Western Sahara
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![[Spain 1945-1977]](es-1945.gif) -
to 26 Feb 1976 (Spain)
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![[Ifni-Sahara Obsolete Registration Ensign (Spanish Sahara and Sidi Ifni)]](es_eh.gif) -
Ifni-Sahara Maritime Flag 1946 -
1970
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![[Flag of Western Sahara]](wsahara.gif) -
Adopted 27 Feb
1976 SADR Flag
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![[Rev. of flag of Western Sahara]](eh_rev.gif) -
SADR flag (Reverse)
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![[Flag of Western Sahara (alternate)]](eh.gif) -
Adopted 27 Feb 1976
SADR Flag (Alternate)
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![[Flag of Morocco]](ma.gif) -
Adopted 29 Feb
1976 (Morocco)
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Map
of Western Sahara
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Hear
National Anthem
"Yabaniy Es-Sahara"
(O Sons of the Sahara)
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Text
of National Anthem Adopted 1979
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Constitution (4 Sep 1999; in French)
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Capital: El-Aaiun (Laayoune) (Villa Cisneros 1887-1958) Polisario HQ: Tindouf, Algeria
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Currency: Moroccan Dirham (MAD); Polisario from 1990- Saharawi Pesata (EHP)
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National Holiday Polisario:
27 Feb (1976) Independence Day
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Population: 382,617 (2007)
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GDP: $ N/A
(included under Morocco) |
Exports: $ N/A Imports: $ N/A (included under Morocco)
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Ethnic groups: Arab, Berber
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Moroccan Armed Forces: 160,000 (2004) POLISARIO Armed Forces: 36,000 (2002 est.) Morocco Controls Defense Merchant marine: None (2006)
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Religions: Muslim 99.4%, Christian 0.16%, non-religious 0.31%, Bahai 0.04% (2000)
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| International
Organizations/Treaties POLISARIO: AU |
Western Sahara Index
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Chronology
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26 Apr 1860
Morocco cedes Río de Oro (Western Sahara) and Ifni
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to Spain by Treaty of Tetuán; no settlement.
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3 Nov 1884
Spain occupies Río de Oro (Spanish West Africa).
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26 Dec 1884
Spanish protectorate officially declared.
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9 Jan 1885
Río de Oro Spanish protectorate.
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6 Apr 1887
Río de Oro Dependent Protectorate.
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6 Apr 1884 - 1 Dec 1903 Subordinated to the Canary
Islands.
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3 Oct 1904
Saguia el Hamra and zone of Tarfaya to the Draa
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Wadi annexed.
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27 Nov 1912
Cabo Juby (Tarfaya) part of Spanish Morocco
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protectorate.
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26 Jul 1946 - 10 Apr 1958 Spanish West Africa (África
Occidental Española)
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(Río de Oro, Cabo Juby, and Saguia el Hamra
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and from 1952 Ifni).
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23 Nov 1957 - 25 Feb 1958 Moroccan irregular occupation of parts
of Spanish
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Sahara (Edchera to 13 Jan 1958; Tan-Tan to Feb
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1958; Tafurdat and Smara to 10 Feb 1958; Bir
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Nazaran and Ausert to 21 Feb 1958).
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12 Jan 1958
Overseas province of Spain (Spanish Sahara).
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2 Apr 1958
Tarfaya restored to Morocco by Treaty of Angra
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Cinta.
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4 Jul 1974
Autonomy granted, not implemented.
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14 Nov 1975 Spain relinquishes sovereignty.
- 14 Feb 1976
Spain announces it has transferred sovereignty
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to Morocco.
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26 Feb 1976
Spain terminates its administration.
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27 Feb 1976
Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic¹ proclaimed by
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Polisario Front.
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14 Apr 1976
Spanish Sahara is partitioned by Morocco
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and Mauritania (Tiris al-Gharbiyya). Morocco
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later divides its area into its southern
- provinces: Boujdour, (from 1983) Dakhla (Oued
- Eddahab),Es Smara, Laayoune, and (from 1990)
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Wadi al-Dhahab (Rio
de Oro).
