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Western Sahara |
Official Language : Arabic
Currency : Moroccan Dirham
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Western Sahara is situated on the northwestern part of Africa. The landscape is arid with deserts flatlands and small mountains. Western Sahara borders Morocco to the north, Algeria to the east, Atlantic Ocean to the west and Mauritania to the south. It was occupied by the Berbers and Arab Muslim Bedouins in the middle ages. Then it became a Spanish colony. Later on Morocco acquired the northern two-thirds of the country and Mauritania the rest.
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But Mauritania did not claim its portion due to continuous pressures from the Polisario guerrillas. Sporadic Guerilla activities continued, until an UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6th September 1991. Today Morocco administers Western Sahara, but the sovereignty is still unresolved. The climate is hot and dry with scant rainfalls. San laden sirocco wind and Harmattan haze are natural phenomenon during winter and spring.
Major Cities
Laayoune is the main city of Western Sahara. It was a Spanish colony in the early times. It is now administrated by Morocco. The city houses a population of 188,084 and is the largest city in Western Sahara. Most of the city dwellers are Moroccans. There are also some Sahrawis, natives of southern Morocco. MINURSO the referendum of the United Nations mission that organized the ceasefire settlement between Morocco and the Polisario Front in 1991 has its headquarters in the city. Dakhla, or ad-Dakhla is another major city in the Western Sahara. It is the capital of the Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira region. The town of Boujdour on the northern part of Wetsern Sahara houses many refugee camps.
Tourist Attractions
Saharan Cultural Museum is a major tourist attraction of Layoun. The Colline des Oiseaux is a spectacular bird sanctuary and a place of grand tourist attraction. There are some open-air markets in Layoun. The markets are popular for selling typical African handcrafts, carpets, pottery, jewelry, brassware and woodwork. There are also some shopping centers that provide quality shopping. The Military Fortress and the Modern Catholic Church are points of interest in Dakhla. The Prison Camp is famous for imprisoning many notable personalities like the renowned writer Pedro Garcia Cabrera during the Spanish civil war.
Accommodation
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Hotel Doumesi and Hotel Oued Eddahab are two popular hotels of Ad Dakhla. Hotel Josefina is a superb Laayoune hotel. The hotels provide luxurious accommodation with ultra modern amenities. |
Getting Around
There are no railway connections in Western Sahara. There are three paved runways. Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador and Laayoune are the major ports. There are 11 airfields and one helipad.
For further details and information on Western Sahara and its tourist destinations flip through the pages of allwonderscountries
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