Laayoune

El Ayoun (in Arabic: العيون‎, in Berber languages: ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ, in French: Laâyoune) is a town in the province of El Aaiún, in the region of El Aaiún-Saguia el-Hamra, in Western Sahara. It is the largest city in Western Sahara. The partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic considers it its capital.

Toponymy

The name El Aaiún is the phonetic adaptation into Spanish of the Arabic name al-'Ayyūn (العيون), which means the sources or the springs, which already gave name to the area before the founding of the city by the Spanish.

Geography

It is located in the interior of the territory, 28 km from the north coast, next to the dry bed of the Saguia el Hamra river. The city is located about 870 km from Rabat. The average elevation of the territory on which the city sits is 19 m s. no. m..

Climate

As in the rest of the Sahara desert, the city's climate is very dry and hot, registering very little rainfall throughout the year. The hottest months are July and August, which are also the ones with the least rainfall and the months of the rainy season are the coolest and have the vast majority of those that fall throughout the year. Below are the city's climate averages:

Average climate parameters of El Aaiún
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	28	33	37	41	38	37	43	47	40	38	33	30	47
Average temperature (°C)	20	20	22	22	22	24	26	28	27	25	24	20	23
Average temperature (°C)	16	17	19	18	20	21	23	25	24	22	20	17	20.2
Temp. medium (°C)	12	13	16	15	16	18	20	21	20	18	16	13	17
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	5	6	8	10	11	11	12	17	16	8	2	6	2
Total precipitation (mm)	17.97	18.51	6.74	2.54	3.21	0.31	0	0	1.21	7.47	16.90	18.60	93.5
Precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	3	3	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	3	19
Hours of sun	152	183	205	250	282	302	348	379	309	260	198	149	3017
Relative humidity (%)	63.5	65	63	66	69	69.5	68.5	67	68.5	68.5	65	67.5	66.8
Source: Weatherbase 14 November 2011

History

Hotel Parador de El Aaiún (1968)

The presence of the first permanent settlement in what is now the city of El Aaiún dates back to 1928, when a surveillance post belonging to the Izarguien tribe was established. The Spanish did not begin the effective occupation of the interior of the territory until 1934, when Commander Antonio de Oro and Captain Galo Bullón Díaz arrived at the Izarguien surveillance post, finding the optimal place for a permanent establishment, since it was not far from the sea and well connected with Cabo Juby, and had a guaranteed supply of fresh water thanks to the wells on the left bank of the Saguia el Hamra, as well as the damming of the same in its bed during the rainy season. Four years later, in 1938, both officers decided on the establishment of a fixed military post, and the first permanent buildings of the settlement were then erected. In 1940 it was officially designated the capital city or head of the Spanish Sahara, therefore receiving an endowment of Specific Items (for the construction of buildings and infrastructures) belonging to the independent Annual Budgets for the Ifni-Sahara region. Its development was slow until the sixties, when it had a spectacular development becoming a modern city. The government buildings of the General Government of the Sahara and the General Secretariat date from the Spanish period. In addition, the La Paz National Education Center was built, which currently houses the Spanish cultural mission; the General Alonso National High School, the old cinema, military casino, and civil housing. Among the houses, the group of hexagon houses of Serrano, Capote and Estaella stand out, as well as the spherical-domed houses of the Engineers and Assistants of the Army Construction Service. The population of El Aaiún was heavily militarized, with the headquarters of the Mixed Regiment of Engineers, the Field Artillery Regiment, the Territorial Police, the headquarters of the Parachute Company and the headquarters of the Nomad III Group, among others. In addition, note the provincial hospital, the military and civil air base of El Aaiún, the Cathedral of San Francisco de Asís (1954) in Méndez or the Parador de Turismo de El Aaiún (1968).

Spanish acronym in El Aaiún in 1972.

In the year that preceded the loss of the Sahara by the Spanish, numerous attacks were carried out in El Ayoun by the Polisario Front and the Moroccan Unified Liberation Front (FLU) terrorist group against the civilian population, the military and politicians, with the result of deaths and injuries. Among the most serious attacks are the attack against Ahmed Uld Brahim Uld Bachir, the kidnapping of Antonio Martín or the explosion of the bomb that killed the boy Manuel Fernández.

