Kingdom of Morocco Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Controlled by
Kingdom of Morocco
Region
Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra
Province
Laâyoune
Settled
1934
Founded
1938
Founded by
Antonio de Oro
Area
• Total
247.8 km2 (95.68 sq mi)
Population
(2014)[1]
• Total
217,732
• Density
880/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Time zone
UTC+1:00 (Central European Time)
Laayoune[note 1] or El Aaiún[note 2] (Arabic: العيون, romanized: al-ʿUyūn, lit. 'The Springs') is the largest city of the disputed territory named Western Sahara, with a population of 271,344 in 2023.[7] The city is de facto under Moroccan administration as occupied territory. The modern city is thought to have been founded by the Spanish captain Antonio de Oro in 1938.[8] From 1958, it became the administrative capital of the Spanish Sahara, administered by the Governor General of Spanish West Africa.[9]
In 2023, Laayoune is the capital of the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region administered by Morocco, it's still under the supervision of MINURSO, an UN mission.
The town is divided in two by the dry river of Saguia el-Hamra. On the south side is the old lower town, constructed by Spanish colonists.[10] The St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral was constructed during the Spanish period and is still active with a few Catholic missionaries.
^"POPULATION LÉGALE DES RÉGIONS, PROVINCES, PRÉFECTURES, MUNICIPALITÉS, ARRONDISSEMENTS ET COMMUNES DU ROYAUME D'APRÈS LES RÉSULTATS DU RGPH 2014" (in Arabic and French). High Commission for Planning, Morocco. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
^"Laayoune". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22.
^ ab"Laayoune". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
^"Laâyoune". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
^"el-Aaiún". Lexico UK English Dictionary UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.[dead link]
^"El Aaiún". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
^Francisco López Barrios (2005-01-23). "El Lawrence de Arabia Español" (in Spanish). El Mundo. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
^Norris, H. T. (1964). "The Wind of Change in the Western Sahara". The Geographical Journal. 130 (1): 1–14. doi:10.2307/1794260. ISSN 0016-7398.
^Deubel, Tara F.; Boum, Aomar (2019). "The Rise of a Saharan City". Routledge Handbook on Middle East Cities. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 9781138650749.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
Laayoune or El Aaiún (Arabic: العيون, romanized: al-ʿUyūn, lit. 'The Springs') is the largest city of the disputed territory named Western Sahara, with...
Arryadia, Athaqafia, Al Maghribia, Assadissa, Aflam TV, Tamazight TV and Laayoune TV. The network broadcasts programming in Arabic, Tamazight, French and...
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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)...
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Hassan I, French: Aéroport international Laâyoune – Hassan Ier (IATA: EUN, ICAO: GMML)) is an airport serving Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara...
lies completely within the disputed territory of Western Sahara and two (Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra and Guelmim-Oued Noun) that lie partially within it. The...
estimated at about 500,000, of which nearly 40% live in Morocco-controlled Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara. Occupied by Spain until 1975, Western...
with Al Aoula, Arryadia, Athaqafia, Al Maghribia, Assadissa, Aflam TV and Laayoune TV. After initial planning in 2006, the channel was launched on 6 January...
Province (located in Mainland Morocco) Boujdour Province Es Semara Province Laâyoune Province Tarfaya Province (partly located in Mainland Morocco) Aousserd...
of arms were established for the three wilayas of Boujdour, Smara, and Laayoune. In 1983, further changes occurred, resulting in the establishment of four...
Casablanca-Settat Marrakesh-Safi Drâa-Tafilalet Souss-Massa Guelmim-Oued Noun Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab During the early 1960s to the late...
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Sportive d'El Massira (Arabic: نادي شباب المسيرة) is a football club based in Laâyoune, Western Sahara. The club was founded in 1977 and plays in the Botola 2...
Sahrawi politician currently serving as mayor of Laâyoune and president of the communal council of Laâyoune since 2006 under the banner of the Istiqlal Party...
the province of Laayoune, an organization affiliated with the UGTM. On behalf of the labor union, he was elected member of the Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia...
economic and human development. The university also has antennas in Rabat, Laâyoune, and Paris. A suburban campus is set to open in El Jadida in 2034. The...
(62 mi) long, from the phosphate mines of Bu Craa to the coast south of Laayoune. The belt moves about 2,000 metric tons of rock containing phosphate every...
Al Maghribia Al Maghribia HD Assadissa HD Aflam TV (TNT Only) Tamazight TV Tamazight HD Laayoune TV Medi1 TV Medi1 TV HD Télé maroc Chada TV HD MBC 5...
Global Information
Kingdom of Morocco
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic