The Economic and Social Development of the Moroccan Sahara: An Analysis of the Development of the Southern Provinces in the Context of Morocco’s Political Future

Authors

Rohini Muralidharan, SIT Study Abroad

Home Institution

Brown University

Publication Date

Spring 2009

Program Name

Morocco: Culture and Society

Abstract

The purpose of this analysis is to examine the development that has occurred within the Moroccan Saharan region since the end of Spanish colonization in 1975. In particular, this research focuses upon more recent developments in the region, starting with King Mohammed VI’s 2002 decree establishing the Agency for the Development of the Southern Provinces and continuing to the modern day. The area known as the Moroccan Sahara constitutes the region starting with the city of Guelmim in the north and ending with the Mauritanian border in the south. This paper will begin by providing a historical background to the Saharan region that includes both the socio-economic and political history of the land. It will then examine the economic and social developments that have taken place within the region and the various state and non-state actors involved in the process. Finally, this analysis will conclude with a look into the effects that development has and will have upon the land, the region, the people and the political future of Morocco.

Disciplines

African History | History

Recommended Citation

Muralidharan, Rohini, "The Economic and Social Development of the Moroccan Sahara: An Analysis of the Development of the Southern Provinces in the Context of Morocco’s Political Future" (2009). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 614.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/614