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11 Aug 1979
Mauritanian part of the territory annexed by
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Morocco.
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9 Sep 1991 -
United Nations monitored cease-fire implemented.
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SADR
Map
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Historical
Maps of Western
Sahara
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Map
of Expansion of
Moroccan Control (1982-1989)
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Royal Commissioner
10 Jul 1885 - 16 Jun 1886 Emilio Bonelli Hernando
(b. 1855 - d. 1926)
Subgovernors
1886 - c.1902
Emilio Bonelli Hernando
(s.a.)
1902 - 1 Dec 1903
Ángel Villalobos
Governors (from 1946, also governors-general of Spanish
West Africa)
(1934 - 1956 subordinated to Spanish High Commissioners in Morocco)
1 Dec 1903 - 7 Nov 1925 Francisco Bens Argandoña
(b. 1867 - d. 1949)
7 Nov 1925 - 19 Jun 1932 Guillermo de la Peña
Cusi
19 Jun 1932 - 30 Aug 1933 Eduardo Canizares Navarro
30 Aug 1933 - 1 Jul 1934 José González
Deleito
1 Jul 1934 - 4 May 1936 Benigno Martínez
Portillo
4 May 1936 - 7 Aug 1936 Carlos Pedemonte Sabin
7 Aug 1936 - 12 Mar 1937 Rafael Gallego Sainz
12 Mar 1937 - 31 May 1940 Antonio de Oro Pulido
31 May 1940 - 17 Aug 1949 José Bermejo López
17 Aug 1949 - 29 Mar 1952 Francisco Rosaleny Burguet
29 Mar 1952 - 26 Feb 1954 Venancio Tutor Gil
26 Feb 1954 - 23 May 1957 Ramón Pardo de Santallana
Suárez
23 May 1957 - 10 Jan 1958 Mariano Gómez Zamalloa y
Guirce
Governors-general (until 10 Apr 1958 also governors-general
of Spanish West Africa)
10 Jan 1958 - 22 Jul 1958 José Héctor Vázquez
27 Jul 1958 - 6 Oct 1961 Mariano Alonso Alonso
(b. 1899 - d. 19..)
13 Oct 1961 - 21 Feb 1964 Pedro Latorre Alcubierre
(b. 1900)
6 Mar 1964 - 5 Nov 1965 Joaquín Agulla
Jiménez Coronado
5 Nov 1965 - 26 Nov 1965 Adolfo Artalejo Campos
5 Dec 1965 - 2 Feb 1967 Ángel Enríquez
Larrondo
18 Feb 1967 - 4 Mar 1971 José María Pérez
de Lema Tejero
4 Mar 1971 - 6 Jun 1974 Fernando de Santiago
y Díaz de (b. 1910 - d. 1994)
Mendívil
6 Jun 1974 - 6 Feb 1976 Federico Gómez
de Salazar y Nieto (b. 1912 - d. 2006)
Transitional Administration
6 Feb 1976 - 27 Feb 1976 Representatives
+ Rafael de Valdés Iglesias (Spain)
+ Ahmed Bensouda (Morocco)
+ Abdellahi Ould Cheikh
(Mauritania)
Chairmen of the Revolutionary Council
27
Feb 1976 - 9 Jun 1976 El Wali Mustafa Sayed
(b. 1947? - d. 1976) POLISARIO
10 Jun 1976 - 30 Aug 1976 Mahfoud Ali Beiba (acting)
(b. 1953?)
POLISARIO
Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council
30 Aug 1976 - 16 Oct 1982 Mohamed Abdelaziz
(b. 1947)
POLISARIO
President (chief of state)
16 Oct 1982 -
Mohamed Abdelaziz
(s.a.)
