Western Sahara
Practical guide
Western Sahara is in Northern Africa. It covers 266,000 km². It borders 3 countries. Its capital is El Aaiún. People speak Berber, Hassaniya, Spanish and the currency is the Algerian Dinar (DZD). Ezplora has pages for 4 of its cities, with month-by-month climate and the distances between them.
- Capital
- El Aaiún
- Population
- —
- Area
- 266,000 km²
- Currency
- Algerian Dinar · DZD
- Languages
- Berber, Hassaniya, Spanish
- Time zone
- Africa/El_Aaiun
- Dialling code
- +2
- Domain
- .eh
When to go to Western Sahara
The best months to visit Laayoune are March, April and May. In Laayoune, daytime highs go from 22° in January to 30° in August. The wettest month is December (8 mm) and the driest is May (0 mm). It rains little all year round.
Weather in Laayoune month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | 22° | 23° | 24° | 25° | 25° | 27° | 29° | 30° | 30° | 28° | 25° | 23° |
| low | 12° | 13° | 14° | 15° | 16° | 17° | 19° | 20° | 19° | 18° | 15° | 13° |
| rain | 3 mm | 3 mm | 2 mm | 1 mm | 0 mm | 1 mm | 0 mm | 0 mm | 1 mm | 3 mm | 7 mm | 8 mm |
1970–2000 normals (WorldClim 2.1). Monthly rainfall total.
Cities in Western Sahara
Distances in Western Sahara
- Laayoune → Dakhla539 km 1 h 20 min · 7 h 1 min
- Laayoune → Boujdour190 km 58 min · 2 h 32 min
- Laayoune → El Marsa28 km 47 min · 30 min
1 h 20 min · 
7 h 1 minNeighboring countries
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Western Sahara?
The capital of Western Sahara is El Aaiún.
What currency is used in Western Sahara?
Western Sahara uses the Algerian Dinar (DZD).
What language is spoken in Western Sahara?
In Western Sahara, people speak Berber, Hassaniya, Spanish.
When is the best time to visit Western Sahara?
The best months to visit Laayoune are March, April and May. In Laayoune, daytime highs go from 22° in January to 30° in August. The wettest month is December (8 mm) and the driest is May (0 mm). It rains little all year round.
Data from Banco Mundial, GeoNames and WorldClim. Photo from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).