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

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 ...

, with a population of 217,732 in 2014. The city is under ''de facto'' administration 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 t ...

. The modern city is thought to have been founded by the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

captain

Antonio de Oro Antonio de Oro Pulido ( Ciempozuelos (Madrid), 13 April 1904 – Tetuán, 28 December 1940) was a Spanish military officer, explorer and colonial administrator. Biography Oro came to the Spanish territories in Africa with the rank of captai ...

in 1938. In 1940, Spain designated it as the capital of the

Spanish Sahara Spanish Sahara ( es, Sahara Español; ar, الصحراء الإسبانية, As-Sahrā'a Al-Isbānīyah), officially the Spanish Possessions in the Sahara from 1884 to 1958 then Province of the Sahara between 1958 and 1976, was the name used f ...

. Laâyoune is the capital of the

Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra 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 Moroc ...

region administered by Morocco, under the supervision of the UN peacekeeping mission

MINURSO The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara ( ar, بعثة الأمم المتحدة لتنظيم استفتاء في الصحراء الغربية; french: Mission des Nations Unies pour l'Organisation d'un Référendum au ...

. The town is divided in two by the dry river of

Saguia el-Hamra Saguia el-Hamra ( es, Saguía el Hamra, ar, الساقية الحمراء, lit=Red Canal, translit=al-Saqiyah al-Hamra'a) was, with Río de Oro, one of the two territories that formed the Spanish province of Spanish Sahara after 1969. Its name ...

. On the south side is the old lower town, constructed by Spanish colonists. A cathedral from that era is still active; its priests serve this city and Dakhla further south.

History

''Laâyoune'' or ''El Aaiún'' are respectively the French and Spanish transliterations of one of the possible Romanized

Maghrebi Arabic Maghrebi Arabic (, Western Arabic; as opposed to Eastern or Mashriqi Arabic) is a vernacular Arabic dialect continuum spoken in the Maghreb region, in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Western Sahara, and Mauritania. It includes Moroccan, Al ...

names for the city: ''Layoun'', which means "the springs", in reference to the oases that furnish the town's water supply. The town was the scene of the

Zemla Intifada The Zemla Intifada (or the Zemla Uprising) is the name used to refer to disturbances of June 17, 1970, which culminated in a massacre (between 2 and 11 persons were killed) by Spanish Legion forces in the Zemla district of El Aaiun, Spanish Sah ...

that occurred on June 17, 1970, that culminated in a massacre, resulting in the deaths ranging from 2 to 11 people.

Climate

Laayoune has a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''BWh''), moderated by the

Canary Current The Canary Current is a wind-driven surface current that is part of the North Atlantic Gyre. This eastern boundary current branches south from the North Atlantic Current and flows southwest about as far as Senegal where it turns west and later j ...

, with an average annual temperature just over .

Demographics

Laayoune has a population of 217,732 and is the largest city in Western Sahara.

Economy and status

The city is a hub for fishing and for

phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phosph ...

mining in the region. In 2010, the country was negotiating a new fishing agreement with Europe over offshore fishing.

Sport

The football club of the city is

Jeunesse Massira Jeunesse Sportive d'El Massira ( ar, نادي شباب المسيرة) is a football club based in Laâyoune, Morocco. The club was founded in 1977 and plays in the Botola 2 as of the 2021–22 season. Current squad H ...

. The club plays in the Moroccan Second Division, the second highest football league in the country.

uses Stade Sheikh Mohamed Laghdaf for training and games.

Transport

Laayoune is served by

Hassan I Airport Hassan I Airport ( ar, مطار الحسن الأول, es, link=no, Aeropuerto Internacional de El Aaiún – Hassan I, french: Aéroport international Laâyoune – Hassan Ier ) is an airport serving Laayoune, the largest city in Western Saha ...

Education

Schools in Laâyoune include a Spanish international school, Colegio Español La Paz, owned by the Spanish government.

Diplomatic missions

On 18 December 2019, Comoros became the first nation to open a consulate in Laayoune in support of Moroccan claims to Western Sahara. In January 2020,

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

opened a consulate general in Laayoune. Later on, São Tomé and Príncipe, the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

, Ivory Coast, Burundi, Eswatini,

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

, the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

, and

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

, also opened consulates in Laayoune.

Gallery

File:Mosque moulay abd el aziz laayoune.jpg, Mosque of Moulay Abd el Aziz File:Laayoune Cathedral 2011.jpg, The old Spanish Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi, chiefly serves European UN personnel File:Street view from Laayoune 2011.jpg, Avenue Makkah al-Mukarramah File:Monumental Arch, Laayoune.jpg, Monumental arch near the airport File:Road to Laayoune Port.jpg, Road to Laayoune Port File:Laayoune Bus Station.jpg, Laayoune bus station.

References

External links

Official TV channelOfficial radio channel
{{Authority control Municipalities of Morocco Populated places in Laâyoune Province Populated places in Western Sahara Capitals in Africa Regional capitals in Morocco Provincial capitals in Morocco Populated places established in 1938 1938 establishments in the Spanish Empire 1938 establishments in Africa