Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra ( Arabic : العيون - الساقية الحمراء , romanized : al-ʿuyūn as-sāqiya l-ḥamrāʾ ) 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 Republic . The region as claimed by Morocco covers an area of 140,018 square kilometres (54,061 sq mi) and had a population of 367,758 as of the 2014 Moroccan census . The capital of the region is Laâyoune .
7-614: Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra borders the region of Guelmim-Oued Noun to the north and Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab to the south. It shares its eastern border with Mauritania 's Tiris Zemmour Region , and to its west is the Atlantic Ocean . The towns of Tarfaya , El Marsa and Boujdour are located on the Atlantic coast, and the Canary Islands are located offshore. The regional capital Laâyoune is located inland near El Marsa, and
14-423: Is the mayor of Laayoune. Yahdih Bouchab was appointed governor ( wali ) of the region on 13 October 2015. Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra consists of four provinces: Guelmim-Oued Noun Guelmim-Oued Noun ( Arabic : ڭلميم-وادي نون , romanized : gulmīm wādī nūn ) is one of the twelve regions of Morocco . The region as a whole covers an area of 46,108 km and had a population of 433,757 as of
21-403: The 2014 Moroccan census . The capital of the region is Guelmim . Guelmim-Oued Noun borders the regions of Souss-Massa to the northeast and Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra to the south. It borders Algeria 's Tindouf Province to the east and Mauritania 's Tiris Zemmour Region to the southeast. Long stretches of virgin beach line its Atlantic coast in the northwest. The region is bisected by
28-641: The Polisario Front carried out an operation in the Es Semara Province of the region, dropping four explosive projectiles, killing one Moroccan civilian and injuring three. The first president of the regional council, Hamdi Ould Errachid, was elected on 14 September 2015. He is a member of the Istiqlal Party and previously headed the council of the former Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra region . His uncle Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid
35-572: The region's second-largest town Smara is located near its geographic centre. The Moroccan Wall runs through the region and the area to its east is under the control of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra was formed in September 2015 by attaching Es Semara Province , formerly part of Guelmim-Es Semara region, to the former region of Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra . On 29 October 2023,
42-547: The usually dry lower course of the Draa River which runs east to west. The capital Guelmim and the Noun River ( Arabic : واد نون , Wad Noun ) are located in the north and together give the region its name. Guelmim-Oued Noun was formed in September 2015 by merging Sidi Ifni Province , formerly part of Souss-Massa-Drâa region, with three provinces from the former Guelmim-Es Semara region. Abderrahim Ben Bouaida
49-494: Was elected as the regional council's first president on 14 September 2015. He is a member of the National Rally of Independents (RNI). Mohamed Benribak was appointed governor ( wali ) of the region on 13 October 2015. He was succeeded by Mohamed Ennajem Abhai in 2017. Guelmim-Oued Noun comprises four provinces: Fishing is an important economic activity: there are ports at Sidi Ifni and at El Ouatia . Beach tourism
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