Sahrawis

See also: Beidane

Sahrawis
صحراويون
Sahrawi man
Total population
652,271 (2020 est.)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Western Sahara~160,000[2] mostly in the Moroccan-controlled zone where they make up about 30% of the population
  Algeria174,000 refugees living in the Sahrawi refugee camps at Tindouf.[3]
  Morocco90,000[4]
  Mauritania26,000 (Refugees)[5]
  Spain3,000[6]–12,000[7]
Languages
Hassaniya Arabic (native), Berber languages (native), Modern Standard Arabic (written only), Spanish (lingua franca), French (lingua franca)
Religion
Predominantly Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Beidane, Moroccans, other Maghrebi Arabs, other Arab-Berbers and Arabized Berbers, other Arab and Berber peoples, Haratin, Gnawa, Afro-Arabs, Tuaregs, other Maghrebis[8]
Map of the tribes of Western Sahara

The Sahrawis, or Sahrawi people (Arabic: صحراويون ṣaḥrāwīyūn), are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Sahara desert, which includes the Western Sahara, southern Morocco, much of Mauritania, and along the southwestern border of Algeria. They are of mixed Hassani Arab and Sanhaji Berber descent, as well as West African and other indigenous populations.[9]

As with most peoples living in the Sahara, the Sahrawi culture is a mix of Arab and indigenous African elements.[9] Sahrawis are composed of many tribes and are largely speakers of the Hassaniya dialect of Arabic.[10]

  1. ^ "Africa :: Western Sahara - The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency". cia.gov. 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  2. ^ Shefte, Whitney (6 January 2015). "Western Sahara's stranded refugees consider renewal of Morocco conflict". The Guardian.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference sahrawi_tindouf-unhcr-2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Morocco overview-Minorities-Saharawis Archived 19 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCRI2009Mauritania was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "La policía detuvo a saharauis en Jaén al pedir la residencia". El País. 16 June 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  7. ^ Carmen Gómez Martín. La migracion saharaui en Espana. Estrategias de visibilidad en el tercer tiempo del exilio. Retrieved 21 August 2012. Page 52, Note 88:"Actualmente es imposible aportar cifras exactas sobre el número de saharauis instalados en el país, ya que no existen datos oficiales elaborados por la administración española o por las autoridades saharauis. A través de la información recogida durante el trabajo de campo de la tesis se calculó su número entre 10.000–12.000 personas, instaladas de preferencia en la costa mediterránea (Cataluña, Comunidad Valenciana, Murcia y Andalucía), Islas Canarias, País Vasco y Extremadura" (in Spanish)
  8. ^ "Western Sahara: Kitesurfing in the Dakhla Danger Zone". BBC. 25 December 2016.
  9. ^ a b atlasofhumanity.com. "Sahrawi People". Atlas Of Humanity. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  10. ^ Julio, Javi (21 November 2015). "Desert schools bloom in Sahrawi refugee camps – in pictures". the Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2017.