Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra () was one of the sixteen
regions of Morocco
Regions are currently the highest administrative divisions in Morocco. Since 2015, Morocco officially administers 12 regions, including one ( Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab) that lies completely within the disputed territory of Western Sahara and two ( ...
from 1997 to 2015. It was mainly located in the disputed territory 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 ...
, covered an area of and had a population of 301,744 as of the 2004 census.
Its capital was
Laayoune
Laâyoune ( , also , ) or El Aaiún ( , ; Hassaniya Arabic: , romanized: ; ber, ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ, Leɛyun; ar, label= Literary Arabic, العيون, al-ʿUyūn/el-ʿUyūn, lit=The Springs) is the largest city of the disputed territory of We ...
. In September 2015, the region was combined with
Es-Semara Province in
Guelmim-Es Semara to form the new region of
Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra
Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra ( ar, العيون - الساقية الحمراء, al-ʿuyūn as-sāqiya l-ḥamrāʾ; ber, ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ ⵜⴰⵔⴳⴰ ⵜⴰⵣⴳⴳⵯⴰⵖⵜ, lɛyun targa tazggʷaɣt) is one of the twelve regions of Moroc ...
.
Geography
The region was bordered to the east by the region of
Guelmim-Es Semara. To the south was the region of
Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira, entirely within the Western Sahara. The east of the region bordered the
Mauritanian region of
Tiris Zemmour
Tiris Zemmour ( ar, ولاية تيرس زمور) is the northernmost region of Mauritania. Its capital is Zouérat. Other major cities/towns include F'dérik and Bir Moghrein. The region borders Algeria to the north-east, Mali to east, the Mau ...
. Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra had a coastline on the
Atlantic Ocean
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 ...
, facing the Spanish
Canary Islands.
The region consisted of the following provinces:
*
Boujdour Province
*
Laâyoune Province
*
Tarfaya Province
Municipalities by population (2004 census)
The capital
Laayoune
Laâyoune ( , also , ) or El Aaiún ( , ; Hassaniya Arabic: , romanized: ; ber, ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ, Leɛyun; ar, label= Literary Arabic, العيون, al-ʿUyūn/el-ʿUyūn, lit=The Springs) is the largest city of the disputed territory of We ...
contained 73% of the region's population. Of the four municipalities, only
Tarfaya
Tarfaya ( ar, طرفاية - ''Ṭarfāya''; ber, ⵟⵔⴼⴰⵢⴰ) is a coastal Moroccan town, located at the level of Cape Juby, in western Morocco, on the Atlantic coast. It is located about 890 km southwest of the capital Rabat, an ...
was outside the disputed area.
*
Laayoune
Laâyoune ( , also , ) or El Aaiún ( , ; Hassaniya Arabic: , romanized: ; ber, ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ, Leɛyun; ar, label= Literary Arabic, العيون, al-ʿUyūn/el-ʿUyūn, lit=The Springs) is the largest city of the disputed territory of We ...
,
Laâyoune Province: 179,542
*
Boujdour
Boujdour (or Bujdur, Bojador, ar, بوجدور) is a city in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, near Cape Bojador.
It is de facto administered by Morocco, which includes it in the administrative division of the Southern Provinces.
It is an ...
,
Boujdour Province: 36,731
*
El Marsa,
Laâyoune Province: 10,229
*
Tarfaya
Tarfaya ( ar, طرفاية - ''Ṭarfāya''; ber, ⵟⵔⴼⴰⵢⴰ) is a coastal Moroccan town, located at the level of Cape Juby, in western Morocco, on the Atlantic coast. It is located about 890 km southwest of the capital Rabat, an ...
,
Tarfaya Province: 5,615
References
Former regions of Morocco
Geography of Western Sahara
States and territories established in 1997
States and territories disestablished in 2015
Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra
{{WesternSahara-geo-stub