Map of Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a country in Africa, home to about 612,000 people across 266,000 km². The interactive map below plots 1 cities and towns recorded for Western Sahara in YearMaps.
- Population
- 612,000
- Area
- 266,000 km²
- Continent
- Africa
Interactive Map of Western Sahara
Centred on Western Sahara at 26.1192° N, 9.6525° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a United Nations–designated non-self-governing territory in north-western Africa. It has a surface area of 272,000 square kilometres (105,000 sq mi). Western Sahara is the last African colonial state yet to achieve independence and has been dubbed "Africa's last colony". With an estimated 600,000 inhabitants, it is the most sparsely populated territory in Africa and the second most sparsely populated territory in the world after Greenland, consisting mainly of desert flatlands.
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). Mauritania withdrew its claims in 1979, and Morocco secured de facto control of most of the territory, including all major cities and most natural resources. The SADR established a government-in-exile in Tindouf, Algeria. A UN-sponsored ceasefire agreement was reached in 1991, though a planned referendum monitored by the UN's MINURSO mission has since stalled.
Approximately 30% of the Western Sahara (mainly inland and along the Mauritanian and Algerian borders) is controlled by the Polisario Front and the remaining 70% (including almost all of the coast) is occupied by Morocco. Morocco maintains the Berm, a 2,700 km-long (1,700 mi) wall lined with land mines that splits the territory. The Polisario Front is recognized by the UN as the legitimate representative of the people of Western Sahara and is primarily supported by Algeria. The SADR has received partial international recognition and membership in the African Union. Morocco is supported by France and the United States; several states began expressing support for its autonomy proposal in the 2020s, and the United Nations Security Council in 2025 endorsed negotiating based on the proposal.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Western Sahara (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory on the northwest coast of Africa bordered by Morocco, Mauritania, and Algeria. After Spain withdrew from its former colony of Spanish Sahara in 1976, Morocco annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara and claimed the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Morocco's sovereignty ended in a 1991 cease-fire and the establishment of a UN peacekeeping operation. As part of this effort, the UN sought to offer a choice to the peoples of Western Sahara between independence (favored by the Polisario Front) or integration into Morocco. A proposed referendum on the question of independence never took place due to lack of agreement on voter eligibility. The approximately 1,600 km- (almost 1,000 mi-) long defensive sand berm, built by the Moroccans from 1980 to 1987 and running the length of the territory, continues to separate the opposing forces, with Morocco controlling the roughly three-quarters of the territory west of the berm. There are periodic ethnic tensions between the native Sahrawi population and Moroccan immigrants. Morocco maintains a heavy security presence in the territory. The UN revived direct talks about the territory between Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria, and Mauritania in December 2018.
- Location
- Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco.
- Climate
- Hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew.
- Terrain
- Mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast.
- Highest point
- Unnamed elevation 805 m.
- Lowest point
- Sebjet Tah -55 m.
- Coastline
- 1,110 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 2,049 km; border countries: Algeria 41 km, Mauritania 1564 km, Morocco 444 km.
- Natural resources
- Phosphates, iron ore.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 18.8% (2011 est.); arable land / permanent crops / permanent pasture: 0% (2011 est.) / 0% (2011 est.) / 18.8% (2011 est.); forest: 2.7% (2011 est.); other: 78.5% (2011 est.)
- 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.
- Geographic note
- The waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas.
- Languages
- Standard Arabic, Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, Berber, Spanish, French.
- Religions
- Muslim.
- Ethnic groups
- Arab, Berber.
- Economy
- Western Sahara has a small market-based economy whose main industries are fishing, phosphate mining, tourism, and pastoral nomadism. The territory's arid desert climate makes sedentary agriculture difficult, and much of its food is imported. The Moroccan Government administers Western Sahara's economy and is a key source of employment, infrastructure development, and social spending in the territory. ++ Western Sahara's unresolved legal status makes the exploitation of its natural resources a contentious issue between Morocco and the Polisario. Morocco and the EU in December 2013 finalized a four-year agreement allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. As of April 2018, Moroccan and EU authorities were negotiating an amendment to renew the agreement. ++ Oil has never been found in Western Sahara in commercially significant quantities, but Morocco and the Polisario have quarreled over rights to authorize and benefit from oil exploration in the territory. Western Sahara's main long-term economic challenge is the development of a more diverse set of industries capable of providing greater employment and income to the territory. However, following King MOHAMMED VI's November 2015 visit to Western Sahara, the Government of Morocco announced a series of investments aimed at spurring economic activity in the region, while the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises announced a $609 million investment initiative in the region in March 2015.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Western Sahara in Depth
History
The earliest known inhabitants of Western Sahara were the Gaetuli. Depending on the century, Roman-era sources describe the area as inhabited by Gaetulian Autololes or the Gaetulian Daradae tribes. Berber heritage is still evident from regional and place-name toponymy, as well as from tribal names.
