Laayoune
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El Aaiún
العيون ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ Laayoune | |
|---|---|
 Plaza de la Marcha Verde | |
| Non-Self-Governing Territory | Western Sahara |
| Region | Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra |
| Province | Laâyoune Province |
| Settled | 1934 |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 196,331 |
| Time zone | UTC |
El-Aaiún (Maghrebi Arabic: لعيون, Laʕyūn ; Spanish: 'El Aaiún'; French: 'Laâyoune'; Berber: ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ, Leɛyun; Literary Arabic: العيون al-ʿuyūn, literally "The Springs") is the largest city of the disputed territory of Western Sahara. The modern city is thought to have been founded by the Spanish colonizer Antonio de Oro in 1938.[1] In 1940, Spain designated it as the capital of the Spanish Sahara. Laâyoune (El-Aaiún) is the capital of the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region administered by Morocco under the supervision of the UN peace-keeping mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
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. A cathedral from that era is still active; its priests serve this city and Dakhla further south.
History
Etymology
El Aaiún is the Spanish transliteration of the Maghrebi Arabic name Layoun which means "the water springs" and is the typical form used internationally. Laâyoune is the French transliteration, drawing from the dominant usage by the francophone oriented Moroccan administration.
Geography
Climate
El-Aiún (Laâyoune) has a mild desert climate, moderated by the Canary Current with an average annual temperature of 20 °C (68 °F).
| Climate data for Laâyoune" also "El Ayun" | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °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) |
| Mean daily minimum °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) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 17.97 (0.71) |
18.51 (0.73) |
6.74 (0.27) |
2.54 (0.10) |
3.21 (0.13) |
0.31 (0.01) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.21 (0.05) |
7.47 (0.29) |
16.90 (0.67) |
18.60 (0.73) |
93.46 (3.69) |
| Average rainy days | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 18 |
| Source: Weatherbase[2] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for El Aaiún (Laayoune) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °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 (79) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 17.5 (63.5) |
18.5 (65.3) |
19.5 (67.1) |
20.0 (68.0) |
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) |
21.8 (71.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °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 (63) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 8 (0.3) |
9 (0.4) |
4 (0.2) |
2 (0.1) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
4 (0.2) |
4 (0.2) |
6 (0.2) |
10 (0.4) |
47 (2) |
| Average rainy 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[3] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
The city has a population of 196,331[4] and is the largest city in Western Sahara. It is a growing economic hub.
Economy and status
The city is a hub for fishing and for phosphate mining in the region.[5] In 2010 that country was negotiating a new fishing agreement with Europe over offshore fishing.
Sport
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 Stade Sheikh Mohamed Laghdaf in training and games.
Transport
Laâyoune (El-Aaiún) is served by Hassan I Airport.
Education
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There is a Spanish international school, Colegio Español La Paz, owned by the Spanish government. It occupies a 17,000-square-metre (180,000 sq ft) property. In 2015 the parents' association, Asociación de Madres, Padres y Tutores de Alumnos del Colegio Español La Paz (AMPA), asked for the establishment of secondary education so their children would not have to go to Las Palmas or Morocco to continue their education.[6]
Gallery
-
The old Spanish Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi, chiefly serves European UN personnel -
Avenue Makkah al-Mukarramah -
Monumental arch near the airport
Twin towns and sister cities
Algiers, Algeria[7] (Since 2001)
Almería, Spain[8]- Avilés, Spain[9]
Caracas, Venezuela (Since 12 August 2005)- Málaga, Spain[10]
Montevideo, Uruguay[11] (Since 13 December 2009)- Lorca, Spain[12]
Sorrento, Italy (Since 18 April 2009)
See also
References
- ^ Francisco López Barrios (2005-01-23). "El Lawrence de Arabia Español" (in Spanish). El Mundo. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
- ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for El Aaiún".
- ^ Laayoune Climate Guide – weather2travel.com
- ^ Stefan Helders (2010). "Morocco – largest cities (per geographical entity)". World Gazetteer. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
- ^ "Diplomacy over Western Sahara: 'Morocco v Algeria'", The Economist, 4 November 2010.
- ^ Santana, Txema. "El colegio español en El Aaiún pide ciclo de secundaria" (Archive). El País. April 10, 2015. Retrieved on May 1, 2016. "Lagadaf Lahsen, presidente del AMPA del centro educativo, asegura que es “la única forma de evitar” que sus hijos “se vayan a otras ciudades de Marruecos o a Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, además de que no se pierda el español en el Sáhara”." and "[...]una instalación de 17.000 metros cuadrados que es propiedad del Estado español[...]"
- ^ "Renewing the twining agreement between Central Algiers and Wilaya of El Aaiun". Sahara Press Service. 2011-10-30. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- ^ 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" (in Spanish). Murcia.es. 2010-11-12. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
External links
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
Travel information from Wikivoyage
Data from Wikidata
Capital: Laâyoune | ||
| Provinces |  | |
| Municipalities | ||