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Background:
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Morocco
virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara
(formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the
territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A
guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's
sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a
UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly
postponed. |
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Location:
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Northern
Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Mauritania and Morocco |
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Geographic coordinates:
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24 30 N, 13
00 W |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about the
size of Colorado |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km,
Morocco 443 km |
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Coastline:
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1,110 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contingent
upon resolution of sovereignty issue |
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Climate:
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hot, dry
desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog
and heavy dew |
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Terrain:
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mostly low,
flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces
rising to small mountains in south and northeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
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Natural resources:
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phosphates,
iron ore |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.98% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA |
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dry,
dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and
spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often
severely restricting visibility |
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Environment - current issues:
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sparse water
and lack of arable land |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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the waters
off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas |
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Population:
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382,617
note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex,
fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality
are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007
est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)
15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075)
(2007 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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NA |
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Birth rate:
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NA |
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Death rate:
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NA |
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Sex ratio:
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NA |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
NA
male: NA
female: NA |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: NA
male: NA
female: NA |
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Total fertility rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Major infectious diseases:
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degree of
risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in
some locations during the transmission season (typically
April through November) (2007) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Arab, Berber
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Religions:
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Muslim |
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Languages:
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Hassaniya
Arabic, Moroccan Arabic |
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Literacy:
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NA |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara
former: Spanish Sahara |
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Government type:
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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), led by
President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between
Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, 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;
guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a
UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991
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Capital:
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none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington,
DC during Standard Time) |
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Administrative divisions:
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none (under
de facto control of Morocco) |
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Suffrage:
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none; a
UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
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Executive branch:
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none |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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none |
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International organization participation:
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none |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none |
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Economy - overview:
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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. Incomes in
Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.
The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other
economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU
signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European
vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the
disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan
energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil
off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the
Polisario. However, in 2006, the Polisario awarded similar
exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would
come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their
dispute over Western Sahara. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$NA |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$NA |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA% |
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$NA |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: 40% |
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Labor force:
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12,000 |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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NA% |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$NA
expenditures: $NA |
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Agriculture - products:
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fruits and
vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats
(kept by nomads); fish |
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Industries:
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phosphate
mining, handicrafts |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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85 million
kWh (2004) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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79.05 million
kWh (2004) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2004)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2004)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2004 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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1,800 bbl/day
(2004 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA bbl/day
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Oil - imports:
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NA bbl/day
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2004
est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2004
est.) |
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Exports:
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$NA |
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Exports - commodities:
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phosphates
62% |
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Exports - partners:
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Morocco
claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are
included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) |
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Imports:
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$NA |
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Imports - commodities:
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fuel for
fishing fleet, foodstuffs |
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Imports - partners:
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Morocco
claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are
included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) |
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Debt - external:
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$NA |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$NA |
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Currency (code):
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Moroccan
dirham (MAD) |
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Exchange rates:
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Moroccan
dirhams per US dollar - 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868
(2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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about 2,000
(1999 est.) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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0 (1999) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 212; tied into
Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric
scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2, FM 0,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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NA |
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Internet country code:
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.eh |
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Internet users:
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NA |
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Airports:
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11 (2006)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2006) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Ad Dakhla,
Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) |
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Disputes - international:
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Morocco
claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty
remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained
in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN
Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but
attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus
far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states
have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab
Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in
exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan
sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately
102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf,
Algeria |
Information gathered from the Central Intelligence Agency
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