La Güera ( ar, الڭويرة ''al-Gūwayra''; also known as ''La Agüera'', ''Lagouira'', ''El Gouera'') is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coast at the southern tip of

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...

, on the western side of the

Ras Nouadhibou Ras Nouadhibou ( ar, رأس نواذيبو) is a peninsula or headland divided by the border between Mauritania and Western Sahara on the African coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It is internationally known as ''Cabo Blanco'' in Spanish or ''Cap Bl ...

peninsula which is split in two by the

Mauritania–Western Sahara border The Mauritania–Western Sahara border is in length and runs from the tripoint with Algeria in the north-east to the Atlantic Ocean in the south-west. Description The border starts in the north at the tripoint with Algeria, proceeding south in a ...

, west of

Nouadhibou Nouadhibou (; ar, نواذيبو, Nwādībū, Berber: Nwadibu, formerly in French: ) is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial centre. The city itself has about 118,000 inhabitants expanding to over 140,000 in the l ...

. It is also the name of a daira at the

Sahrawi refugee camps The Sahrawi refugee camps (also romanized with Saharawi) in Tindouf, Algeria, are a collection of refugee camps set up in the Tindouf Province, Algeria in 1975–76 for Sahrawi refugees fleeing from Moroccan forces, who advanced through Wester ...

in south-western Algeria. It is the southernmost town of

. La Güera is situated south of the

Moroccan Wall The Moroccan Western Sahara Wall or Berm is an approximately sand wall or berm running south to north through Western Sahara and the southwestern portion of Morocco. It separates the Moroccan-controlled areas (the Southern Provinces) on the w ...

, and is technically abandoned.

History

The name La Güera comes from the Spanish word ' which is a ditch that carries rainwater to crops.

Foundation and settlement

La Güera came into existence in late 1920, when Spanish colonizer Francisco Bens (who had earlier taken possession of the Cape Juby region as a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

in 1916), after negotiating with tribal chiefs of the zone, established a

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

and an air base on the western side of the

peninsula, just a few kilometres away from the French settlement of Port-Étienne (now

) on the eastern side of the peninsula. (In the 1912 Convention of Madrid, Spain and France had agreed on a border between Mauritania and Spanish possessions that ran down the middle of the peninsula.) In 1924, La Güera was incorporated into the Spanish colony of

Río de Oro Río de Oro (Spanish for "Gold River"; , ''wādī-að-ðahab'', often transliterated as ''Oued Edhahab'') was, with Saguia el-Hamra, one of the two territories that formed the Spanish province of Spanish Sahara after 1969; it had been taken as ...

. During the short period (1920–1924) that the town was ruled as a separate part of the colony it released its own postage stamps. The town was served by

La Güera Airport La Güera Airport was located adjacent to La Güera, Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by ...

until the 1970s.

Western Sahara War

In 1979, when Mauritania withdrew from the war, La Güera's population was estimated to be 816 inhabitants. By 2002, it had been abandoned and partially overblown by sand, inhabited only by a few Imraguen fishermen Redouane Ramdani,
Enquête: Aux frontières du réel
'', TelQuel, issue 248, 18–24 November 2004 and guarded by a Mauritanian military outpost, despite this not being Mauritanian territory.

Twin towns and sister cities

Cartel ciudades hermanadas Crevillente-2

Águilas Águilas () is a municipality and seaport of southeastern Spain, in the province of Murcia. It is situated at the southern end of Murcia's Mediterranean coastline, otherwise known as the Costa Cálida, near the border with the Province of Almería ...

Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

(''since July 18, 2005'') *

Alaquàs Alaquàs (; es, Alacuás) is a municipality in the Horta Oest ''comarca'' in the Valencian Community. Etymology The town's name is of Arabic origin, coming from ''al-aquas'' (الأقواس), meaning "the arches", believed to be a reference to ...

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wi ...

