第 289 页

paved: 4,996 km

note: includes Gaza Strip (2004)

Military West Bank

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

NA

Transnational Issues West Bank

Disputes - international:

West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 722,000 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007)

This page was last updated on 15 July, 2008

The World Factbook

Western Sahara

Introduction Western Sahara

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.

Geography Western Sahara

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco

Geographic coordinates:

24 30 N, 13 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 266,000 sq km

land: 266,000 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries:

total: 2,046 km

border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km

Coastline:

1,110 km

Maritime claims:

contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue

Climate:

hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew

Terrain:

mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m

highest point: unnamed elevation 805 m

Natural resources:

phosphates, iron ore

Land use:

arable land: 0.02%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 99.98% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

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

Environment - current issues:

sparse water and lack of arable land

Environment - international agreements:

party to: none of the selected agreements

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas

People Western Sahara

Population:

393,831

note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 45.1% (male 90,306/female 87,498)

15-64 years: 52.6% (male 101,730/female 105,313)

65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,786/female 5,198) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.868% NA (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

39.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

NA

Infant mortality rate:

total: 71.13 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 71.22 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 71.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 53.92 years NA

male: 51.64 years NA

female: 56.31 years NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA 5.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)

adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian

Ethnic groups:

Arab, Berber

Religions:

Muslim

Languages:

Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Literacy:

NA

Government Western Sahara

Country name:

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Western Sahara

former: Spanish Sahara

Government type:

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 Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara or MINURSO

Capital:

none

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (under de facto control of Morocco)

Suffrage:

none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed

Executive branch:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none

International organization participation:

none

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none

Economy Western Sahara

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.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$NA

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$NA

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: 40%

Labor force:

12,000 (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 50%

industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

NA%

Budget:

revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA

Agriculture - products:

fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish

Industries:

phosphate mining, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

85 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:

79.05 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2005)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1,750 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:

1,698 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$NA

Exports - commodities:

phosphates 62%

Exports - partners:

Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)

Imports:

$NA

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)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

Moroccan dirham (MAD)

Currency code:

MAD

Exchange rates:

Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Communications Western Sahara

Telephones - main lines in use:

about 2,000 (1999 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

0 (1999)

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

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

56,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

NA

Televisions:

6,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.eh

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

NA

Transportation Western Sahara

Airports:

9 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 6

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)

Transnational Issues Western Sahara

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

This page was last updated on 15 July, 2008

The World Factbook

Yemen

Introduction Yemen

Background:

North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border.

Geography Yemen

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:

15 00 N, 48 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 527,970 sq km

land: 527,970 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

Land boundaries:

total: 1,746 km

border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km

Coastline:

1,906 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east

Terrain:

narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m

highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west

Land use:

arable land: 2.91%

permanent crops: 0.25%

other: 96.84% (2005)

Irrigated land:

5,500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

4.1 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic / industrial / agricultural):

total: 6.63 cu km/yr (4%/1%/95%)

per capita: 316 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection