Boundaries shown do not imply endorsement.
In the region
AlgeriaFranceMaliMauritaniaMorocco
Country snapshot
Western Sahara| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Official name | No authoritative open source found |
| Government type | 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 until his death in May 2016; current President Brahim GHALI elected in July 2016; 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 75% 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)CIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| Capital | El-AaiunGeoNames [2024] |
| Head of state | No authoritative open source found |
| Total area | No authoritative open source found |
| Total population | 591,000 peopleUN DESA WPP [2024] |
| Languages | Standard Arabic, Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, Berber, Spanish, FrenchCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| GDP (nominal) | No authoritative open source found |
| GDP per capita | No authoritative open source found |
| Life expectancy | No authoritative open source found |
