The Democratic Arab republic of Sahara, popularly known as Western Sahara is a country in north Africa. It has a total area of 266, 000 km2. The climate is hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore currents produce fog and heavy dew. The terrain is mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and north-east. Natural resources are phosphates, iron ore. The religion is Muslim. The language is Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic and Spanish.
The Western Sahara was a formerly called Spanish Sahara and was an overseas province of Spain from 1958 until 1976 when Spain withdrew and the area was distributed between Morocco and Mauritania. In 1976 the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO) declared an independent republic and entered into a war with Morocco. Wetsren Sahara was amitted to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1982 and a ceasefire was agreed in 1991, with the United Nations brokering talks between Morocco and the indigenous Sahrawis population. Research Western Sahara
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research OAU