Other early inhabitants of Western Sahara may be the Bafour and later the Serer. The Bafour were later replaced or absorbed by Berber-speaking populations, which eventually merged in turn with the migrating Beni Ḥassān Arab tribes.
The arrival of Islam in the 8th century played a major role in the development of the Maghreb region. Trade developed further, and the territory may have been one of the routes for caravans, especially between Marrakesh and Tombouctou in Mali.
Geography
Western Sahara is located on the north-west coast in West Africa and on the cusp of North 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.
Among the most arid and inhospitable on the planet, the land along the coast is low flat desert and rises, especially in the north, to small mountains reaching up to 600 metres (2,000 ft) on the eastern side.
While the area can experience flash flooding in the spring, there are no permanent streams. At times, a cool off-shore current can produce fog and heavy dew.
Economy
Aside from its rich fishing waters and phosphate reserves, Western Sahara has few natural resources and lacks sufficient rainfall and freshwater resources for most agricultural activities. There is speculation that there may be off-shore oil and natural gas fields, but the debate persists as to whether these resources can be profitably exploited, and if this would be legally permitted due to the non-self-governing status of Western Sahara (see below).
Western Sahara's phosphate mine at Bou Craa produces approximately 10% of Morocco's annual phosphate output. This mine has the longest conveyor belt in the world, at 98 km (61 mi). However, these reserves represent less than 2% of proven phosphate reserves in Morocco.
Demographics
The indigenous population of Western Sahara is usually known in Western media as Sahrawis, but they are also referred to in Morocco as "Southerners" or "Southern Berbers". They are Hassaniya-speaking or Berber-speaking tribes of Berber origin (97% of Y-DNA). Many of them have mixed Berber-Arab heritage, effectively continuations of the tribal groupings of Hassaniya-speaking and Zenaga-Berber speaking Moorish tribes extending south into Mauritania and north into Morocco as well as east into Algeria.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Western Sahara (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Western Sahara: Key Facts
| Currencies | Moroccan dirham, الدراهم المغربي |
|---|---|
| Official language | Arabic |
| Calling code | +212 |
| Lowest point | Sebkha Tah |
Facts from Wikidata Q6250 (CC0).
History of Western Sahara: Empires and States
The atlas records 5 polities whose mapped territory included part of Western Sahara, from Almoravid Dynasty in 1056 CE to 1975 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| Almoravid Dynasty | 1056–1138 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of Spain | 1890–1931 CE | Nearly all |
| The Spanish Empire | 1890–1931 CE | Nearly all |
| Second Spanish Republic | 1932–1938 CE | Nearly all |
| Francoist Spain | 1939–1975 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of Western Sahara
Western Sahara on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Western Sahara
Western Sahara (Arabic: الصحراء الغربية, Spanish: Sáhara Occidental, Berber: ⵜⵉⵏⵉⵔⵉ ⵜⵓⵜⵔⵉⵎⵜ) is an area on the west coast of North Africa. A former Spanish colony, its governance is disputed between Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). After a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991 ended a war between the two, Morocco ended up de facto controlling about 80% (and almost the entire coast) of the disputed area, with SADR controlling the region around the Mauritanian and Algerian borders. The Berm is the de facto border between the two administrations, and the areas around it are full of landmines.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Western Sahara (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Western Sahara
1 city recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bir Lehlou | 500 | — | Admin-0 capital alt |
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Western Sahara
1 landform recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Africa | 29.41M km² | Continent | Africa |
Countries Bordering Western Sahara
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Africa
Western Sahara: Quick Answers
- What is the population of Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara has a population of about 612,000, the #171 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: Wikidata.
- How big is Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara covers 266,000 km², ranking #78 by area, with about 2 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Western Sahara in?
- Western Sahara is in Africa.
- Which countries border Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara shares a land or maritime border with Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco.
- What is the largest city in Western Sahara?
- Bir Lehlou is the largest city in Western Sahara, with a metropolitan population of about 500.