Western Sahara – The Western Sahara ( Spanish Sahara Occidental ) is a territory on the Atlantic coast of northwest Africa, after the withdrawal of the former colonial power Spain from Morocco claims and largely annexed was. Morocco considers the pre-colonial times in a loose affiliation with him a standing area as part of its territory. The already to Spanish colonial times created, originally oriented communist “liberation front” of the Saharawi people (the people of Western Sahara), the Polisario Front is fighting for an independent state, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic , on the whole territory of Western Sahara. Since the ceasefire of 1991, the Polisario Front controls a strip in the east of the Western Sahara.
The United Nations request the implementation of a referendum on the final status of the territory under international law. The modalities of implementation of such a referendum could yet no consensus between the representatives of Morocco and the Sahrawi people are achieved.
Geography of Western Sahara
The territory of Western Sahara in northwestern Africa on the coast to the Atlantic Ocean and covers an area of 266,000 sq. km. It is divided geographically into a northern part of the Spanish colonial period as the province of Saguia el Hamra and formed into the flat corrugated gravel and rubble deserts ( Hamadah ) predominate. The terrain rises from the coast inland gradually to a height of about 400 meters, with the highest elevations above 700 meters in the north, near the Algerian border. The southern region is about the former province of Río de Oro and is almost completely flat with scattered sand dunes ( erg ) , which provide the steady, almost barren gravel plain just for some variety. The third type are the landscapes after the rainy season in some places water-bearing dry river valleys ( wadis ) represents, of which the Saguia el Hamra oasis for the economy has the greatest importance. It is up to its end at Aaiun shortly before the Atlantic Ocean with 350 km the longest river in the country.
Climate, Flora and Fauna of Western Sahara
Desert climate prevails, rain is rare, and in coastal areas often leads to fog formation. A more luxuriant vegetation is just around the river oases and some Gueltas to find. It is adapted to the dry habitat species, such as gerbils and thorn-tailed Agama . In the caves on the Atlantic coast, especially on the Cabo Blanco peninsula harbor the largest populations of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal .
The population of the Western Sahara territory of 373 008 inhabitants (July 2005) consists mainly of Arabs and Arabized Berbers . In the originally inhabiting the area Sahrawis is it to Arab nomads , but of which a part for years in refugee camps near Tindouf in Algeria lives. Which is predominantly spoken Moroccan Arabic immigrants from the north, also see the Hassania dialect of the original population of the Moroccan population, one in neighboring Mauritania common regional form of Arabic. Nearly 100% of the population are Muslims.