The modern town was built in 1938 to serve as the administrative center of Spanish Sahara. It remained under Spanish control until Dec. 11, 1975, when it was occupied by Moroccan troops; the last of the Spanish forces withdrew on December 20. The town then became the capital of Morocco's Laâyoune Province, but the country's sovereignty over the region remains a subject of international dispute. Pop. (1994, Laâyoune Province) 153,978.
Aaiun, el-
Grades: K-12
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Also Laâyoune, town, principal urban center of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara, an overseas province of Spain), near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is an artificially constructed oasis, where grains and vegetables are grown by irrigation. An airport provides regular service to Casablanca and Agadir in Morocco, and port facilities have been developed about 25 km (about 16 mi) from the town. Commercial fishing is plentiful, and rich phosphate deposits are exploited in the S.