Laayoune is a city in the Western Sahara and a former Spanish colony. Occupied by Morocco since 1976,Laayoune (El-Aaiún) is the capital of the Moroccan region of Laâyoune- Boujdour -Sakia El Hamra. It is also claimed by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic as their de jure capital.
Laayoune city has a population of 188,084 and is the largest city in Western Sahara. It is a growing economical pole in what Morocco sees as its Southern Provinces. Its population is a mixture of Moroccans from the North as well as Sahrawis from Southern Saharan Morocco and natives of Western Sahara.