Western Sahara  
   

to 26 Feb 1976 (Spain)                    Adopted 27 Feb 1976 SADR Flag                            SADR flag (Reverse)        Adopted 27 Feb 1976 SADR Flag (Alternate)           Adopted 29 Feb 1976 (Morocco)   Map of Western Sahara Hear National Anthem "Yabaniy Es-Sahara" (O Sons of the Sahara) Text of National Anthem Adopted 1979 Constitution   (4 Sep 1999; in French) Capital: El-Aaiun (Laayoune) (Villa Cisneros 1887-1958) SADR Capital: Bir Lehlou (provisional); Polisario HQ: Tindouf, Algeria Currency: Moroccan Dirham (MAD); SADR from 1990- Saharawi Pesata (EHP) SADR National Holiday: 27 Feb (1976) Independence Day Population: 393,831 (2008) GDP: $900 million (2007) Exports: $ N/A Imports: $ N/A Ethnic groups: Arab, Amazigh (Berber)  Moroccan Armed Forces: 160,000 (2004) POLISARIO Armed Forces: 36,000 (2002 est.) Morocco Controls Defense Merchant marine: None (2008) Religions: Muslim 99.4%, Christian 0.16%, nonreligious 0.31% (2000) International Organizations/Treaties SADR:  AU, WFTU Western Sahara Index Chronology 26 Apr 1860                Morocco cedes Río de Oro (Western Sahara) and Ifni                              to Spain by Treaty of Tetuán; no settlement. 1879 - 13 Mar 1895         British North-West Africa Company (BNWA) trading                              post Port Victoria, established at Cape Juby                              by Donald MacKenzie.  9 Feb 1883                Trading post at Villa Cisneros established by                              the Compañía Comercial Hispano-Africana.  3 Nov 1884                Spain occupies Río de Oro (Spanish West Africa). 26 Dec 1884                Spanish protectorate declared from Río de Oro to                              the Cape Blanc peninsula and Angra de Cinta. 10 Jul 1885                Spanish protectorate declared over the coast from                              Boujdour to Cape Blanc.  6 Apr 1887                Río de Oro Dependent Protectorate.  6 Apr 1887 -  1 Dec 1903  Subordinated to the Canary Islands. 24 Feb 1895                The Sultan of Morocco cedes Cape Juby to Spain.  3 Oct 1904                Saguia el Hamra and zone of Tarfaya to the Draa                              Wadi annexed. 27 Nov 1912                Cabo Juby (Tarfaya) part of Spanish Morocco                               protectorate. Sep 1936                   Spanish Nationalist forces take control. 26 Jul 1946 - 10 Apr 1958  Spanish West Africa (África Occidental Española)                              (Río de Oro, Cabo Juby, and Saguia el Hamra                              and Ifni).  23 Nov 1957 - 25 Feb 1958  Moroccan irregular occupation of parts of Spanish                              Sahara (Edchera to 13 Jan 1958; Tan-Tan to Feb                              1958; Tafurdat and Smara to 10 Feb 1958; Bir                               Nazaran and Ausert to 21 Feb 1958). 12 Jan 1958                Overseas province of Spain (Spanish Sahara).  2 Apr 1958                Tarfaya restored to Morocco by Treaty of Angra                              Cinta.  4 Jul 1974                Autonomy granted, but not implemented. 14 Nov 1975                Spain relinquishes sovereignty. 14 Feb 1976                Spain announces it has transferred sovereignty                               to Morocco. 26 Feb 1976                Spain terminates its administration. 27 Feb 1976                Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic¹ (SADR)                               proclaimed by the Polisario Front. 14 Apr 1976                Spanish Sahara is partitioned by Morocco                               and Mauritania (Tiris al-Gharbiyya). Morocco                              later divides its area into its southern                              provinces: Boujdour, (from 1983) Dakhla (Oued                              Eddahab),Es Smara, Laayoune, and (from 1990)                               Wadi al-Dhahab (Rio de Oro). 11 Aug 1979                Mauritanian part of the territory annexed by                               Morocco.  9 Sep 1991 -              United Nations monitored cease-fire implemented.  SADR Map Historical Maps of Western Sahara Map of Expansion of Moroccan Control (1982-1989) SADR Diplomatic Recognition List

