Western Sahara
territory in North and West Africa
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World Factbook
CIA reference data · 3 sections
Geography
Location
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Climate
hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Terrain
mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Natural resources
phosphates, iron ore
People & Society
Population
652,271 (July 2020 est.)
Languages
Standard Arabic, Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, Berber, Spanish, French
Religions
Muslim
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)
Source: CIA World Factbook · public domain (US gov work, 17 USC §105) · fetched 2026-05-06
Western Sahara
Summary
Western Sahara is a disputed territory[1]. It has Wikipedia articles in 29 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[2]
Key Facts
- Western Sahara is in the country of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic[3].
- Western Sahara is on the body of water Atlantic Ocean[4].
- Western Sahara is on the continent of Africa[5].
- Western Sahara's instance of is recorded as disputed territory[6].
- Western Sahara's instance of is recorded as United Nations list of non-self-governing territories[7].
- Western Sahara's instance of is recorded as occupied territory[8].
- Western Sahara's currency is recorded as Moroccan dirham[9].
- Western Sahara's currency is recorded as Sahrawi peseta[10].
- Western Sahara's shares border with is recorded as Mauritania[11].
- Western Sahara's shares border with is recorded as Algeria[12].
- Western Sahara's shares border with is recorded as Morocco[13].
- Western Sahara's top-level Internet domain is recorded as .eh[14].
- Western Sahara's flag is recorded as flag of Western Sahara[15].
- Western Sahara is part of North Africa[16].
- Western Sahara's Commons category is recorded as Western Sahara[17].
- Western Sahara's located in time zone is recorded as UTC±00:00[18].
- Western Sahara's located in time zone is recorded as UTC+01:00[19].
- Western Sahara's located in time zone is recorded as Africa/El_Aaiun[20].
- Western Sahara's said to be the same as is recorded as Southern Provinces[21].
- Western Sahara's telephone country code is recorded as +212[22].
- Western Sahara's Unicode character is recorded as 🇪🇭[23].
- Western Sahara's coordinate location is recorded as {'lat': 25, 'lon': -13}[24].
- Western Sahara's topic's main category is recorded as Category:Western Sahara[25].
- Western Sahara's Commons gallery is recorded as صحراء غربية - Sahara Occidental[26].
- Western Sahara's described at URL is recorded as https://www.placemania.sk/svetova-zaujimavost/zapadna-sahara/[27].
Body
Geography
Western Sahara is in the country of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic[3]. It is on the body of water Atlantic Ocean[4]. It is on the continent of Africa[5]. It is part of North Africa[16].
Physical Characteristics
Population counts include {'amount': '+582000'}[28] and {'amount': '+612000'}[29].
Designation and Status
Recorded instance of include disputed territory[6], United Nations list of non-self-governing territories[7], and occupied territory[8].
Why It Matters
Western Sahara has Wikipedia articles in 29 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[2] It is known by 26 alternative names across languages and contexts.[30]