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Northern Africa

Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a disputed territory: Morocco administers most of it, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, an African Union member, claims it, in Northern Africa. UN Tourism publishes no arrivals figure for it, so Globestamp places its stamp by estimate: Prism, for 50,000 to 500,000 visitors a year.

Western Sahara’s stamp in Globestamp
Prism · 50,000 to 500,000 visitors a year
Stamp finish
Prismplaced by estimate
Area
90,697 km² (35,018 sq mi)
Population
603,000Natural Earth estimate
Airports
3with scheduled flights

Does Western Sahara count as a country?

It depends on the list. Western Sahara is a disputed territory: Morocco administers most of it, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, an African Union member, claims it, so it is not one of the UN’s 193 members, but Globestamp’s list of 250 countries and territories counts it on its own. The Travelers’ Century Club counts it as “Western Sahara”.

ListCounts Western Sahara?
UN member states (193)No
Globestamp’s countries and territories (250)Yes
Travelers’ Century Club (330)Yes, as Western Sahara
European UnionNo
Schengen areaNo

Part of the map here is disputed (Western Sahara). Globestamp takes no side: when a photo was taken in a disputed place, you decide which country it counts for.

The Western Sahara stamp

Every country in Globestamp has its own stamp, drawn after a real entry stamp. Its finish shows how few travelers get there. Western Sahara’s is Prism: the full spectrum with glints, the finish for places with 50,000 to 500,000 visitors a year. UN Tourism has no figure for Western Sahara, so its finish is placed by hand from what is known of its visitors. See every stamp on the stamp wall, or the rarest on the least-visited countries.

What counts as a visit to Western Sahara

The common rule among travelers is that you set foot there: an airport layover usually doesn’t count, and a port where you went ashore does. Globestamp counts Western Sahara when one of your photos was taken on its ground, or just off its coast; a photo taken from a plane never counts. Photos only at an airport make a transit stamp in lighter ink, counted only if you count layovers. Read more in how to count the countries you’ve visited.

Airports

Western Sahara has 3 airports with scheduled flights, 2 of them large. Each is a dot on Globestamp’s airports layer, and every flight you log adds to how far you’ve flown (try the flight distance calculator).

Questions people ask

Is Western Sahara a country?

It depends on the list. Western Sahara is a disputed territory: Morocco administers most of it, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, an African Union member, claims it, so it is not one of the UN’s 193 members, but Globestamp’s list of 250 countries and territories counts it on its own. The Travelers’ Century Club counts it as “Western Sahara”.

How many tourists visit Western Sahara?

UN Tourism, the usual source, publishes no arrivals figure for Western Sahara. Globestamp places its stamp by estimate, as Prism: 50,000 to 500,000 visitors a year.

How rare is a Western Sahara stamp in Globestamp?

It is printed in Prism, the finish for places with 50,000 to 500,000 visitors a year. The fewer travelers a place receives, the rarer its finish, from plain Ink to Mythic.

Does Western Sahara count for the Travelers’ Century Club?

Yes. The Travelers’ Century Club counts it as “Western Sahara”, one of its 330 destinations.

Places as rare as Western Sahara

Near Western Sahara

Sources