Western Sahara is an area in North Africa bordering the Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco. Its governance is disputed between Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), but the majority of it is occupied by Morocco.

Understand

While there is a large coastline, much of it is rocky and not fit for beaches or travel. Large-scale fishing and ports are at Ad Dakhla. Much of the territory is arid desert. The area near the sand wall created by the Moroccan military (also known as “the berm”) is surrounded by land mines and should be avoided. Administratively, the territory was divided by Spain into two regions: the northern strip, known as Saguia el-Hamra, and the southern two-thirds, named Río de Oro.

History

Morocco occupied and annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and much of the southern portion of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania’s withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the liberation movement Polisario Front contesting Rabat‘s sovereignty ended in a 1991 cease-fire; a referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. The Polisario declared the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in 1976, but the country has only been recognized by around 28 states and has actual control over only a largely uninhabited eastern slice of territory.

People

Western Sahara’s inhabitants, known as Sahrawis, are of Arab and Berber ethnicity and speak the Hassānīya dialect of Arabic.

Economy

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. Virtually all trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, a move that has angered Polisario and international observers. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.

Climate

Western Sahara has a hot desert climate, with tropical dry weather all year-round similar to Dubai. The interior of the territory has short, extremely warm winters but long, extremely hot summers. During summertime, daytime temperatures soar to 45°C (113°F) with blazing sunshine, but don’t feel so hot in the (usually non-existent) shade because of the very low humidity. The weather is nearly always the same : hot, sunny and dry. Rainfall is extremely scarce. Nights cool off quickly because of the lack of insulating cloud cover and can be cool with lows in single figures (< 10°C/50°F). Near to the Atlantic coast, light fogs can be generated by warm, moisture laden winds from the Atlantic Ocean, meeting the cooler early morning air from the desert.

Landscapes

Mostly low, flat desert, with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast. Low-lying sand dunes cover the territory.

If you are travelling overland, you will find no border formalities between Morocco and Western Sahara. Your passport may be asked for at the many checkpoints on the road south, but will not be stamped and thus technically you are still in Morocco.

Source: www.wikitravel.org/