Country
Western Sahara
Northern Africa
Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory in north-western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean to the northwest, Morocco to the north-northeast, Algeria to the east-northeast, and Mauritania to the east and south. Most of the territory has been administered by Morocco since 1975, while the pro-independence Polisario Front proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) on 27 February 1976, governing the remainder from Tifariti and claiming the whole territory. Its international status remains disputed: as of this entry's writing (source accessed 2026-08-29), the SADR is recognised diplomatically by 36 UN member states (and South Ossetia), and it holds African Union membership, but the territory itself remains a UN-listed Non-Self-Governing Territory with no UN member recognising Moroccan sovereignty over it either.
Facts
CapitalLaayoune (SADR's de jure claimed capital, held and administered by Morocco); Tifariti (SADR's actual provisional seat of government, in SADR-controlled territory) 1 The SADR infobox names Laayoune as its de jure capital even though Morocco controls and administers that city; Tifariti and Bir Lehlou are named as the SADR's actual and former provisional seats in the territory it controls. Population2021 estimate for the whole Western Sahara territory, from its own Wikipedia infobox; this differs from the SADR's own infobox figures, which describe Sahrawi refugee-camp (173,600, 2023) and Free Zone (40,000, 2010) populations specifically rather than the whole territory. Population Estimate Year Area (sq km)Whole-territory figure from the Western Sahara page's own infobox; the SADR government-in-exile separately claims 266,000 sq km and controls roughly 90,000 sq km of it (the "Free Zone"). Independence or Founding YearThe Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on 27 February 1976, in Bir Lehlou, Western Sahara. Classification
Sovereignty StatusPartially Recognized State 1 Western Sahara
Connections
Associated With
Algeria, Countries Algeria borders Western Sahara to the east-northeast.
Source Western Sahara / Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Wikipedia)
Mauritania, Countries Mauritania borders Western Sahara to the east and south.
Source Western Sahara / Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Wikipedia)
Morocco, Countries Morocco borders Western Sahara to the north-northeast and administers most of the territory.
Source Western Sahara / Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Wikipedia)
North Africa, Regions Western Sahara is in North Africa.
Source Western Sahara / Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Wikipedia)
The Maghreb, Regions Western Sahara is in north-western Africa, the Maghreb region.
Source Western Sahara / Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Wikipedia)
Borders
Source CIA World Factbook (factbook.json archive): The World Factbook archive: Western Sahara
In the Other Atlases
Same As
Also in Political Atlas: the same subject.
Nationals Include
Also in Political Atlas: a national of this subject.
Source Brahim Ghali (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributorsLeadtier 2Quote, Lead
Brahim Ghali (; Arabic: إبراهيم غالي, romanized: Ibrāhīm Ġālī; born 19 August 1949) is a Sahrawi politician, military officer and current president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), formerly its ambassador to Algeria and Spain.
Location Of
Also in War and Military Atlas: which took place in this subject.
Source Western Sahara War (Wikipedia)Infobox: locationQuote, Infobox: location
Western Sahara
Found There
Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Source Cuvier's gazelle (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
Cuvier's gazelle (Gazella cuvieri) is a species of gazelle native to Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, and Tunisia.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Source Egyptian mouse-tailed bat (Wikipedia)Range and habitat, Western SaharaQuote, Range and habitat, Western Sahara
Its range includes several countries and regions in North Africa and the Middle East: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Western Sahara, and Yemen.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Source Greater mouse-tailed bat (Wikipedia)Range and habitat, Western SaharaQuote, Range and habitat, Western Sahara
It is found in Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, Western Sahara, and Yemen.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Source Sundevall's jird (Wikipedia)Lead, western-saharaQuote, Lead, western-sahara
It is found in Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Pakistan, Morocco, Niger, Palestine, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Western Sahara, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and possibly Mali.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Source Tarabul's gerbil (Wikipedia)DistributionQuote, Distribution
Tarabul's gerbil is found from northern Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara and Morocco east to Tibesti Mountains of Chad in the south and to Cyrenaica in eastern Libya in the north
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Sources
1. Western Sahara / Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationGovernment and politics section, capital
proclaimed a village in the area, Bir Lehlou and Tifariti, as SADR's former and actual temporary factual capitals
Lead section
It has a surface area of 272,000 square kilometres (105,000 sq mi).
Infobox, population
Population, Total 565,581
Lead section
Francoist Spain previously colonized the territory as the Spanish Sahara until 1975-1976. Spain attempted to transfer its administration to Morocco and Mauritania despite an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that those countries had no sovereignty over Western Sahara; a war erupted and the pro-independence Polisario Front proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
Lead section, SADR recognition
It is recognised by 36 UN member states and South Ossetia.
Geography section, borders
bordering the North Atlantic Ocean to the northwest, Morocco to the north-northeast, Algeria to the east-northeast, and Mauritania to the east and south
Lead paragraph, non-self-governing status
non-self-governing territory in north-western Africa
History section
The SADR has received partial international recognition and membership in the African Union.
View the Source 2. CIA World Factbook (factbook.json archive): The World Factbook archive: Western Sahara
CIA World Factbook (factbook.json archive)Geography, Coastline
1,110 km
Borders: Algeria, Geography, Land boundaries, border countries
Algeria 41 km, Mauritania 1564 km, Morocco 444 km
View the Source Wikidata: Western Sahara
Wikidata Q6250, hand-checked (w-geo-qidcite-0926): resolver reported unresolved/ambiguous by class allow-list alone; real-world identity verified by direct SPARQL P31 lookup.View the Source Bir Lehlou (Wikipedia)
Encompasses: Bir Lehlou, LeadQuote, Encompasses: Bir Lehlou, Lead
is an oasis town in north-eastern Western Sahara
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