El Aaiún
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| El-Aaiún Laʕyūn ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ Laayoune |
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 El-Aaiún
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| Coordinates: 27°9′13″N 13°12′12″W / 27.15361°N 13.20333°WCoordinates: 27°9′13″N 13°12′12″W / 27.15361°N 13.20333°W | |
| Non-Self-Governing Territory | Western Sahara |
| Region | Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra |
| Province | Laayoune Province |
| Settled | 1934 |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 196,331 |
| Time zone | UTC |
El-Aaiún (also French: "Laâyoune"; Hassaniya Arabic: Laʕyūn ; Literary Arabic: العيون al-ʿuyūn, lit. "The Springs"), is a city in Western Sahara founded by the Spanish colonizer Antonio de Oro in 1938.[1] In 1940, it was officially declared as the capital of the Spanish Sahara. It has been occupied and administered by Morocco,[2] which claims Western Sahara as a part of its territory, since 1976. El-Aaiún is the capital of the Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra region. The Polisario Front, which claims Western Sahara sovereignty as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, considers the city its occupied capital. 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 the Spanish. A cathedral from that era is still in operation, with priests dividing their time between this town and Dakhla further south.
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Demographics[edit]
The city has a population of 196,331[3] and is the largest city in Western Sahara. It is a growing economic hub in Western Sahara. Its population is a mixture of Moroccans from the North as well as Sahrawis from the southern part of Western Sahara and natives of Western Sahara (who make up a fifth of the population).[4]
Etymology[edit]
"El Aaiún" is the Spanish transliteration of the Arabic name "Layoun" which means "the water sources". "Laâyoune" is a French transliteration used in Morocco.
Status[edit]
Although the city is administered by Morocco, it is part of Western Sahara, a territory with unresolved sovereignty pending a solution between the two parties that claim it. The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), which monitors the 1991 ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front, is headquartered in the city.
Climate[edit]
El Aaiún has a mild desert climate, moderated by the Gulf Stream with an average annual temperature of 20°C.
| Climate data for Laâyoune" also "El Ayun" | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 20 (68) |
20 (68) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
24 (75) |
26 (79) |
28 (82) |
27 (81) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
20 (68) |
23 (73) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 16 (61) |
17 (63) |
19 (66) |
18 (64) |
20 (68) |
21 (70) |
23 (73) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
22 (72) |
20 (68) |
17 (63) |
20 (68) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 12 (54) |
13 (55) |
16 (61) |
15 (59) |
16 (61) |
18 (64) |
20 (68) |
21 (70) |
20 (68) |
18 (64) |
16 (61) |
13 (55) |
17 (63) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 17.97 (0.7075) |
18.51 (0.7287) |
6.74 (0.2654) |
2.54 (0.1) |
3.21 (0.1264) |
0.31 (0.0122) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
1.21 (0.0476) |
7.47 (0.2941) |
16.90 (0.6654) |
18.60 (0.7323) |
93.46 (3.6795) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 18 |
| Source: Weatherbase[5] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for El Aaiún (Laayoune) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 22 (72) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
25 (77) |
26 (79) |
28 (82) |
31 (88) |
31 (88) |
30 (86) |
28 (82) |
25 (77) |
22 (72) |
26.3 (79.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 17.5 (63.5) |
18.5 (65.3) |
19.5 (67.1) |
20.0 (68) |
21.5 (70.7) |
23.5 (74.3) |
26.0 (78.8) |
26.5 (79.7) |
25.5 (77.9) |
23.5 (74.3) |
21.0 (69.8) |
18.0 (64.4) |
21.75 (71.15) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 13 (55) |
14 (57) |
15 (59) |
15 (59) |
17 (63) |
19 (66) |
21 (70) |
22 (72) |
21 (70) |
19 (66) |
17 (63) |
14 (57) |
17.3 (63.1) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 8 (0.31) |
9 (0.35) |
4 (0.16) |
2 (0.08) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
4 (0.16) |
4 (0.16) |
6 (0.24) |
10 (0.39) |
47 (1.85) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 38 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 217 | 232 | 248 | 270 | 279 | 270 | 279 | 279 | 240 | 248 | 210 | 217 | 2,989 |
| Source: weather2travel.com[6] | |||||||||||||
Sport[edit]
The football club of the city is Jeunesse Massira. The club plays in the Moroccan premier league, the highest football league in the country. Jeunesse Massira uses Mohamed Laghdaf stadium in training and games.
Transport[edit]
El-Aaiún is served by Hassan I Airport.
Twin towns and sister cities[edit]
Algiers, Algeria[7] (Since 2001)
Almería, Andalucía, Spain[8]- Avilés, Asturias, Spain[9]
Caracas, Venezuela (Since 12 August 2005)- Málaga, Andalucía, Spain[10]
Montevideo, Uruguay[11] (Since 13 December 2009)- Lorca, Murcia, Spain[12]
Sorrento, Campania, Italy (Since 18 April 2009)
References[edit]
- ^ Francisco López Barrios (23-01-2005). "El Lawrence de Arabia Español". El Mundo. Retrieved 11-02-2013.(Spanish)
- ^ UN General Assembly Resolution 34/37 and UN General Assembly Resolution 35/19.
- ^ Stefan Helders (2010). "Morocco – largest cities (per geographical entity)" (in English). World Gazetteer. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
- ^ Diplomacy over Western Sahara: Morrocco v Algeria, by The Economist, 4th November, 2010.
- ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for El Aaiún".
- ^ Laayoune Climate Guide – weather2travel.com
- ^ "Renewing the twining agreement between Central Algiers and Wilaya of El Aaiun". Sahara Press Service. 30-10-2011. Retrieved 02-11-2011.
- ^ Ayuntamiento de Almería (ed.). "Ciudades Hermanadas". Retrieved 2008-04-12.
- ^ "Balance del viaje realizado por representantes municipales al Sahara". Aviles.es. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
- ^ Ayuntamiento de Málaga (ed.). "Official website for Malaga's candidature for European capital of culture in 2016". Retrieved 2008-04-02.
- ^ "Hermanamiento de Montevideo y El Aaiún". Montevideo.gub.uy. 2009-12-13. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
- ^ "El Ayuntamiento de Lorca denuncia la agresión de Marruecos contra el Pueblo Saharaui". Murcia.es. 12-11-2010. Retrieved 11-02-2013. (Spanish)
External links[edit]
| Find more about El Aaiún at Wikipedia's sister projects | |
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Definitions and translations from Wiktionary |
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Media from Commons |
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Travel information from Wikivoyage |
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Database entry Q47837 on Wikidata |
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