The Southern Provinces or Moroccan Sahara are the terms used by the

Moroccan government Politics of Morocco take place in a framework of an official parliamentary semi-constitutional islamic monarchy, whereby the prime minister of Morocco is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the ...

to refer to the

occupied territory Military occupation, also called belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is temporary hostile control exerted by a ruling power's military apparatus over a sovereign territory that is outside of the legal boundaries of that ruling powe ...

Western Sahara Western Sahara is a territorial dispute, disputed territory in Maghreb, North-western Africa. It has a surface area of . Approximately 30% of the territory () is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 70% is ...

. These designations encompass the entirety of Western Sahara, which spans three of Morocco's 12 top-level administrative regions. The term "Southern Provinces" is frequently used on Moroccan

state television State media are typically understood as media outlets that are owned, operated, or significantly influenced by the government. They are distinguished from public service media, which are designed to serve the public interest, operate independent ...

(e.g. weather forecasts, news maps, and official statements) and in mass media while the nomenclature associated with the

Polisario Front The Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro (Spanish language, Spanish: ; ), better known by its acronym Polisario Front, is a Sahrawi nationalism, Sahrawi nationalist liberation movement seeking to end the occupatio ...

and the Sahrawi state is censored and occasionally penalized.

Background

was formerly a Spanish colony known as the

Spanish Sahara Spanish Sahara (; ), officially the Spanish Possessions in the Sahara from 1884 to 1958, then Province of the Sahara between 1958 and 1976, was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was occupied and ruled by Spain bet ...

. In the 1970s,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

faced mounting pressure from

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

to relinquish the territory, culminating in the

Green March The Green March was a strategic mass demonstration in November 1975, coordinated by the Moroccan government and military, to force Spain to hand over the disputed, autonomous semi-metropolitan province of Spanish Sahara to Morocco. The Spani ...

, a large-scale demonstration organized by the

on November 6, 1975 in order to compel Spain to transfer Western Sahara to Morocco. The

Madrid Accords The Madrid Accords, formally the Declaration of Principles on Western Sahara, was a treaty between Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania setting out six principles which would end the Spanish presence in the territory of Spanish Sahara and arrange a ...

, ratified just 12 days after the Green March, stipulated that Spain would exit Western Sahara by February 28, 1976, at the latest. Subsequently, Morocco and

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

signed the

Western Sahara partition agreement The Western Sahara partition agreement, formally the Convention concerning the State frontier line, was a treaty signed at Rabat on 14 Apr 1976 between Morocco and Mauritania in order to partition the disputed territory of Western Sahara between t ...

on April 14, 1976. This agreement led to Morocco assuming control over

Saguia el-Hamra Saguia el-Hamra ( , ) is the northern geographic region of Western Sahara. It was, with Río de Oro, one of the two territories that formed the Spanish province of Spanish Sahara after 1969. Its name comes from a waterway that goes through the ca ...

, while

took charge of

Río de Oro Río de Oro (, Spanish for "River of Gold"; , , often transliterated as ''Oued Edhahab'') is the southern geographic region of Western Sahara. It was, with Saguia el-Hamra, one of the two territories that formed the Spanish province of S ...

, renaming it as

Tiris al-Gharbiyya Tiris al-Gharbiyya () was the name for the area of Western Sahara under Mauritanian control between 1975 and 1979. History Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara in 1975 after the Madrid Accords, ...

. A locally based Sahrawi national

liberation movement A liberation movement is an organization or political movement leading a rebellion, or a non-violent social movement, against a colonial power or national government, often seeking independence based on a nationalist identity and an anti-imperiali ...

, known as the

, initiated a

guerrilla war Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrorism ...

on February 27, 1976, with significant financial and logistical support from

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

and

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

. Their goal was to achieve independence for the territory under the banner of the "

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), also known as the Sahrawi Republic and Western Sahara, is a partially recognized state in the western Maghreb, which claims the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, but controls only ...

" (SADR). After years of conflict in Western Sahara, Mauritania signed a peace agreement with the Polisario Front in 1979, formally renouncing its claim to the southern part of the territory. With Mauritania's withdrawal, Morocco moved quickly to annex the area previously held by Mauritania, effectively extending its occupation over part of the region known as Río de Oro. Since a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

-brokered ceasefire agreement in 1991, approximately two-thirds of the territory has been occupied by Morocco, encompassing most of the coastline. This area is separated from the eastern third controlled by the Polisario Front, referred to by them as the Free Zone, by the

Moroccan Western Sahara Wall The Moroccan Western Sahara Wall or the Berm, also called the Moroccan sand wall (), is an approximately berm running south to north through Western Sahara and the southwestern portion of Morocco. It separates the Moroccan-controlled areas ...

or "the Berm". The ceasefire line corresponds to the route of the Berm, with both sides asserting sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has received recognition from 84 nations and is a full member of the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...