Commander
 3 Nov 1884 - 10 Jul 1885  Emilio Bonelli Hernando            (b. 1855 - d. 1926)
Royal Commissioner
10 Jul 1885 -  6 Apr 1887  Emilio Bonelli Hernando            (s.a.)
Subgovernors
(subordinated to governors of Canary Islands)
 6 Apr 1887 - c.1902       Emilio Bonelli Hernando            (s.a.)
1902 -  7 Nov 1901         Ángel Villalobos
Governors (from 1946, also governors-general of Spanish West Africa)
(1934 - 1956 subordinated to Spanish High Commissioners in Morocco)
 7 Nov 1901 -  1 Dec 1903  Ángel Villalobos
 1 Dec 1903 -  7 Nov 1925  Francisco Bens Argandoña           (b. 1867 - d. 1949)
 7 Nov 1925 - 19 Jun 1932  Guillermo de la Peña Cusi
19 Jun 1932 - 30 Aug 1933  Eduardo Canizares Navarro
30 Aug 1933 -  1 Jul 1934  José González Deleito
 1 Jul 1934 -  4 May 1936  Benigno Martínez Portillo
 4 May 1936 -  7 Aug 1936  Carlos Pedemonte Sabin
 7 Aug 1936 - 12 Mar 1937  Rafael Gallego Sainz
12 Mar 1937 - 31 May 1940  Antonio de Oro Pulido
31 May 1940 - 17 Aug 1949  José Bermejo López
17 Aug 1949 - 29 Mar 1952  Francisco Rosaleny Burguet
29 Mar 1952 - 26 Feb 1954  Venancio Tutor Gil
26 Feb 1954 - 23 May 1957  Ramón Pardo de Santallana Suárez
23 May 1957 - 10 Jan 1958  Mariano Gómez Zamalloa y Guirce
Governors-general (until 10 Apr 1958 also governors-general of Spanish West Africa)
10 Jan 1958 - 22 Jul 1958  José Héctor Vázquez                (b. 1903 - d. 1977)
27 Jul 1958 -  6 Oct 1961  Mariano Alonso Alonso              (b. 1899 - d. 19..)
13 Oct 1961 - 21 Feb 1964  Pedro Latorre Alcubierre           (b. 1900)
 6 Mar 1964 -  5 Nov 1965  Joaquín Agulla y Jiménez-Coronado  (b. 1903 - d. 1971)
 5 Nov 1965 - 26 Nov 1965  Adolfo Artalejo Campos
 5 Dec 1965 -  2 Feb 1967  Ángel Enríquez Larrondo            (d. ....)
18 Feb 1967 -  4 Mar 1971  José María Pérez de Lema y Tejero
 4 Mar 1971 -  6 Jun 1974  Fernando de Santiago y Díaz de     (b. 1910 - d. 1994)
                             Mendívil 
 6 Jun 1974 -  6 Feb 1976  Federico Gómez de Salazar y Nieto  (b. 1912 - d. 2006)
Transitional Administration
 6 Feb 1976 - 27 Feb 1976  Representatives
                           + Rafael de Valdés Iglesias (Spain) 
                           + Ahmed Bensouda (Morocco)         (b. 1920 - d. 2008)
                           + Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh         (b. 1938)
                             Abdellahi (Mauritania)
Chairmen of the Revolutionary Council
27 Feb 1976 -  9 Jun 1976  El Wali Mustafa Sayed              (b. 1947? - d. 1976) POLISARIO
10 Jun 1976 - 30 Aug 1976  Mahfoud Ali Beiba (acting)         (b. 1953?)           POLISARIO
Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council
30 Aug 1976 - 16 Oct 1982  Mohamed Abdelaziz                  (b. 1947)            POLISARIO
President (chief of state)
16 Oct 1982 -              Mohamed Abdelaziz                  (s.a.)               POLISARIO

