Transport in Western Sahara: Difference between revisions

'''Transport in Western Sahara''' is very limited by sea, road and air with [[Camel|camels]] being the primary means of transporttransportation in the desert area.<ref>{{citation |author=Pablo San Martin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TE2uBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|title=Western Sahara: The Refugee Nation|date=1 October 2010|publisher=University of Wales Press|isbn=978-0-70-832381-6|ppage=28}}</ref> Road transport by buses remain the major mode of [[Transport|transportation]]. The longest [[conveyor belt]] in the world is {{Convert|100|km|mi}} long, from the [[phosphate]] [[mining|mine]]s of [[Bu Craa]] to the coast south of Laayoune. The belt moves about 2,000 metric tons of rock containing phosphate every hour from the mines to [[Laayoune|El-Aaiun]], where it is loaded and shipped.

Portions of [[Western Sahara]] were a Spanish Colony tilluntil 1975 as the last colonial province in Africa. A war erupted between those countries and the [[Sahrawi people|Sahrawi]] national [[liberation movement]], the [[Polisario Front]], which proclaimed the [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]] (SADR) with a government in exile in [[Tindouf]], [[Algeria]]. [[Mauritania]] withdrew in 1979, and [[Morocco]] eventually secured control of most of the territory, including all the major cities and natural resources. WithA [[United Nations|UN]] effortsbrokered [[ceasefire]] was implemented from 1997 between Polisario and Moroccan forces.

The world's longest cargo train, the Mauritania Railway cargo train, passes through Western Sahara for a small distance oncrosses the North easternsoutheastern corner of Western Sahara tofor enda atshort Nouadhiboudistance. The transportTransit through Western Sahara was seriously disrupted during the wars till 1997war between Polisaro and Moroccan forces, whenbefore the ceasefire was establishedimplemented within UN effort1997.

Portions of [[Western Sahara]] were a Spanish Colony till 1975 as the last colonial province in Africa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/documentos/98/DT-15-2004-E.pdf |format=PDF |publisher=[[Elcano Royal Institute|Real Instituto Elcano]] |last=González Campo |first=Julio |title=Documento de Trabajo núm. 15 DT-2004. Las pretensiones de Marruecos sobre los territorios españoles en el norte de África (1956–2002) |language=Spanishes |page=6 |url-status=dead |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042159/http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/documentos/98/DT-15-2004-E.pdf |archivedatearchive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref> A war erupted between those countries and the [[Sahrawi people|Sahrawi]] national [[liberation movement]], the [[Polisario Front]], which proclaimed the [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]] (SADR) with a government in exile in [[Tindouf]], [[Algeria]]. [[Mauritania]] withdrew in 1979, and Morocco eventually secured control of most of the territory, including all the major cities and natural resources.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/sc/repertoire/93-95/Chapter%208/AFRICA/93-95_8-3-%20WESTERN%20SAHARA.pdf|title=Report of the Secretary-General on the situation concerning Western Sahara (paragraph 37, p. 10)|format=PDF|date=2 March 1993|accessdateaccess-date=4 October 2014}}</ref> Polisario was formed in 1973 to fight for the rights of Sahawari Arab African People. Polisario attacked Moroccan positions many times and have retaliated. Continued war was waged between Polisario and Morocco over prominence in the region backed by Algeria for Polisario and US, France and Saudi Arabia for Morocco. <ref>{{cite book|title=The Air Force role in low-intensity conflict|year = 1986|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mI7bvRzLOgYC&pg=PA47&dqq=Battle+of+Guelta+Zemmour&hlpg=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwic6-KVv57QAhVKuI8KHcA7BkkQ6AEIIDAB#v=onepage&q=Battle%20of%20Guelta%20Zemmour&f=falsePA47|page=47|publisher=DIANE Publishing|isbn=9781428928275}}</ref> Polisario were successful in cutting the transport of Phosphorus across Western Sahara to the Atlantic Coast. The transport infrastructure of the region, including the border towns of [[Morocco]] was affected during the wars.<ref>{{cite book|title=Perspectives on Western Sahara: Myths, Nationalisms, and Geopolitics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wPGAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18&dqq=western+sahara+transport&hlpg=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM4fzZk6HQAhVIt48KHRfrBngQ6AEIJzAC#v=onepage&q=western%20sahara%20transport&f=falsePA18|page=18|editor1-first=Anouar|editor1-last= Boukhars|editor2-first= Jacques|editor2-last= Roussellier|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2013|isbn=9781442226869}}</ref>