, though not of the UN. The Arab League implicitly recognizes Moroccan territorial integrity, albeit with significant reservations from Algeria and Syria.

Overview

The Moroccan government exercises control over approximately two-thirds of Western Sahara (the portion west of the

Berm A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier (usually made of Soil compaction, compacted soil) separating areas in a vertical way, especially partway up a long slope. It can serve as a terrace road, track, path, a fortification line, a b ...

), while the remaining part constitutes the Polisario Front-controlled

. Morocco treats the two-thirds of Western Sahara under its control as integral Moroccan territory. The government implements various economic and social development initiatives, incorporating these "Southern Provinces" into the national budget for government funding, national sports competitions, educational programs, and national parliamentary elections. The total population of Western Sahara is around 576,000. Coastal areas are utilized for fishing, and land areas are exploited for phosphate mining by both government and private entities. In terms of administration, Morocco divided its controlled territory into administrative units (''wilayas''). Flags and coats of arms were established for the three wilayas of

Boujdour Boujdour (or Bujdur, Bojador, , ) is a city in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, near Cape Bojador. It is de facto administered by Morocco, which includes it in the administrative division of the Southern Provinces. It is an urban municipa ...

Smara Smāra (also romanized Semara, , ; ) is a city in the Moroccan-controlled part of Western Sahara, with a population of 57,035 recorded in the 2014 Moroccan census. It is served by Smara Airport and Smara bus station. History The largest city in ...

, and

Laayoune Laayoune or El Aaiún (, Latn, ar, al-ʕuyūn , , ) is the largest city of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, with a population of 271,344 in 2023. The city is the ''de jure'' capital of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, though it ...

. In 1983, further changes occurred, resulting in the establishment of four wilayas, with the addition of Dakhla. In 1990, Wadi al-Dhahab (

) was also incorporated. As of 2022, the Southern Provinces are organized into three regions:

Guelmim-Oued Noun Guelmim-Oued Noun () is one of the twelve regions of Morocco, regions of Morocco. The southeastern part of the region is located in the disputed territory of Western Sahara and a small strip of land in this area is administered by the Sahrawi A ...

in the north,

Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra () is one of the twelve regions of Morocco. It is mainly located in the disputed territory of Western Sahara: the western part of the region is administered by Morocco and the eastern part by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic ...

in the center, and

Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab () is one of the twelve regions of Morocco. Before September 2015 it was known as Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira (). It is situated in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, considered by Morocco to be the southern part of the ...

in the south. These regions are further subdivided into ten provinces. The regions of

and

encompass parts of the Western Saharan territory as well as undisputed Moroccan territory to the north. Morocco has designated a separate satellite TV channel for audiences in the Southern Provinces, known as

Laayoune TV Laayoune TV is a Moroccan public television channel in the area of the Southern Provinces (the disputed part of Western Sahara that is occupied by Morocco). It is a part of the state-owned SNRT Group along with Al Aoula, Arryadia, Athaqafia, Al ...

Moroccan settlers

Following the 1975

, the Moroccan state initiated settlement programs that encouraged numerous Moroccans to relocate to the Moroccan-administered portion of Western Sahara (accounting for approx. 70% of the

disputed territory A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of territories (land, water or airspace) between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the ...

). By 2015, it was estimated that Moroccan settlers constituted at least two-thirds of the 500,000 inhabitants. In addition to offering a

right of return The right of return is a principle in international law which guarantees everyone's right of return to, or re-entry to, their country of citizenship. The right of return is part of the broader human rights concept of freedom of movement and is al ...

for the Sahrawi refugees, the Sahrawi

government in exile A government-in-exile (GiE) is a political group that claims to be the legitimate government of a sovereign state or semi-sovereign state, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usu ...

expressed a willingness to grant Sahrawi citizenship to Moroccan settlers and their descendants in a prospective independent state.Canadian Government Website report on SADR offer of citizenship to Moroccan settlers
/ref>

Notes

References

{{Western Sahara topics, state=collapsed Former regions of Morocco Western Sahara conflict Disputed territories in Africa Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic States and territories established in 1971 States and territories disestablished in 1997 1971 establishments in Morocco 1970s establishments in Western Sahara 1997 disestablishments in Africa Geographical naming disputes