Best Places to Visit in Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a heavily contested territory in North Africa. Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania are just a few of the nations it shares borders with. Western Sahara has a population of about half a million people. If you don't go to Western Sahara, you won't be able to travel to North Africa.

During the late nineteenth century, the Spaniards briefly occupied Western Sahara. With the support of the United Nations General Assembly, it was able to win provisional independence. In 1975, Spain regained sovereignty of the Western Sahara, which was administered jointly by Morocco and Mauritania. When the latter abandoned control of the territory in 1979, Morocco became the sole owner.

One of the reasons why Western Sahara is sparsely populated is its arid conditions. The land along the coastline is low and filled with flat desert land. Meanwhile, the mountains are small extending to a height of only 600 meters. When it comes to natural resources, though, Western Sahara is quite abundant. There are speculations that there is a major oil resource in the area along the coast. This has resulted in several gas exploration companies exploring the territory of Western Sahara.

Take a look to our list of best places to visit in Western Sahara.