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Compare Western Sahara (2008) - Spratly Islands (2004)

Compare Western Sahara (2008) z Spratly Islands (2004)

 Western Sahara (2008)Spratly Islands (2004)
 Western SaharaSpratly 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) 3 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)		 total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


less than 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km		 total: less than 5 sq km


land: less than 5 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado NA
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. The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef, but has not made any formal claim.
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 926 km
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara		 conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Spratly Islands
Death rate NA -
Debt - external $NA -
Diplomatic representation from the US none -
Diplomatic representation in the US none -
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 all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct"
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. Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored; there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
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: South China Sea 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 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 -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%		 -
GDP - real growth rate NA% -
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 8 38 N, 111 55 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs
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 (1998 est.)
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% (2001)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic -
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, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines
Map references Africa Southeast Asia
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue NA
Military - note - Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
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 typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential
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: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% -
Population growth rate NA -
Ports and harbors - none; offshore anchorage only
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 flat
Total fertility rate NA -
Unemployment rate NA% -
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