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Western Sahara :: Culture and Food
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Culture and Food
LanguagesLanguages Spoken: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic.
Tour guides and service professionals in tourist-oriented facilities are very likely to speak English.

ReligionReligions: Muslim

People and CulturePeople and Culture: Of the estimated 267 000 people living in the territory, most are Sahrawi, who speak Arabic. The main religion is Islam. The territory lacks natural resources and the livelihood relies on nomadism, fishing and phosphate mining. Most food is imported and the standard of living is low.

A resident or national of Western Sahara is called "Sahrawi". The Term used to describe things from here is "Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian". For example, "Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian food".

Tipping and BargainingTipping and Bargaining: Tipping is practiced only in nice restaurants and taxis. Other small services might be performed for you with the expectation of a dirham or two. In cases such as this, the "tip" is actually the person’s earnings.

Restaurants: 10-15% if in a fine restaurant, 1-2 Dirham otherwise
*Porters: 5 dirham per bag at the nicer hotels
Taxi: Round up

* Try to use local currency. Foreign coins cannot be exchanged and will be useless to the person receiving them. Foreign paper money requires a trip to the bank for exchange. However paper US dollars are accepted almost universally.

FoodFood: The food in Western Sahara is similar to Moroccan food. The national dish is couscous (finely ground semolina) which usually accompanies a tagine (a vegetable and lamb casserole). Sweet mint tea is the Moroccan drink of choice, alcohol is available everywhere.

Islamic practices and beliefs are closely adhered to in this countrys customs, laws, and regulations. Common sense and discretion should be exercised. Visitors should dress conservatively when and where appropriate (e.g. women should not wear tight or revealing clothing or short skirts, and both men and women should refrain from wearing shorts). Respect religious and social traditions to avoid offending local sensitivities especially when visiting holy places and mosques. During the lunar month of Ramadan (the ninth month of the Muslim calendar), Muslims refrain from drinking, eating, and smoking between sunrise and sunset. This may affect the availability of food services. Non- Muslims may wish to refrain from these activities in public. Ramadan is expected to begin on or about:
September 24, 2006
September 13, 2007
September 02, 2008
August 22, 2009
September 24, 2010
August 01, 2011
July 20, 2012
July 09, 2013
June 29, 2014
June 18, 2015
June 07, 2016
May 27, 2017
May 16, 2018
May 06, 2019
April 24, 2020
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