Western+Sahara


 * __Western Sahara __**


 * 1) **Background:** Morocco annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979.
 * 2) **Location:** Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco.
 * 3) **Area:** //total:// 266,000 sq km, //water:// 0 sq km, //land:// 266,000 sq km. Borders: Morocco, Mauritania, and North Atlantic Ocean.
 * 4) **Climate:** Dry desert, hot, rain is rare, cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew.
 * 5) **Ethnic Groups:** Arab and Berber.
 * 6) **Government Type**: Democratic Republic.
 * 7) **Suffrage:** None.
 * 8) **GDP Per Capita:**
 * 9) **Agriculture Products:** Fruits, vegtables, camels, sheep, and goats.
 * 10) **Imports (commodities):** Fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs.
 * 11) **Religion:** Muslim.
 * 12) **Terrain:** Mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast.
 * 13) **Natural Resorces:** Phosphates, and iron ore.
 * 14) **Land Use:** Arable land 0%, permanent land 0%, other 100%.
 * 15) **Natural Hazards:** Hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility.
 * 16)  **Environmental Issues:** Sparse water and lack of arable land.
 * 17) **Languages:** Hassaniya Arabic, and Moroccan Arabic.
 * 18) ** Capital: ** None.
 * 19) **Leader:**
 * 20) **Military Expenditures:**
 * 21) **Industries:** Phosphate mining, and handicrafts.
 * 22) ** Currency/ Exchange Rate: ** Moroccan dirham, Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 11.584.
 * 23) **Education:**
 * 24) **Population:** 405,210.
 * 25) **Population Growth Rate:** 2.829%
 * 26) **Net Migration Rate:**
 * 27) **Infant Mortality Rate:** Male: 69.84 deaths/1,000 live births, female: 69.47 deaths/1,000 live births
 * 28) **Life Expectancy: Male:** 52 years. Female: 56 years.
 * 29) **Literacy:**
 * 30) **Independence:**
 * 31) **Economic Overview:** Depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the sources of income for the population. Lacks rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported.
 * 32) **Unemployment:**
 * 33) **Exports (commodities):** Phosphates 62%
 * 34) **Illicit Drugs:**
 * 35) **Internet Access:**


 * Map of Western Sahara **