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World > Africa > Western Sahara
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Western Sahara |
Introduction:
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Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.
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| Official name: |
Western Sahara |
| Capital: |
none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| 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 |
| Population: |
382,617
note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.) |
| Languages: |
Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic |
| Official Currency: |
Moroccan Dirham (MAD)
Current Moroccan Dirham Exchange Rates
Historical Moroccan Dirham Exchange Rates
Chart Moroccan Dirham Exchange Rates |
| Currency code: |
MAD |
| Area: |
total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Climate: |
hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew |
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Map of Western Sahara
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