Saguia el-Hamra

Saguia el-Hamra is a geographic region in northern Western Sahara named after a seasonal river or wadi that runs through the area. It is one of the two traditional divisions of Western Sahara alongside Río de Oro.

The landscape is primarily arid plains and rocky plateaus with occasional coastal cliffs along the Atlantic. There are sparse settlements and stretches of desert used for grazing and limited agriculture where seasonal water collects.

The region has long been inhabited by Sahrawi nomadic groups and was incorporated into the Spanish Sahara colonial administration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During the 20th century it formed part of the territory contested after Spain’s withdrawal in 1975 and remains central to the Western Sahara dispute.

Saguia el-Hamra occupies the northern portion of Western Sahara along the Atlantic coast, north of the town of El Aaiún and south of the Moroccan border region, encompassing coastal and interior desert areas.