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Description Western Sahara by rbd.me
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Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and claimed 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 the territory's final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, UN-sponsored talks between representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, which stalled in April 2008, resumed in August 2009. Rabat has put forward an autonomy proposal for the territory, which would allow for some local administration while maintaining Moroccan sovereignty. The Polisario, with Algeria's support, demands a popular referendum that includes the option of independence.
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Location
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Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
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Area - comparative
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about the size of Colorado
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Natural resources Western Sahara
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mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
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Population Western Sahara
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491,519
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Religions Western Sahara
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Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
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Languages
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NA
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Education Western Sahara expenditures
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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; 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 80 percent 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)
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Government Western Sahara type
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none
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Independence
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none; (residents of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara participate in Moroccan elections)
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Western Sahara Economy - overview
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12,000 (2005 est.)
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Investment Western Sahara
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Industries Western Sahara
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Airports Western Sahara
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