EH - Western Sahara

The main economic resource of Western Sahara, in addition to fishing and nomadic herding, is the extraction of phosphates, of which the subsoil is rich. The main mine, open-air, is in Bou Craa and connected to the sea, for maritime transport, with a conveyor belt about 100 km long which is the longest in the world. The mine, the largest in the world on an area of ​​250 km2, is at the center of a vast region estimated at 1200 km2. The extracted mineral has a density equal to 85% of calcium phosphate. This, like all other economic and commercial activities, is controlled by Morocco (which is, with the production of Western Sahara, the second largest producer of phosphates in the world). The United Nations reiterated the illegality of Morocco’s exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara. Important oil and gas reserves are estimated, the exploitation of which is blocked by United Nations decisions advising to stop at the research stage.