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Compare Western Sahara (2008) - Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2008)

Compare Western Sahara (2008) z Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2008)

 Western Sahara (2008)Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2008)
 Western SaharaAshmore and Cartier Islands
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 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 total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km		 total: 5 sq km


land: 5 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Background 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. These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is now a marine reserve.
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 hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew tropical
Coastline 1,110 km 74.1 km
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara		 conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands


conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Death rate NA -
Debt - external $NA -
Dependency status - territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Attorney-General's Department
Diplomatic representation from the US none none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation in the US none none (territory of Australia)
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 Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to these islands; Australia closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier Reserve to Indonesian traditional fishing and placed restrictions on certain catches
Economic aid - recipient $NA -
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. no economic activity
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: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m		 lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location 3 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land NA
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 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 Australia is used
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%		 -
GDP - real growth rate NA% -
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 12 14 S, 123 05 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983
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 0 sq km
Labor force 12,000 -
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%		 -
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km		 0 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)		 arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2005)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic -
Legal system - the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA		 -
Literacy NA -
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between northwestern Australia and Timor island
Map references Africa Southeast Asia
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian		 -
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 surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore fish
People - note - the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has become an ongoing problem
Political pressure groups and leaders none -
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.)		 no indigenous inhabitants


note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island
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 mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast low with sand and coral
Total fertility rate NA -
Unemployment rate NA% -
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