The people inhabit the westernmost Sahara desert, in the area of modern Mauritania, Morocco, Western Sahara, and parts of Algeria. (Some tribes would also traditionally migrate into northern Mali and Niger, or even further along the Saharan caravan routes.)
Background: Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory on the northwest coast of Africa bordered by Morocco, Mauritania, and Algeria. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Morocco's sovereignty ended in a 1991 cease-fire and the establishment of a UN peacekeeping operation.
The Sahrawi, or Saharawi people (Arabic: ???????? ?a?rāwīyūn; Berber: ??????????? Ise?rawiyen; Moroccan Arabic: ?????? ?e?rawa; Spanish: Saharaui), are the people living in the western part of the Sahara desert which includes Western Sahara, southern Morocco, much of Mauritania and the extreme southwest of Algeria.
Sovereignty over Western Sahara is contested between Morocco and the Polisario Front and its legal status remains unresolved. The United Nations considers it to be a "non-self-governing territory". It also controls the part of Western Sahara to the east of the Moroccan Wall, known as the liberated territories.
Moroccan wall stalemates the war
Today Polisario controls the part of the Western Sahara on the east of the Moroccan Wall, comprising about a third of the territory, but this area is economically useless, heavily mined, and almost uninhabited.Religions. Sunni Islam is the major religion in Western Sahara. Sunni Muslims constitute about 99.9% of the population. Prior to 1975 there were over 20,000 Roman Catholics in Western Sahara but as of 2007 there were only around 100.
The Sahara is "owned" by Africans in at least 11 countries. Many of those countries are not exactly paragons of political stability (e.g. Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Tunisia).
The Sahrawi, or Saharawi people (Arabic: ???????? ?a?rāwīyūn; Berber: ??????????? Ise?rawiyen; Moroccan Arabic: ?????? ?e?rawa; Spanish: Saharaui), are the people living in the western part of the Sahara desert which includes Western Sahara, southern Morocco, much of Mauritania and the extreme southwest of Algeria.
Sovereignty over Western Sahara is contested between Morocco and the Polisario Front and its legal status remains unresolved. The United Nations considers it to be a "non-self-governing territory". Formally, Morocco is administered by a bicameral parliament under a constitutional monarchy.
Road travel
There are thousands of unexploded mines in the Western Sahara, and occasional reports of fatal explosions. Avoid driving off road and take care on main roads especially when driving in more remote areas. The territory has a poor road safety record.Morocco stepped in to claim sovereignty over Western Sahara, a territory nearly its size on its southern border. In doing so, it invoked ancestral cultural and political ties. The UN set up the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) in 1991 to halt the conflict by imposing a ceasefire.
There are thousands of unexploded mines in the Western Sahara, and occasional reports of fatal explosions. Avoid driving off road and take care on main roads especially when driving in more remote areas. The territory has a poor road safety record.
Morocco argues that their country was divided up between the French in the north and the Spanish in the south and that this division has led to today's complex situation. However, Morocco withholds that the former colony of Spanish Sahara remains Moroccan soil.
Applying for a Visa
Passport holders from other countries must apply in advance for a three-month visa (single/double entry about US$25/35). Applications can take up to two weeks, and you need three passport photos.FCO advice currently warns against all travel in northern Mali north of Segou and against all but essential travel in the south of the country. They say that the provinces of Tombouctou, Kidal, Gao and Mopti are totally off limits due to the risk of kidnapping and terrorist attack.
Morocco allows the consumption of alcohol. Alcohol must be purchased and consumed in licensed hotels, bars, and tourist areas. You can also buy alcohol in most major supermarkets. There are a small number of bars and restaurants which permit drinking outside, but only tourists are allowed to drink in public.
Avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19. Exercise increased caution when traveling in Algeria due to terrorism. Areas near the eastern and southern borders due to terrorism and kidnapping. Areas in the Sahara Desert due to terrorism and kidnapping.
The risk of kidnapping is also very high in Mauritania, particularly against Westerners in Nouakchott and Atar. It is also not safe to travel to the eastern and northern provinces of Mauritania - Tiris Zemmour, Adrar, Tagant, and Hodh el Chargui - due to the continuing high threat from terrorism throughout the country.
But the short answer is, yes, Marrakech is safe. Compared with the United States – for example – you are less likely to be a victim of violent crime and much less likely to be assaulted. But Marrakech does have its challenges.
Morocco is generally a safe country to visit and violent crime against visitors is rare. In fact most cities in America and European capital cities have far more crime than here in Morocco. Within the city of Agadir you will notice uniformed police throughout the tourist areas and around the Royal Palaces.
In truth, Morocco is a safe place to visit. There's only really small crime there (scams and pickpockets) and you're unlikely to be assaulted or seriously hurt as a tourist in the country. Morocco is super safe for tourists now. However, if you follow a few rules, you can leave Morocco unscathed and without incidence.
Its surface area amounts to 266,000 square kilometres (103,000 sq mi). It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly consisting of desert flatlands. The population is estimated at just over 500,000, of which nearly 40% live in Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara.
Morocco is not very poor. It is a poor country only when compared to other countries in the Arab world. Morocco has very low oil reserves when compared to other arab countries. Increase in population is another factor.
The Moroccan dialect of Arabic, referred to as Darija, and French are also widely spoken. Moroccan culture is a blend of Berber, Arab, Sephardi Jews, West African and European influences. Morocco is a member of the Arab League, the Union for the Mediterranean and the African Union.
No. Morocco is not considered a 1st world country by any metric. To be considered a developed nation, a country generally has a per capita income around or above $12,000. Most developed countries have an average per capita income of approximately $38,000.
Some Moroccans believe themselves to be of mixed Arab-Berber descent or of Arab-Berber-Andalusian ancestry. There are no official figures about the exact ethnic origins of all Moroccans, but the implicitly accepted idea inside and outside Morocco is that Moroccans are essentially mixed Arab-Berbers.
The origin of the name Marrakesh is disputed, but is most likely from the Berber words amur (n) akush (???? ? ????) or "Land of God". The modern Berber name for Marrakesh is M??akc (in the Berber Latin script). In Turkish, Morocco is known as Fas, a name derived from its ancient capital of Fes.
Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912 to 1956, when Sultan Mohammed became king. He was succeeded in 1961 by his son, Hassan II, who ruled for 38 years and played a prominent role in the search for peace in the Middle East.
Morocco is a Northern African country, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and the annexed Western Sahara. It is one of only three nations (along with Spain and France) to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. A large part of Morocco is mountainous.
- With 93% of its population being considered religious, Islam is the majority and constitutionally established state religion in Morocco.
- The second-largest religion in the country is Christianity, but most Christians in Morocco are foreigners.
Sales of fish and seafood are important as well. Industry and mining contribute about one-third of the annual GDP. Morocco is the world's third-largest producer of phosphates (after the United States and China), and the price fluctuations of phosphates on the international market greatly influence Morocco's economy.
