or El Aaiún
City (pop., 1998 est.: 164,000), North Africa.
The capital (1940–76) of the overseas Spanish province of Western Sahara and since 1976 of the Laayoune province of Morocco (though Morocco's claim is not internationally recognized), Laayoune lies in the northern part of Western Sahara, 8 mi (13 km) inland from the Atlantic Ocean. It was developed by Spain in 1938 as the administrative and military centre of the Europeans living in the former province. It is Western Sahara's only major populated place. Nearby oases supply water.