Description : Laâyoune (/lɑːˈjuːn/ lah-YOON, also UK: /laɪˈ-/ ly-, French: ) or El Aaiún (/ˌɛl aɪˈ(j)uːn/ EL eye-(Y)OON, Spanish: ; Hassaniya Arabic: لعيون, romanized: Laʕyūn/Elʕyūn; Berber languages: ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ, romanized: Leɛyun; Literary Arabic: العيون, romanized: al-ʿUyūn, lit. 'The Springs') is the largest city of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, with a population of 217,732 in 2014, and de facto administered by Morocco. The modern city is thought to have been founded by the Spanish captain Antonio de Oro in 1938. In 1940, Spain designated it as the capital of the Spanish Sahara. Laâyoune (El Aaiún) is the capital of the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region administered by Morocco under the supervision of the UN peace-keeping mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
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