Back Laâyoune Afrikaans L'Aaiún AN العيون (مدينة) Arabic لعيون ARY العيون ARZ L'Aaiún AST Laayoune AVK Əl-Əyun Azerbaijani العیون AZB Эль-Аюн Byelorussian

Laayoune

"Ayûn" redirects here. For other uses, see Ayûn (disambiguation).
Laayoune
العيون (Arabic)
El Aaiún
City
Left to right, top to bottom: Footprints on the sand, Place Mechouar, Street, Monumental Arch, Laayoune Cathedral
Left to right, top to bottom: Footprints on the sand, Place Mechouar, Street, Monumental Arch, Laayoune Cathedral
Laayoune is located in Western Sahara
Laayoune
Laayoune
Location in Western Sahara
Laayoune is located in Africa
Laayoune
Laayoune
Laayoune (Africa)
Coordinates: 27°9′13″N 13°12′12″W / 27.15361°N 13.20333°W / 27.15361; -13.20333
Non-self-governing territoryWestern Sahara
Claimed by Kingdom of Morocco
 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Controlled by Kingdom of Morocco
RegionLaâyoune-Sakia El Hamra
ProvinceLaâyoune
Settled1934
Founded1938
Founded byAntonio de Oro
Area
 • Total247.8 km2 (95.68 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)[1]
 • Total217,732
 • Density880/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+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 is 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.

  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "Laayoune". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22.
  3. ^ a b "Laayoune". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Laâyoune". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  5. ^ "el-Aaiún". Lexico UK English Dictionary UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.[dead link]
  6. ^ "El Aaiún". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Population totale". siredd.environnement.gov.ma. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  8. ^ Francisco López Barrios (2005-01-23). "El Lawrence de Arabia Español" (in Spanish). El Mundo. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Deubel, Tara F.; Boum, Aomar (2019). "The Rise of a Saharan City". Routledge Handbook on Middle East Cities. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 9781138650749.


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