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Definition: Western Sahara from Collins English Dictionary

n

1 a disputed region of NW Africa, on the Atlantic: mainly desert; rich phosphate deposits; a Spanish overseas province from 1958 to 1975; partitioned in 1976 between Morocco and Mauritania who faced growing resistance from the Polisario Front, an organization aiming for the independence of the region as the Democratic Saharan Arab Republic. Mauritania renounced its claim in 1979 and it was taken over by Morocco. Polisario agreed to a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991 but attempts to settle the status of the region have failed. Pop: 538 811 (2013 est). Area: 266 000 sq km (102 680 sq miles) Former name (until 1975): Spanish Sahara

Western Sahara

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
territory (2015 est. pop. 526,000), 102,703 sq mi (266,000 sq km), NW Africa, occupied by Morocco. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean in the west, on Morocco in the north, on Algeria in the northeast, and on Mauritania in the east and south. The territory is divided into four districts: Laayoune, Essemara, Boujdour, and Oued Essemara. Part of the Sahara, it is extremely arid and is almost entirely covered with stones, gravel, or sand. Rocky highlands in the east reach c.1,500 ft (460 m). The main towns are Laayoune (formerly El Aaiún), Dakhla (formerly Villa Cisneros), Boujdour, and Essemara. The population is predominantly made up of Arabs and Berbers, both of Sahrawi (Western Saharan) and Moroccan origin; during the rainy season pastoral nomads migrate into the territory. Both Hasaniya Arabic and Moroccan Arabic are spoken; most of the population is Sunni Muslim. The traditional economy is limited to the raising of goats, camels, and sheep, and the cultivation of date palms. There is…
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Full text Article Western Sahara

From Philip's Encyclopedia
(formerly Spanish Sahara) Desert territory on the Atlantic coast of NW Africa, bordering N with Morocco, NE with Algeria, and E and S with Mauritania; the capital is El Aaiún. The territory comprises two districts: Saguia el Hamra in the N, and Río de Oro in the S. The population consists of Arabs, …
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Full text Article Western Sahara

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Oasis in Río de Oro, Western Sahara. Credit:S-E....
Territory, northwestern Africa. Area: 97,344 sq mi (252,120 sq km). Population: (2016 est.) 530,000. Capital: Laayoune . Little is known of the area’s prehistory, though rock engravings in southern locations suggest a succession of nomadic groups. In the 4th century bce there was trade across the…
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Full text Article Western Sahara

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
territory (2015 est. pop. 526,000), 102,703 sq mi (266,000 sq km), NW Africa, occupied by Morocco. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean in the west, on Morocco in the north, on Algeria in the northeast, and on Mauritania in the east and south. The territory is divided into four districts: Laayoune, …
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Full text Article Western Sahara

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Disputed territory in northwest Africa, bounded to the north by Morocco, to the east and south by Mauritania, and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean; area 266,800 sq km/103,000 sq mi; population (2004) 417,000. The capital is Laâyoune (Arabic El Aaiún ). Exports include phosphates, of which there are…
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Full text Article Western Sahara

From Chambers Dictionary of World History
Western Sahara
A disputed desert territory on the coast of north-west Africa, administered by Morocco. It is bounded by Morocco in the north, Algeria in the north-east, Mauritania in the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean in the west. It was visited by Portuguese navigators in 1434 and claimed as a…
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Full text Article Polisario and the Western Sahara

From Encyclopedia of African History
The Western Sahara conflict. Training camp of...
In 1884, Spain occupied Rio de Oro and Vila Cisneros, proclaiming a Spanish protectorate over the Western Sahara coast. In 1990, a Franco-Spanish agreement settled the frontier between the Spanish Sahara and French-occupied Mauritania. In 1956, when it gained its independence from France, Morocco at…
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Western Sahara.
The parched wastes of Western Sahara, beyond the nineteenth-century frontier of Moroccan rule, were dominated by nomadic Saharawi camel herders. Based on complex tribal loyalties, kinship factions, subordinate castes, and tributary relationships, each tribe had its own assembly of notables who…
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Full text Article Western Sahara

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
This disputed territory on the coast of northwest Africa between Morocco and Mauritania was formerly the Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara. In 1975 it was partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania after an agreement with Spain. In 1979, however, Mauritania withdrew from their southern sector. Since…
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Full text Article Western Sahara

From Collins English Dictionary
n 1 a disputed region of NW Africa, on the Atlantic: mainly desert; rich phosphate deposits; a Spanish overseas province from 1958 to 1975; partitioned in 1976 between Morocco and Mauritania who faced growing resistance from the Polisario Front, an organization aiming for the independence of the…
| 109 words
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Full text Article Western Sahara

From Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary
Territory, NW Africa, bounded on N by Morocco, touching Algeria on NE, bounded on E and S by Mauritania, and on W by the Atlantic Ocean; 102,703 sq. mi. (266,001 sq. km.); pop. (2004e) 416,500; ✽ El Aaiún. Livestock, fish; vast phosphate deposits. Little European contact until 19th cent.; Spanish…
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