]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco ^# 24 30 N, 13 00 W ^$ Africa ^% `! 266,000 sq km `" 266,000 sq km `# 0 sq km ^& about the size of Colorado ^' `! 2,046 km `U Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km ^( 1,110 km ^) contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue ^* hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew ^+ mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast ^, `% Sebjet Tah -55 m `& unnamed location 463 m ^- phosphates, iron ore ^. `' 0.02% `( 0% `) 99.98% (2001) ^/ NA sq km ^0 hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility ^1 sparse water and lack of arable land _J `K none of the selected agreements `L none of the selected agreements ^2 the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas 
]# ^3 273,008 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* NA `+ NA `, NA ^6 NA ^7 NA births/1,000 population ^8 NA deaths/1,000 population ^: NA ^; `! NA `- NA `. NA ^< `1 NA years `- NA years `. NA years ^= NA children born/woman ^> NA ^? NA ^@ NA __ degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2004) ^A `2 Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) `3 Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian ^B Arab, Berber ^C Muslim ^D Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic ^E `M NA `1 NA% `- NA% `. NA% 
]$ ^F `4 none `5 Western Sahara `X Spanish Sahara ^H legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991 ^I none ^J none (under de facto control of Morocco) ^O none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed ^P none ^T none ^U none ^V none ^W none 
]% ^Y 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. ^Z NA ^[ NA ^\ purchasing power parity - NA ^] `; NA `< NA `= 40% (1996 est.) ^^ 12,000 ^_ animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% ^` NA ^a NA _! `> NA `? NA _" NA _# `@ NA `A NA, including capital expenditures of NA _$ fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) _% phosphate mining, handicrafts _& NA _' 90 million kWh (2002) _( 83.7 million kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 0 kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 1,800 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _/ NA _0 phosphates 62% _1 Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts _2 NA _3 fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs _4 Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts _5 NA _6 NA _7 Moroccan dirham (MAD) _8 Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.6256 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: about 2,000 (1999 est.) _; 0 (1999) _< `B sparse and limited system `C NA `D 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 _= AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) _> NA _? .eh _A NA 
]' _B `! 6,200 km `E 1,350 km `F 4,850 km (1991 est) _C Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) _D 11 (2004 est.) _E `! 3 `G 3 (2004 est.) _L `! 8 `^ 1 `_ 4 `T 3 (2004 est.) 
]) _H 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 