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Background:
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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. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan
for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers
serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to
the UN in 2007. Since June 2007, representatives from the
Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met four
times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara. |
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Location:
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Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Mauritania and Morocco
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Geographic coordinates:
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24 30 N, 13 00 W
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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about the size of Colorado
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Land boundaries:
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total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km,
Morocco 443 km
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Coastline:
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1,110 km
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Maritime claims:
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contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
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Climate:
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hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents
produce fog and heavy dew
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Terrain:
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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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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed elevation 805 m
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Natural resources:
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phosphates, iron ore
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Land use:
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arable land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.98% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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NA
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during
winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of
time, often severely restricting visibility |
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Environment - current issues:
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sparse water and lack of arable land
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
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Geography - note:
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the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
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Population:
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393,831
note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex,
fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality
are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2008
est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 45.1% (male 90,306/female 87,498)
15-64 years: 52.6% (male 101,730/female 105,313)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,786/female 5,198)
(2008 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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2.868% NA (2008 est.)
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Birth rate:
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39.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Death rate:
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11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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NA
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 71.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 71.22 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 71.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 53.92 years NA
male: 51.64 years NA
female: 56.31 years NA (2008 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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NA 5.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
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Ethnic groups:
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Arab, Berber
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Religions:
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Muslim
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Languages:
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Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
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Literacy:
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NA
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara
former: Spanish Sahara
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Government type:
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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), led by President Mohamed
ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and
Mauritania in April 1976, 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;
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 or MINURSO
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Capital:
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none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington,
DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions:
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none (under de facto control of Morocco)
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Suffrage:
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none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet
completed
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Executive branch:
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none
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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none
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International organization participation:
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none
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none
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Economy - overview:
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Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and
phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the
population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for
sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food
for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in
Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.
The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other
economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU
signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European
vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the
disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan
energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil
off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the
Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar
exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would
come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their
dispute over Western Sahara. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$NA
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$NA
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA%
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$NA
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: 40%
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Labor force:
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12,000 (2005 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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NA%
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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NA%
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Budget:
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revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA
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Agriculture - products:
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fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels,
sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
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Industries:
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phosphate mining, handicrafts
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA%
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Electricity - production:
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85 million kWh (2005)
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Electricity - consumption:
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79.05 million kWh (2005)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2005)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2005)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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1,750 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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0 bbl/day (2004)
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Oil - imports:
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1,698 bbl/day (2004)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2005)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Exports:
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$NA
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Exports - commodities:
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phosphates 62%
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Exports - partners:
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Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade
partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
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Imports:
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$NA
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Imports - commodities:
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fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
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Imports - partners:
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Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade
partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$NA
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Debt - external:
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$NA
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Currency (code):
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Moroccan dirham (MAD)
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Exchange rates:
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Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722
(2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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about 2,000 (1999 est.)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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0 (1999)
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 212; tied into
Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric
scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
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Television broadcast stations:
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NA
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Internet country code:
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.eh
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Internet users:
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NA
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Airports:
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9 (2007)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
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Ports and terminals:
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Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)
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Disputes - international:
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Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose
sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire
has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by
the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO),
but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties
thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several
states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi
Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front
in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan
sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately
102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf,
Algeria |
This page was last updated on 4 September
2008
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