==SurfaceRoad transport==

[[Western Sahara]] has no rail service,<ref name="gov.uk">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/western-sahara/safety-and-security|title=Western Sahara|last=|first=|date=|website=Gov.Uk|publisher=|access-date=17 October 2016}}</ref> with the exception of a {{Convert|5|km|mi|adj=on}} section of the [[Mauritania Railway]]; which (since the closure of the [[Choum Tunnel]]), cuts across the extreme south-eastern corner of the territory. The rail-route is considered the world's longest cargo train covering a distance of {{convert|437|mi|km|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite newscn|titledate=SurfingSeptember the Sahara Sandworm: Photographer charts his thrilling - and dangerous - ride on the longest cargo train in the world that winds its way through the blistering desert to the Atlantic coast|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3187080/Surfing-Sahara-Sandworm-Photographer-charts-thrilling-dangerous-ride-longest-cargo-train-world-winds-way-blistering-desert-Atlantic-coast.html|newspaper=The Daily Mail|accessdate=11 November 20162020}}</ref> Passengers with tickets ride in cramped cars while many illegal passengers, sometimes with livestock, ride on top of [[Railroad car|freight cars]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/opinions/cnnphotos-sutter-mauritania-train/|title=The 'Normal Train' That Crosses the Sahara|last=Sutter|first=John D.|date=26 January 2016|work=CNN|access-date=17 October 2016|via=}}</ref>

There are only {{Convert|6200|km|mi}} of roads, of which {{Convert|1126|km|mi}} are [[metalled]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=United States. Office of International Marketing|author2=United States. Domestic and International Business Administration|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LhdrfsCIERgC&q|title=Market profiles for Africa|date=15 June 2009|publisher=Dept. of Commerce, Domestic and International Business Administration, Bureau of International Commerce, Office of International Marketing : for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1976|ppage=26}}</ref> A small network of highways provide limited ground travel connections. N1 highway is a major roadway traversing along the Atlantic coastline of the country. There are a few roads in the north and only two roads in the south that branch off of N1. All other roads are local ones in the various cities and towns. Off road driving is considered dangerous since there are "thousands of unexploded [[Land mine|mines]]" in the area.<ref name="gov.uk"/> Highway road plans in the region started by [[Algeria]] have been used to increase its own influence in the region.<ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wPGAgAAQBAJ&lpg=PA133|title=Perspectives on Western Sahara: Myths, Nationalisms, and Geopolitics|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2014|isbn=9781442226852|editor-last=Boukhars|editor-first=Anouar|location=New York|pages=|quote=|editor-last2=Roussellier|editor-first2=Jacques|via=|last=Ammour|first=Laurence Aida|chapter=The Algerian Foreign Policy on Western Sahara}}</ref> There are only 4 companies licensed to use buses in Western Sahara which are: CTM, Supratours, Satas and Sat; CTM and Supratours buses have daily service from Dakhla to Marrakech via Laayoune and Agadir.<ref>{{cite book|title=Marrakesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ODJtOFUFQtEC&dqq=bus+companies+in+western+sahara&source=gbs_navlinks_s|first=Daniel|last= Jacobs|year=2004|isbn=9781843533214|publisher=Rough Guides|page=125}}</ref>

The major port in Western Sahara are Ad [[Dakhla, Western Sahara|Dakhla]] - small docking facility (Port Marchand Lassarga/Port-Îlot) located in a shelter bay south of the airport, [[Cabo Bojador]] - small port with fishing boats store inland and [[El Aaiún|Laayoune]] (El Aaiun) - major deep water port facility; used by vessels carrying phosphate, large fishing vessels and military patrol boats. The longest [[conveyor belt]] in the world is {{Convert|100|km|mi}} long, from the [[phosphate]] [[mining|mine]]s of [[Bu Craa]] to the coast south of Laayoune.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://gizmodo.com/the-worlds-longest-conveyor-belt-system-can-be-seen-fro-1566742063|title=The World's Longest Conveyor Belt System Can Be Seen From Space|last=Zhang|first=Sarah|date=24 April 2014|work=Gizmodo|access-date=16 October 2016|via=}}</ref> The belt moves about 2,000 metric tons of rock containing phosphate every hour from the mines to El-Aaiun, where it is loaded and shipped.<ref name=":0" />

There are six airfields, three with paved runways and three unpaved surfaces, and one helipad (military in Cape Bojador). [[Hassan I Airport]], serving [[El Aaiún]] (Laâyoune), is an international airport, but the carriers at the airport connect only to regional destinations (to [[Morocco]] or the [[Canary Islands]]). [[Dakhla Airport]] is located in [[Dakhla, Western Sahara|Dakhla]] and has commercial operational flights. [[Smara Airport]] in [[Smara]] and [[La Güera Airport]] serving [[La Güera]] are other smaller airports in Western Sahara.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.icao.int/anb/aig/Taxonomy/R4CDLocationIndicatorsbystate.pdf | format = [[PDF]] | title = ICAO Location Indicators by State | publisher = [[International Civil Aviation Organization]] | date = 12 January 2006|accessdateaccess-date=11 November 2016}}</ref>