Prime ministers
 5 Mar 1976 -  4 Nov 1982  Mohamed Lamine Ould Ahmed          (b. 1946?)           POLISARIO
                             (1st time) 
 4 Nov 1982 - 18 Dec 1985  Mahfoud Ali Beiba (1st time)       (s.a.)               POLISARIO
18 Dec 1985 - 16 Aug 1988  Mohamed Lamine Ould Ahmed          (s.a.)               POLISARIO
                             (2nd time) 
16 Aug 1988 - 18 Sep 1993  Mahfoud Ali Beiba (2nd time)       (s.a.)               POLISARIO
19 Sep 1993 -  8 Sep 1995  Bouchraya Hammoudi Beyoun                               POLISARIO
                             (1st time)
 8 Sep 1995 - 10 Feb 1999  Mahfoud Ali Beiba (3rd time)       (s.a.)               POLISARIO
10 Feb 1999 - 29 Oct 2003  Bouchraya Hammoudi Beyoun                               POLISARIO
                             (2nd time)
29 Oct 2003 -              Abdelkader Taleb Oumar             (b. 1950?)           POLISARIO

 ¹Morocco retains de facto control, however the SADR is currently recognized by 46 countries and the African Union ([to 2002 Organization of African Unity] 1982): Algeria (1976), Angola (1976), Antigua and Barbuda (1987), Barbados (1988), Belize (1986), Bolivia (1982), Burundi (1976-2006, 2008), Cuba (1980), East Timor (2002), Ecuador (1983-2004, 2006), Ethiopia (1979), Grenada (1979), Guinea-Bissau (1976-97, 2000), Guyana (1979), Haiti (2006), Iran (1980), Jamaica (1979), Laos (1979), Lesotho (1979), Mali (1984), Mauritania (1984), Mauritius (1982), Mexico (1979), Mozambique (1976), Namibia (1990), Nicaragua (1979-2000, 2007), Nigeria (1984), North Korea (1976), Panama (1978), Papua New Guinea (1981), Rwanda (1976), St. Kitts and Nevis (1987), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (2002), Sierra Leone (1980-2002, 2003), South Africa (2004), Suriname (1982), Syria (1980), Tanzania (1978), Trinidad and Tobago (1986), Uganda (1979), Uruguay (2005), Vanuatu (1980-2000, 2008), Venezuela (1982), Vietnam (1979), Zambia (1979), Zimbabwe (1980);
--- former diplomatic recognitions: Afghanistan (1979-2002), Albania (1987-2004), Benin (1976-97), Botswana (1980-2005), Burkina Faso (1984-96), Cambodia (1979-2006), Cape Verde (1979-2007), Chad (1980-97, 2006), Colombia (1985-2000), Congo (Brazzaville)(1978-96), Costa Rica (1980-2000), Dominica (1979-200.), Dominican Republic (1986-2002), El Salvador (1989-97), Equatorial Guinea (1978-80), Ghana (1979-2001), Guatemala (1986-98), Honduras (1989-2000), India (1985-2000), Kenya (2005-2006), Kiribati (1981-2000), Liberia (1985-97), Libya (1980-1999), Madagascar (1976-2005), Malawi (1994-2001, 2008), Nauru (1981-2000), Paraguay (2000), Peru (1984-96), São Tomé and Príncipe (1978-96), Seychelles (1977-2008), St. Lucia (1979-89), Solomon Islands (1981-89), South Yemen (1977-90), Swaziland (1980-97), Togo (1976-97), Tuvalu (1981-2000), Yugoslavia ([from 2003 Serbia and Montenegro] 1984-2004).

Territorial Disputes: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since Sep 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals.

Party abbreviation: POLISARIO = Frente Popular de Liberación de Seguía el-Hamra y Río de Oro (Popular Front for the Liberation of Seguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro (authoritarian, Sahrawi nationalist, separatist -only legal party [socialist 1976-1991])