It was the capital of the former Spanish Sahara until December 1975, when after the illegal march of thousands of Moroccans towards the Sahara –organized by King Hasan II– which was later called the green march, the Madrid Agreements were signed, by Spain ceded the Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania, which then had to confront the Saharawi Polisario Front, supported by Algeria. The Moroccans occupied the city in early 1976, causing an exodus of some pro-independence Sahrawis to Algeria to escape Moroccan reprisals for their support of the Polisario Front. In their pursuit of the fleeing population to the southwest of Algeria, the Moroccan air forces used napalm, white phosphorus and fragmentation bombs against the refugees. The city also gives its name to one of the four wilayas in which they are structured. the Saharawi refugee camps of the SADR in the surroundings of the Algerian city of Tindouf and is also the headquarters of the UN's MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) operation.

The 2004 census recorded a population of 183,691 inhabitants, the most populous in all of Western Sahara. Its growth is largely due to military mobilization and the settlement policy, which the Moroccan government has practiced since the annexation of this Saharan territory.^{[citation required]} In 1979 Mauritania renounced the part of the territory that corresponded to it, which Morocco annexed and signed peace with the Polisario Front and, in turn, recognized the SADR.

City center

In 2005, the city was the scene of serious protests against the Moroccan occupation and in support of the Polisario Front. These protests also took place in other urban centers in Western Sahara, as well as in some university centers throughout Morocco. The city has been recognized as the capital of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic by 82 states.

Demographics

Cathedral of San Francisco de Assisi. Sunday Mass is performed in English.

The city registered a population of 183,691 inhabitants during the last census, which was carried out in 2004. According to estimates, it is estimated that in 2009 it had a population of 194,668 inhabitants, making it the main city of Western Sahara. The city has suffered the exodus of thousands of Sahrawis fleeing Morocco in the direction of the refugee camps found in the neighboring country of Algeria, so its population has currently been reduced, but even so it increases year by year. year due to the high birth rate.

Economy

Avenida Meka de El Aaiún

The city has few natural resources and does not have enough rainfall to support most agricultural activities. Its economy is centered on nomadic herding, fishing and the extraction of phosphates, of which it constitutes the largest deposit in the world. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan government. Income and living standards are substantially below those of Morocco but also substantially above those of the rest of Western Sahara. The city also has small income from international aid and even smaller income from tourism.

By his terms, he crosses the mobile transporter that leaves from Bucraa to the port of Marsa. It is considered the longest mobile transporter in the world.^{[citation needed]}

Government and politics

Military post in El Aaiun.

The legal status of the territory and the question of sovereignty remain to be resolved. It is largely under the control of Morocco, but the Polisario Front, which formed the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic in 1976, disputes it. Since then the two sides have clashed militarily and diplomatically on several occasions and with varying degrees of intensity. The city has what could be considered a mayor who is in charge of making important decisions about what to do at all times.. This mayor is renewed every four years. It is previously mentioned that he could be considered a mayor because he is actually a figure in the service of the King of Morocco (Mohamed VI).

Education

There is an international Spanish school, Colegio Español La Paz, owned by the Spanish government. It occupies a property of 17,000 square meters. In 2015 the parents' association, Asociación de Madres, Padres y Profesores de Alumnos del Colegio Español La Paz (AMPA), requested the establishment of secondary education so that their children would not have to go to Las Palmas or Morocco to continue their education.

Transportation

The city is more or less well communicated with the neighboring cities and population centers since it has roads that communicate with it that, although they do not have perfect asphalt quality, can be used by any vehicle. The city also has transport characteristic of other small cities such as buses and taxis that are available almost 24 hours a day to move around inside.

As far as transport on a larger scale is concerned, the city has an airport, the Hassan I airport, nearby which has various regular flights both to Spain –mainly the Canary Islands– and to several important cities in Morocco.

In terms of maritime transport, the city has a road that connects it with the coastline (only 28 km away), with the coastal towns Feim L'wad and Marsa or more frequently L'Blaya which is the only port of the city.

Sports

Endless sports are practiced in the city among its inhabitants, but the one that could be considered the king of sports or the sport preferred by the vast majority of the population is, as in the rest of Western Sahara and also Morocco, soccer. The main sports club in the city is the Jeunesse Sportive d'El Massira, which plays in Botola, the first Moroccan category. The city also has clubs that practice other sports, although these are not as important or do not have as many followers as those that practice soccer. The Western Sahara National Team will also play its matches in the city (as soon as it has official recognition).

Twinnings

• Almeria, Spain
• Malaga, Spain
• Montevideo (Uruguay) (13 December 2009)
• Sorrento (Italy) (18 April 2009)