The sections 1, 2, and 3 on the map of Morocco (left) make up the "Western Sahara". This area covers 284,000 square kilometers. It is in the southern part of Morocco, and is bordered by Algeria in the east, Mauritania in the south, and the North Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its coastline stretches over 1,110 km of land. It is rich in natural minerals such as phosphates. For the time being, I will consider the Western Sahara a part of Morocco unless shown otherwise (in the future) by the upcoming referendum.  The disputed territory of the so-called "Western Sahara" is shown on the map as numbers 1 (Oued- Eddahab- Lagouira), 2 (Laayoune- Boujdour- Sakia Al Hamra), and 3 (Guelmim- Es Semara). Section number 2 alone covers 139,480 square kilometers of land, which makes up 19.62% of the national territory. To find out more about the disputed territory, as well as the rest of the country, from numbers 1- 16 on the map, please click here. If you would like to pursue this in great depths, please click here. Like the Moroccans, the Sahrawi people are a mixture of Arabic and indigenous Berber tribes. Hence, although they want self-determination, this is not an ethnic conflict. The former US Secretary of State, James Baker, is the UN personal envoy for the Western Sahara Conflict.

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