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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 Morocco. It is 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 ...
: the western part of the region is administered by
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...
and the eastern part by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The region as claimed by Morocco covers an area of and had a population of 367,758 as of the 2014 Moroccan census. The capital of the region is
Laâyoune 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 ...
.


Geography

Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra borders the region of Guelmim-Oued Noun to the north and Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab to the south. It shares its eastern border with
Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...
's Tiris Zemmour Region, and to its west is 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 ...
. The towns of
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, and ...
, El Marsa and Boujdour are located on the Atlantic coast, and the
Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...
are located offshore. The regional capital Laâyoune is located inland near El Marsa, and the region's second-largest town Smara is located near its geographic centre. 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 ...
runs through the region and the area to its east is under the control of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.


History

Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra was formed in September 2015 by attaching Es Semara Province, formerly part of
Guelmim-Es Semara Guelmim-Es Semara () was one of the sixteen former regions of Morocco from 1997 to 2015. It covered an area of 122,825 km² and had a population of 501,921 (2014 census). The regional capital was Guelmim. Geography The southern half of Guelmin-Es ...
region, to the former region of
Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra () was one of the sixteen regions of Morocco from 1997 to 2015. It was mainly located in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, covered an area of and had a population of 301,744 as of the 2004 census. Its cap ...
.


Government

The first president of the regional council, Hamdi Ould Errachid, was elected on 14 September 2015. He is a member of the
Istiqlal Party The Istiqlal Party ( ar, حزب الإستقلال, translit=Ḥizb Al-Istiqlāl, lit=Independence Party; french: Parti Istiqlal; zgh, ⴰⴽⴰⴱⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵍⵉⵙⵜⵉⵇⵍⴰⵍ) is a political party in Morocco. It is a conservative and ...
and previously headed the council of the former Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra region. His uncle of the same name is the mayor of Laayoune. Yahdih Bouchab was appointed governor (''wali'') of the region on 13 October 2015.


Subdivisions

Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra consists of four provinces: *
Boujdour Province Boujdour Province ( ar, إقليم بوجدور) is a province in the Moroccan occupied region of Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra, Western Sahara. Its population in 2004 was 46,129. Its major town is Boujdour. Its territory, which is part of Western Sa ...
* Es Semara Province *
Laâyoune Province Laâyoune ( ar, إقليم العيون) is a delineated province in the north-west of Moroccan economic region of Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra, which is situated within the northern part of the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Its population in ...
*
Tarfaya Province Tarfaya is a province in the Moroccan economic region of Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra, which includes the southwestern part of the territory of Morocco as of before 1975, and the northern part of the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Its populatio ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra Geography of Western Sahara