Western Sahara (2007) | Western Sahara (2003) | |
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.) |
0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) |
Airports | 9 (2007) | 11 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
total: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2002) |
Birth rate | NA | NA births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
Capital | none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
none |
Currency | - | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
Death rate | NA | NA deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Disputes - international | 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 | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties have rejected other proposals; Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years; Morocco allowed Spanish fishermen to fish temporarily off the coast of Western Sahara after an oil spill soiled Spanish fishing grounds |
Economy - overview | 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. | 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. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. |
Electricity - consumption | 79.05 million kWh (2005) | 83.7 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 85 million kWh (2005) | 90 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Exchange rates | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002) | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997) |
Exports | NA bbl/day | NA (2001) |
Exports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $NA |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40% |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $NA |
Highways | - | total: 6,200 km
paved: 1,350 km unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est) |
Imports | NA bbl/day | NA (2001) |
Imports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2000) |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: NA%
male: NA% female: NA% |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% |
animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% |
Land use | arable land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
Nationality | noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
Population | 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.) |
261,794 (July 2003 est.) |
Population growth rate | NA | NA% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Sex ratio | NA | NA (2003 est.) |
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 |
general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
Total fertility rate | NA | NA children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |