000 Moroccans entered Spanish territory, Spain renounced rights to this part of the world. Initially, claims to Western Sahara, in addition to Morocco, were also made by Mauritania, which even occupied the southern part of the territory, but withdrew after a few years as a result of the action of the Polisario resistance movement, which was striving for the independence of the Western Sahara.

Morocco currently controls most of the Western Sahara and wishes to maintain that control because of its rich phosphate deposits as well as the large amount of funds invested in modernizing the territory. The eastern part of the country remains in the hands of the Polisario Front. The movement has now suspended military action following the announcement of an independence referendum. Nevertheless, it still persists status quo with the western part of the country in Moroccan hands and the eastern part in the hands of Polisario.

Policy

The head of the state (territory controlled by the Polisario Front) is the president, who has been Ibrahim Ghali since July 12, 2016, and Mohamed Wali Akeik has been the prime minister of the government since February 4, 2018. Legislative power is exercised by the Parliament - the Sahrawi National Council.

The government is currently in exile in the city of Tinduf, Algeria. In 1999, the Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic was proclaimed.

Economy

Most of Western Sahara's territory remains economically underutilized. The road network is poorly developed. The most important branches of the economy are fishing, exploitation of natural resources (the local phosphate deposits are among the richest in the world) and the cultivation of date palm trees in oases. The west coast also has great opportunities to obtain wind energy. The western part of the country is currently receiving large subsidies for the development of infrastructure from the Moroccan budget as part of the program of settlement of this territory by Moroccans. The eastern part of Western Sahara and the refugee camps in neighboring Algeria (the largest in the city of Tinduf) depend on international aid.

Drive

By car

By plane

By ship

Regions

Western Sahara does not have its own administrative division, apart from the division of the country into two provinces (Ad-Dakhla-Wadi az-Zahab and Al-Ujun-As-Sakyya al-Hamra) belonging to the Kingdom of Morocco. The organization Front Polisario, which strives for independence, does not recognize either the Moroccan administration or the sovereignty of this country over the Western Sahara.

Cities

• Al-Ujuna
• Ad-Dakhla
• As-Asmara
• Budżur
• Al-Marsa

Interesting places

• Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe, Sultan Abd al-Aziz Mosque and Plaza de la Marcha Verde in Al Ujuna
• Buildings in Asmara
• Beaches in Ad-Dakhla and Budżur
• Al-Mars coast
• Landscapes and monuments of the Saguia el Hamra valley

Transport

Road transport

There are 6,200 km of roads in the country, of which about 1,200 are asphalt roads. There are not many expressways here, except for the N1 highway that connects the southern part of Western Sahara with Al Ujuna. There are special carriers on the local roads, able to transport people along the entire highway.

Railway transport

In Western Sahara, there is relatively well-developed rail transport, which, however, is not one of the safest means of transport in this area, due to the route of the local railroads through the Polisario Front.

The number of tracks here is 440 km long.

Air Transport

The state is served by two main airports, located in Al-Ayun, Ad-Dakhla and Asmara. From these cities you can get, among others on the nearby Canary Islands.

Maritime transport

Western Sahara is situated on the Atlantic Ocean, but despite this fact, the country does not have a well-organized sea transport. It deals mainly with the transport of industrial goods, rarely tourists. The largest of the seaports is located in the city of Ad-Dakhla.

Shopping

Gastronomy

Accommodation

Security

Health

contact

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