POLISARIO
Prime ministers
5 Mar 1976 - 4 Nov 1982 Mohamed Lamine Ould Ahmed
(b. 194.)
POLISARIO
(1st time)
4 Nov 1982 - 18 Dec 1985 Mahfoud Ali Beiba (1st time)
(s.a.)
POLISARIO
18 Dec 1985 - 16 Aug 1988 Mohamed Lamine Ould Ahmed
(s.a.)
POLISARIO
(2nd time)
16 Aug 1988 - 18 Sep 1993 Mahfoud Ali Beiba (2nd time)
(s.a.)
POLISARIO
19 Sep 1993 - 8 Sep 1995 Bouchraya Hammoudi Beyoun
POLISARIO
(1st time)
8 Sep 1995 - 10 Feb 1999 Mahfoud Ali Beiba (3rd time)
(s.a.)
POLISARIO
10 Feb 1999 - 29 Oct 2003 Bouchraya Hammoudi Beyoun
POLISARIO
(2nd time)
29 Oct 2003 -
Abdelkader Taleb Oumar
POLISARIO
¹Morocco retains de facto control, however
the SADR is currently recognized by 51 countries and the African Union ([until
2002 Organization of African Unity] 1982): Algeria (1976), Angola (1976),
Antigua and Barbuda (1987), Barbados (1988), Belize (1986), Bolivia (1982),
Cape Verde (1979), Cuba (1980), Dominica (1979), East Timor (2002), Ecuador
(1983-2004, 2006), Ethiopia (1979), Grenada (1979), Guinea-Bissau (1976-97,
2000), Guyana (1979), Haiti (2006), Iran (1980), Jamaica (1979), Laos (1979),
Lesotho (1979), Malawi (1994-2001, 2008), Mali (1984), Mauritania (1984), Mauritius (1982), Mexico
(1979), Mozambique (1976), Namibia (1990), Nicaragua (1979-2000, 2007),
Nigeria (1984), North Korea (1976), Panama (1978), Papua New Guinea (1981),
Rwanda (1976), Seychelles (1977), Sierra Leone (1980-2002, 2003), St. Kitts
and Nevis (1987), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (2002), South Africa (2004),
Suriname (1982), Syria (1980), Tanzania (1978), Trinidad and Tobago (1986),
Uganda (1979), Uruguay (2005), Venezuela (1982), Vietnam (1979), Zambia (1979),
Zimbabwe (1980);
--- former diplomatic recognitions: Afghanistan (1979-2002),
Albania (1987-2004), Benin (1976-97),
Botswana (1980-2005), Burkina Faso (1984-96), Burundi (1976-2006),
Cambodia (1979-2006), Chad (1980-97, 2006), Colombia (1985-2000), Congo (Brazzaville)(1978-96),
Costa Rica (1980-2000), Dominican Republic (1986-2002), El Salvador (1989-97),
Equatorial Guinea (1978-80), Ghana (1979-2001), Guatemala (1986-98), Honduras
(1989-2000), India (1985-2000), Kenya (2005-2006), Kiribati (1981-2000), Liberia
(1985-97), Libya (1980-1999), Madagascar (1976-2005), Nauru (1981-2000),
Paraguay (2000), Peru (1984-96), São Tomé and Príncipe
(1978-96), St. Lucia (1979-89), Solomon Islands (1981-89), South Yemen (1977-90)
Swaziland (1980-97), Togo (1976-97), Tuvalu (1981-2000), Uruguay (2005), Vanuatu (1980-2000),
Yugoslavia [from
2003 Serbia and Montenegro](1984-2004).
Territorial Disputes: Morocco claims and administers Western
Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire
has remained in effect since Sep 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.
Party abbreviation: POLISARIO = Frente Popular de
Liberación de Seguía el-Hamra y Río de Oro (Popular
Front for the Liberation of Seguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro (authoritarian,
Sahrawi nationalist, separatist -only legal party [socialist 1976-1991])
©2000 Ben Cahoon
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