Tifariti

Tifariti (Arabic: تفاريتي) is an oasis town and the temporary capital of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, located in north-eastern Western Sahara, east of the Moroccan Berm, 138 km (86 mi) from Smara and 15 km (9 mi) north of the border with Mauritania. It is part of what Polisario Front calls the Liberated Territories and Morocco calls the Buffer Zone. It has been the de facto temporary capital of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic since the government moved there in 2008 from Bir Lehlou. It is the headquarters of the 2nd military region of the SADR. It is also the name of a daïra of the wilaya of Smara, in the Sahrawi refugee camps. In 2010, the population of Tifariti was estimated at 3,000 people. Tifariti is located between Smara, the traditional spiritual centre of the Sahara founded by Ma El Ainin, (177 km (110 mi) away) and the Algerian town of Tindouf (320 km (200 mi) away), where the Sahrawi refugee camps are located. The government quarter of Tifariti houses the Parliament of the SADR, a hospital, a school, a mosque and a museum.