*** Welcome to piglix ***

Sahrawi Arab Republic

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
  • República Árabe Saharaui Democrática  (Spanish)
  • الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية (Arabic)
Motto: الحرية والديمقراطية والوحدة
"Libertad, Democracia, Unidad" (Spanish)
"Liberté, Démocratie, Unité" (French)
"Liberty, Democracy, Unity"
Anthem: Yā Banīy As-Saharā
¡Oh hijos del Sáhara! (Spanish)
O fils du Sahara! (French)
Oh Sons of the Sahara
Areas controlled by the SADR in dark green, claimed but uncontrolled areas in light green
Areas controlled by the SADR in dark green, claimed but uncontrolled areas in light green
Capital
Largest city El-Aaiún (claimed)
Official languages Arabic
Spanish
Spoken
languages		 Hassaniya Arabic
Spanish
French (within Moroccan-controlled areas)
Demonym
Government One-party semi-presidential republic
• President
Brahim Ghali
Mohamed Wali Akeik
Legislature Sahrawi National Council
Sovereignty disputed with Morocco
• Western Sahara relinquished by Spain
November 14, 1975
• Republic declared
 February 27, 1976
Area
• Total
 266,000 km2 (103,000 sq mi) (83rd)
• Water (%)
 negligible
Population
• September 2010 estimate
 100,000 or 502,585c (182nd)
• Density
 0.37 or 1.9/km2 (1.0 or 4.9/sq mi) (236th)
GDP (PPP) estimate
• Per capita
 unknown
Currency
Time zone UTC
Internet TLD Nonee
  1. Article 4 of the Sahrawi constitution. The SADR government is based in the Tindouf refugee camps in Algeria. It controls the area east of the Moroccan Wall in Western Sahara which it labels the "Free Zone".
  2. Area of the whole territory of Western Sahara claimed by SADR.
  3. 500,000 is the estimate given for the population of Western Sahara based on comparative study of population growth since 1975, the date when the last census took place in Western Sahara. 100,000 is the estimated number of people living in the Tindouf refugee camps in Algeria where the SADR is headquartered.
  4. 75% to 80% of the claimed territory is de facto under Moroccan administration.
  5. TLD of .eh is reserved for Western Sahara but not yet granted to any claimant.

The Sahrawi Republic, officially the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR; Spanish: República Árabe Saharaui Democrática; Arabic: الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية‎ al-Jumhūrīyah al-‘Arabīyah aṣ-Ṣaḥrāwīyah ad-Dīmuqrāṭīyah), is a partially recognized state that controls a thin strip of area in the Western Sahara region and claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony and later province. SADR was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on February 27, 1976, in Bir Lehlou, Western Sahara, a former socialist liberation force which has since reformed its ideological and political views.

The SADR government controls about 20–25% of the territory it claims. It calls the territories under its control the Liberated Territories or the Free Zone. Morocco controls and administers the rest of the disputed territory and calls these lands its Southern Provinces. The SADR government considers the Moroccan-held territory to be occupied territory, while Morocco considers the much smaller SADR-held territory to be a buffer zone. The claimed capital of the SADR is former Western Sahara capital El-Aaiún, while the temporary capital moved from Bir Lehlou to Tifariti in 2008.

The Sahrawi Republic maintains diplomatic relations with 40 UN states, and is a full member of the African Union.

Following the Spanish evacuation, Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania signed the Madrid Accords on November 14, 1975, leading to both Morocco and Mauritania moving in to annex the territory of Western Sahara. On 26 February 1976, Spain informed the United Nations that as of that date it had terminated its presence in Western Sahara and relinquished its responsibilities, leaving no Administering Power. Neither Morocco nor Mauritania gained international recognition, and war ensued with the independence-seeking Polisario Front. The United Nations considers the Polisario Front to be the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, and maintains that the people of Western Sahara have a right to "self-determination and independence."


...
Wikipedia

...