Western Sahara: Territory in North and West 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 Laâyoune. More than half the population live there. The territory has a population estimated at just more than 500,000.

Western Sahara الصحراء الغربية (in Arabic) Sahara Occidental (in Spanish)
Capital	El Aaiún (Al âyoune)
Largest city	El Aaiún (Al âyoune)
Official languages	see respective claimants
Spoken languages	Berber and Hassaniya Arabic are locally spoken. Spanish and French are widely used.
Demonym(s)	Western Saharan
Disputed sovereignty1
• Relinquished by Spain	14 November 1975
Area
• Total	266,000 km2 (103,000 sq mi) (76th)
• Water (%)	negligible
Population
• 2009 estimate	513,000 (168th)
• Density	1.9/km2 (4.9/sq mi) (237th)
Currency	Moroccan Dirham (in the Morocco-controlled zone) Algerian Dinar with the Sahrawi Peseta being commemorative and not circulating (in the SADR-controlled zone) (MAD)
Time zone	UTC+0
Calling code	+212 (Tied with Morocco)
ISO 3166 code	EH
Internet TLD	None. .eh reserved, not officially assigned.
1 Mostly under administration of Morocco as its Southern Provinces. The Polisario Front controls border areas behind the border wall as the Free Zone, on behalf of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Western Sahara has been on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories since the 1960s when it was a Spanish colony. 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. The rest of Western Sahara is controlled by the Polisario/SADR, backed by Algeria. 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. 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.