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Compare Iles Eparses (2006) - Western Sahara (2008)

Compare Iles Eparses (2006) z Western Sahara (2008)

 Iles Eparses (2006)Western Sahara (2008)
 Iles EparsesWestern Sahara
Administrative divisions - none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Age structure - 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.)
Agriculture - products - fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
Airports 4 (2006) 9 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways - total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area Bassas da India: total - 80 sq km; land - 0.2 sq km; water - 79.8 sq km (lagoon)


Europa Island: total - 28 sq km; land - 28 sq km; water - 0 sq km


Glorioso Islands: total - 5 sq km; land - 5 sq km; water - 0 sq km


Juan de Nova Island: total - 4.4 sq km; land - 4.4 sq km; water - 0 sq km


Tromelin Island: total - 1 sq km; land - 1 sq km; water - 0 sq km
total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative Bassas da India: land area about one-third the size of The Mall in Washington, DC


Europa Island: about one-sixth the size of Washington, DC


Glorioso Islands: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC


Juan de Nova Island: about seven times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC


Tromelin Island: about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
about the size of Colorado
Background The Iles Eparses, or scattered islands, are a group of five French entities - Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island - which on 1 April 1960 came under the authority of the Minister in charge of overseas possessions. On 19 September 1960 by decree, the islands were transferred to the charge of the Prefet of Reunion where they remained until 3 January 2005 when they were transferred by another decree to the Senior Administrator of the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF).


Bassas da India: A French possession since 1897, this atoll is a volcanic seamount surrounded by reefs and awash at high tide.


Europa Island: A French possession since 1897, the island is heavily wooded; it is the site of a small military garrison that staffs a weather station.


Glorioso Islands: A French possession since 1892, the Glorioso Islands are composed of two lushly vegetated coral islands (Ile Glorieuse and Ile du Lys) and three rock islets. A military garrison operates a weather and radio station on Ile Glorieuse.


Juan de Nova Island: Named after a famous 15th century Spanish navigator and explorer, the island has been a French possession since 1897. It has been exploited for its guano and phosphate. Presently a small military garrison oversees a meteorological station.


Tromelin Island: First explored by the French in 1776, the island came under the jurisdiction of Reunion in 1814. At present, it serves as a sea turtle sanctuary and is the site of an important meteorological station.
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. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008.
Birth rate - NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget - revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
Capital - none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Coastline Bassas da India: 35.2 km


Europa Island: 22.2 km


Glorioso Islands: 35.2 km


Juan de Nova Island: 24.1 km


Tromelin Island: 3.7 km
1,110 km
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Tromelin Island


local long form: none


local short form: Bassas da India, Ile Europa, Iles Glorieuses, Ile Juan de Nova, Ile Tromelin
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
Death rate - NA
Debt - external - $NA
Dependency status possessions of France; administered by the Senior Administrator of the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF), resident in Reunion -
Diplomatic representation from the US - none
Diplomatic representation in the US - none
Disputes - international Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: claimed by Madagascar


Tromelin Island: claimed by Mauritius
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
Economic aid - recipient - $NA
Economy - overview no economic activity 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.
Electricity - consumption - 79.05 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production - 85 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Bassas da India 2.4 m; Europa Island 24 m; Glorioso Islands 12 m; Juan de Nova Island 10 m; Tromelin Island 7 m (all unnamed locations)
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
Environment - current issues - sparse water and lack of arable land
Environment - international agreements - party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups - Arab, Berber
Exchange rates - Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Senior Administrator Michel CHAMPON none
Exports - 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities - phosphates 62%
Exports - partners - Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
Fiscal year - calendar year
Flag description the flag of France is used -
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
GDP - real growth rate - NA%
Geographic coordinates Bassas da India: 21 30 S, 39 50 E


Europa Island: 22 20 S, 40 22 E


Glorioso Islands: 11 30 S, 47 20 E


Juan de Nova Island: 17 03 S, 42 45 E


Tromelin Island: 15 52 S, 54 25 E
24 30 N, 13 00 W
Geography - note Bassas da India: the atoll is a circular reef that sits atop a long-extinct, submerged volcano


Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island: wildlife sanctuary for seabirds and sea turtles


Glorioso Islands: the islands and rocks are surrounded by an extensive reef system


Tromelin Island: climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones in the western Indian Ocean; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises)
the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports - 1,698 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities - fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners - Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
Industrial production growth rate - NA%
Industries - phosphate mining, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate - total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - NA%
International organization participation - none
Irrigated land - NA
Labor force - 12,000
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
Land boundaries none total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Land use Bassas da India - 100% rock, coral reef, and sand; Europa Island - 100% mangrove swamp and dry woodlands; Glorioso Islands - 100% lush vegetation and coconut palms; Juan de Nova Island - 90% forest, 10% other; Tromelin Island - 100% grasses and scattered brush arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
Languages - Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Legal system the laws of France, where applicable, apply -
Life expectancy at birth - total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Literacy - NA
Location Southern Africa, in the Indian Ocean


Bassas da India: atoll in the southern Mozambique Channel, about half way from Madagascar to Mozambique


Europa Island: island in the Mozambique Channel, about half way between southern Madagascar and southern Mozambique


Glorioso Islands: group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Madagascar


Juan de Nova Island: island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique


Tromelin Island: island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; note - Juan de Nova Island and Tromelin Island claim a continental shelf of 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Military - note defense is the responsibility of France -
Nationality - noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Natural hazards all islands subject to periodic cyclones


Bassas da India: maritime hazard since it is under water for a period of three hours prior to and following the high tide and surrounded by reefs
hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Natural resources Bassas da India and Europa Island: none


Glorioso Islands and Juan de Nova Island: guano, phosphates; coconuts


Tromelin Island: fish
phosphates, iron ore
Political pressure groups and leaders - none
Population Bassas da India: uninhabitable


Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: a small French military garrison and a few meteorologists on each possession; visited by scientists


Tromelin Island: uninhabited, except for visits by scientists
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.)
Population below poverty line - NA%
Population growth rate - NA
Radio broadcast stations - AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions - Muslim
Sex ratio - NA
Suffrage - none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
Telephone system - 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
Telephones - main lines in use - about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular - 0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations - NA
Terrain Bassas da India: atoll, awash at high tide; shallow (15 m) lagoon


Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: low, flat, and sandy


Tromelin Island: low, flat, sandy; likely volcanic seamount
mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Total fertility rate - NA
Transportation - note aids to navigation - lighthouses: Europa Island 18m; Juan de Nova Island (W side) 37m; Tromelin Island (NW point) 11m -
Unemployment rate - NA%
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