, Spain (''since April 14, 2004'') *

Almansa Almansa () is a Spanish town and municipality in the province of Albacete, part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The name "Almansa" stems from the Arabic (al-manṣaf), "half way of the road". The municipality borders with Al ...

Albacete Albacete (, also , ; ar, ﭐَلبَسِيط, Al-Basīṭ) is a city and municipality in the Spanish autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and capital of the province of Albacete. Lying in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula, the ...

, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain *

Castagneto Carducci Castagneto Carducci () is a (municipality) in the Province of Livorno in the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence and about southeast of Livorno. It is named after the poet Giosuè Carducci, who spent there some ...

, Livorno,

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Gemellaggi e Patti di Amicizia
Regione Toscana – Consiglio Regionale, 27 March 2010 *

Crevillent Crevillent ( es, Crevillente) is a town and municipality located in the Alicante province, part of the Valencian Community, Spain. It is situated in the ''comarca'' of Baix Vinalopó, and lies at the foot of the hill range known locally as Serra ...

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

, Valencian Community, Spain * El Puerto de Santa María,

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

, Andalucía, Spain (''since 1993'') *

Fauglia Fauglia () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence and about southeast of Pisa. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,298 and an area of .All demographi ...

, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy (''since 2009'') *

Gorliz Gorliz () is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, which lies within the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in northern Spain. The town had 5,664 inhabitants in 2014. Gorliz consists of the following neighborhoods: ...

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. B ...

, Basque Country, Spain *

Guadix Guadix (; Local pronunciation: aˈðih is a city and municipality in southern Spain, in the province of Granada. The city lies at an altitude of 913 metres, on the centre of the Hoya of Guadix, a high plain at the northern foothills of the Sierr ...

, Granada, Andalucía, Spain *

Iurreta Iurreta is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Autonomous Community, northern Spain. Incorporated into the municipality of Durango in 1926, Iurreta regained its independent status in 19 ...

, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain *

Leganés Leganés () is a city in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Considered part of the Madrid metropolitan area, it is located about 11 km southwest of the centre of Madrid. , it has a population of 188,425, making it the region's fifth most popul ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

(''since August 17, 2001'') * Londa,

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, Tuscany, Italy (''since 2017'') *

Monteriggioni Monteriggioni is a ''comune'' in the province of Siena in the Italian region of Tuscany. It borders on the communes of Casole d'Elsa, Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Poggibonsi, Siena, and Sovicille. The ...

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

, Tuscany, Italy * Orio,

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...

, Basque Country, Spain * San Marcello Piteglio, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy *

Santa Lucía de Tirajana Santa Lucía de Tirajana is a town and a Spanish municipality in the south-eastern part of the island of Gran Canaria, in the Province of Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands. Geography The town of Santa Lucía de Tirajana is situated in the mo ...

Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in the auto ...

, Canary Islands, Spain (''since October 29, 1986 -First twinning between a Sahrawi and a Spanish town-'') * Valle de Yerri,

Navarra Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

, Spain (''since September 29, 2005'') * Vitoria,

Álava Álava ( in Spanish) or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Álava, former medieval Catholic bishopric and now Latin titular see. Its c ...

, Basque Country, Spain (''since 1987'')Un libro de fotografías conmemora el XX aniversario del hermanamiento de Vitoria con la Daira de la Güera

El Diario Vasco ''El Diario Vasco'' (English: ''The Basque Daily'') is a Spanish morning daily newspaper based in San Sebastián, Basque Country. History and profile ''El Diario Vasco'' was founded in 1934 by the Sociedad Vascongada de Publicaciones, led by co ...

, 2 March 2008

References

External links

Map of Ras Nouadhibou peninsula

El Último Testigo La Agüera
Memories of the son of a Spanish lieutenant in La Güera during the 1930s {{DEFAULTSORT:Guera, La Ghost towns in Africa Former populated places in Western Sahara Military locations of Mauritania Border crossings in divided regions Populated places established in 1920 1920 establishments in Africa