Place · city

Laayoune

Also known as El Aaiún

Laayoune is the largest city of Western Sahara, near the Atlantic coast and the seasonal river Saguia el-Hamra. Founded by Spain in 1938 as a military post, it grew into the capital of the colony of Spanish Sahara and the outlet for the phosphates of Bou Craa. Since the Spanish withdrawal in 1976 it has been administered by Morocco, which treats it as a regional capital.

Laayoune
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Mentioned in 1 state history

Spanish Sahara

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Laayoune. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/laayoune
MLA
“Laayoune.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/laayoune. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Laayoune.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/laayoune.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Laayoune’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/laayoune (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