Western Sahara is a region of northwestern
Africa.
Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly
Spanish Sahara[?]) in
1976, and the rest of the territory in
1979, following
Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war carried by the
Polisario Front (
Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro[?]) contesting
Rabat's sovereignty ended in a
1991 cease-fire; a referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.
From the CIA World Factbook 2000. Not Wikified.