La Güera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
La Güera
الكويرة
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Ghost town
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La Güera ruins viewed from Mauritania, January 2003
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| Claimed by |  Kingdom of Morocco Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic |
| Controlled by |  Islamic Republic of Mauritania |
| Founded | 30 November 1920 |
| Time zone | GMT |
La Güera (also called La Agüera, Lagouira, or El Gouera) is a ghost town on the Atlantic coast. A ghost town is a place that used to have people living there, but now it's mostly empty or abandoned. This town is at the very southern tip of Western Sahara.
La Güera sits on the western part of the Ras Nouadhibou peninsula. A peninsula is a piece of land almost surrounded by water, but still connected to a larger landmass. This empty town is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of a city called Nouadhibou. The name 'La Güera' also refers to a 'daira' (which is like a district) in the Sahrawi refugee camps in southwestern Algeria.
The name 'La Güera' comes from a Spanish word, Agüera. This word means a ditch that carries rainwater to help grow crops. By 2002, the town was mostly empty. Parts of it were even covered by sand. At that time, only a few Imraguen fishermen lived there. The area was guarded by a Mauritanian military outpost, even though it wasn't officially Mauritanian land.
La Güera: A Town with Two Claims
La Güera is the southernmost town in Western Sahara. Two different groups claim it as their own. These are the Kingdom of Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
Lagouira is located south of the Moroccan Wall. The Moroccan Wall is a long sand barrier built for defense. The town has been left empty by both Moroccan forces and the Polisario Front. The Polisario Front is a group that wants Western Sahara to be an independent country.
Images for kids
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Residence of the Spanish Governor in La Güera, 1935
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Signboard showing, among others, the twinning of La Güera with the Spanish town of Crevillent
See also
In Spanish: La Güera para niños
