Rabat – The US’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has published a map of Morocco with the Western Sahara clearly labeled as Moroccan.
The map was published as part of a release from NASA’s Earth Observatory detailing a dust storm over the Canary Islands.
The map, which clearly labels the Western Sahara region as part of Morocco, is available on NASA’s website.
The picture was also shared by other institutions, including the American embassy in Spain.
Since the US recognized formally Morocco’s sovereignty over the Southern regions, various American and international organizations have adopted full maps of Morocco that include the Western Sahara and label it as Moroccan.
On a regional level, the CAF and Arab League recently adopted these maps, supporting the increasing support from Arab and African countries for the Moroccanness of the Sahara.
Beyond Africa and the MENA region, various American institutions such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and US State Department, in addition to other organizations like the BBC and NATO, have also adopted the undivided map of Morocco.
Observers agree that this trend shows increasing international recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
A key factor in the pro-Moroccan turn on the Sahara question has been the US’ recognition of the Moroccanness of the disputed territory on December 10, 2020.
Since that move by the Trump administration, a number of US government-affiliated institutions have adopted the full map of Morocco.
The US State Department released a new map earlier this year detailing US presence across the globe which showed a full map of Morocco, including the Southern provinces.
In tandem with other American government agencies that now use the undivided Moroccan map in all of their publications, the CIA’s website also adopted the complete map last year.
Additionally, the US’ Center for Disease Control (CDC) also used the complete map last year, in a global map used by the center to detail the epidemiological situation around the world.
While supporters of the Polisario Front continue to hope for reversal of the shift in US policy regarding Western Sahara, North Africa watchers say that the adoption of a full Moroccan map by the US government and affiliated agencies points to a potential permanent shift in America’s representation of the region.
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