s by age, sex, fertility,
mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data
from neighboring countries (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 45.1% (male 90,306/female 87,498)
15-64 years: 52.6% (male 101,730/female 105,313)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,786/female 5,198) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.868% NA (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

39.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

NA

Infant mortality rate:

total: 71.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 71.22 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 71.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 53.92 years NA
male: 51.64 years NA
female: 56.31 years NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA 5.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian

Ethnic groups:

Arab, Berber

Religions:

Muslim

Languages:

Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Literacy:

NA

Government
Western Sahara

Country name:

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara
former: Spanish Sahara

Government type:

legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved;
territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front
for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in
February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), led by President Mohamed
ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in
April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania,
under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to
its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector
shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control;
the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of
African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued
sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6
September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United
Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara or MINURSO

Capital:

none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standa