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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Northern
Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Mauritania and Morocco |
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Geographic coordinates:
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24 30 N,
13 00 W |
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total:
266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about the
size of Colorado |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561
km, Morocco 443 km |
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Coastline:
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1,110 km
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Maritime claims:
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contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue |
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Climate:
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hot, dry
desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce
fog and heavy dew |
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Terrain:
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mostly
low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy
surfaces rising to small mountains in south and
northeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
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Natural resources:
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phosphates, iron ore |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.98% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dry,
dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and
spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time,
often severely restricting visibility |
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Environment - current issues:
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sparse
water and lack of arable land |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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the
waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
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Population:
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273,008
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA |
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Population growth rate:
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NA |
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Birth rate:
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NA
births/1,000 population |
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Death rate:
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NA
deaths/1,000 population |
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Sex ratio:
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NA |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
NA
male: NA
female: NA |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years |
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Total fertility rate:
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NA
children born/woman |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Major infectious diseases:
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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) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Arab,
Berber |
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Religions:
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Muslim
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Languages:
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Hassaniya
Arabic, Moroccan Arabic |
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Literacy:
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definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara
former: Spanish Sahara |
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Government type:
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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
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Capital:
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none |
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Administrative divisions:
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none
(under de facto control of Morocco) |
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Suffrage:
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none; a
UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet
completed |
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Executive branch:
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none |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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none |
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International organization participation:
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none |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none |
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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NA |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - NA |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: NA
industry: NA
services: 40% (1996 est.) |
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Labor force:
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12,000
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Labor force - by occupation:
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animal
husbandry and subsistence farming 50% |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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NA |
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Budget:
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revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures
of NA |
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Agriculture - products:
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fruits
and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep,
goats (kept by nomads) |
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Industries:
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phosphate
mining, handicrafts |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA |
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Electricity - production:
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90
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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83.7
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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1,800
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Exports:
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NA |
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Exports - commodities:
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phosphates 62% |
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Exports - partners:
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Morocco
claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners
are included in overall Moroccan accounts |
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Imports:
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NA |
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Imports - commodities:
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fuel for
fishing fleet, foodstuffs |
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Imports - partners:
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Morocco
claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners
are included in overall Moroccan accounts |
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Debt - external:
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NA |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA |
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Currency (code):
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Moroccan
dirham (MAD) |
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Currency code:
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MAD |
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Exchange rates:
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Moroccan
dirhams per US dollar - 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003),
11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.6256 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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about
2,000 (1999 est.) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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0 (1999)
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Telephone system:
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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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2, FM
0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Radios:
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56,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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NA |
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Televisions:
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6,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.eh |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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1 (2000)
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Internet users:
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NA |
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Highways:
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total:
6,200 km
paved: 1,350 km
unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Ad Dakhla,
Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) |
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Airports:
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11 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
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Disputes - international:
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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
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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