Geography of Western Sahara

Geography of Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Continent	Africa
Region	North Africa
Coordinates	24°30′N 13°00′W / 24.5°N 13°W / 24.5; -13Coordinates: 24°30′N 13°00′W / 24.5°N 13°W / 24.5; -13
Area	Ranked 77th 266,000 km2
Coastline	1,110 km
Borders	2,046 km (Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km)
Highest point	unnamed elevation 805 m
Lowest point	Sebjet Tah, -55 m

Satellite image of Western Sahara

Topography of Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a territory in Northern Africa, bordered by the North Atlantic Ocean, Morocco proper, Algeria (Tindouf region), and Mauritania. Geographic coordinates: 24°30′N 13°00′W / 24.5°N 13°W / 24.5; -13

Size

Total: 266,060 km²

land: 266,000 km²

water: 0 km²

• Coastline: 1,110 km;
• Land boundaries: 2,046 km

• Saguia el-Hamra is the northern third with the city El Aaiún.
• Río de Oro is the southern two-thirds (south of Cape Bojador), with the city Dakhla.

The peninsula in the extreme southwest, with the city of Lagouira, is called Ras Nouadhibou, Cap Blanc, or Cabo Blanco. The eastern side is part of Mauritania.

Maritime claims: contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue

Land

Terrain

The terrain is mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast.

Elevation extremes:

Lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m

Highest point: unnamed location 463 m

Natural resources

phosphates, iron ore, fishing resources on Atlantic Ocean coast

Land use

Arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 19%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 81%
Irrigated land: NA km²

Natural hazards

Hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility. Flash flooding occurs during spring months.

Environment

Climate

It has a climate that is hot, dry desert; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew.

Current issues

sparse water and lack of arable land

Extreme points

This is a list of the extreme points of Western Sahara, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

• Northern-most point – the border with Morocco*
• Eastern-most point – the northern section of the border with Mauritania/Algeria**
• Southern-most point – the southern tip of Ras Nouadhibou/(Cap Blanc)
• Western-most point - Cape Dubouchage on Ras Nouadhibou

• *Note: Western Sahara does not have a northern-most point, the border being formed by a straight horizontal line
• **Note: Western Sahara does not have an eastern-most point, the border being formed by a straight vertical line

External links

Maps

• Map from the United Nations (PDF)
• www.sahara-occidental.com
• www.cidi.nl