From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Western Sahara
(Arabic:
??????? ???????
;
Amazigh
:
Tan??uft Tutrimt
;
Spanish
:
Sahara Occidental
) is a territory in
north Africa
. To the
north
is
Morocco
, to the
east
is
Algeria
, to the
south
is
Mauritania
, and to the
west
is the
Atlantic Ocean
. Its surface is 266,000 square kilometres (103,000 sq mi). It is one of the
most sparsely populated territories in the world
. Most of the territory is made of
desert
flatlands. The largest city is
Laayoune
. More than half the population live there. The territory has a population estimated at just more than 500,000.
[5]
Western Sahara has been on the
United Nations list of non-self-governing territories
since the 1960s when it was a Spanish colony.
[7]
The Kingdom of
Morocco
and the
Polisario Front
, with its
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
(SADR) government, both claim control over the territory.
Since 1975, most of the territory has been part of Morocco. In 1973, some Sahrawis claimed the Moroccans and Mauritanians were occupying their land and started a movement. The movement turned violent, and the United Nations brokered a ceasefire in 1991. Many Polisario members and their families became refugees in camps in Algeria.
[8]
The rest of Western Sahara is controlled by the Polisario/SADR, backed by
Algeria
.
[9]
Many important countries have pressed both parties to agree to a peaceful solution. Both Morocco and Polisario have tried to get recognition from other countries. Polisario has won formal recognition for SADR from 81 states, and was extended membership in the
African Union
, while Morocco has won recognition for its position from the
Arab League
.
[10]
[11]
In both instances, recognitions have over the past two decades been extended and withdrawn according to changing international trends.
Some countries (such as the United States) recognizes Morocco's sovereignty on Western Sahara, others claim that the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
are the legitimate
government
in Western Sahara. Most nations remain neutral on the subject. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic was made by the Polisario Front an armed militia fighting under Sahrawi nationalism.
- ↑
"Regions and territories: Western Sahara"
.
BBC
. 9 November 2010
. Retrieved
25 November
2010
.
- ↑
"Q&A: Western Sahara clashes"
.
BBC
. 8 November 2010
. Retrieved
25 November
2010
.
- ↑
Jensen, Erik (2005).
Western Sahara: Anatomy Of A Stalemate
. International Peace Academy Occasional Paper Series. Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 48.
ISBN
1588263053
.
- ↑
"Western Sahara"
. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2010
. Retrieved
25 November
2010
.
- ↑
5.0
5.1
Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division (2009).
"World Population Prospects, Table A.1"
(PDF)
. 2008 revision. United Nations
. Retrieved
12 March
2009
.
- ↑
Ahmed R. Benchemsi and Mehdi Sekkouri Alaoui.
"Au cœur du polisario"
. Telquel. Archived from
the original
on 25 December 2018
. Retrieved
23 September
2011
.
"Tout cela se paie en dinars algeriens"
- ↑
Whitfield, Teresa.
Friends Indeed?: The United Nations, Groups of Friends, and the Resolution of Conflict
. 2007, page 191.
- ↑
Conor Gaffey (March 9, 2016).
"Western Sahara: What is the 40-Year Dispute All About?"
. Newsweek
. Retrieved
July 23,
2020
.
- ↑
Baehr, Peter R.
The United Nations at the End of the 1990s
. 1999, page 129.
- ↑
Arab League supports Morocco's Territorial Integrity
Archived
2012-09-07 at the
Wayback Machine
, Arabic News, Morocco-Regional, Politics, January 8, 1999. Retrieved August 24, 2006.
- ↑
Arab League Withdraws Inaccurate Moroccan maps
Archived
2013-10-22 at the
Wayback Machine
, Arabic News, Regional-Morocco, Politics, December 17, 1998. Retrieved August 24, 2006.
Media related to
Western Sahara
at Wikimedia Commons
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Geographic
| |
---|
People
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|