Western Sahara (Wikipedia) Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North-western Africa. It has a surface area of 272,000 square kilometres (105,000 sq mi). Approximately 30% of the territory (82,500 km2 (31,900 sq mi)) is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 70% is occupied and administered by neighboring Morocco. It is the most sparsely-populated country in Africa and the second most sparsely-populated country in the world, mainly consisting of desert flatlands. The population is estimated at 618,600, of which nearly 40% live in Morocco-controlled Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara.