The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic was
proclaimed on February 27, 1976, following the 1975 withdrawal
of the Spanish from Spanish Sahara, and a dispute over this area
between Morocco and Mauritania.
Its capital city is El-Aaiún, although this town remains under
Moroccan rule (as does 80% of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic
Republic).
The capital-city-in-exile is Bir Lehlou, but most administrative
business is conducted in Tindouf refugee camps located in
Algeria (home to most of the Sahrawi people who live in exile).
The Arabic term "Sahrāwī" translates into English as "someone
from the desert." |
