thumb|upright=1.08|Map of [[Morocco (red) and Western Sahara, showing the portions of territory in Western Sahara controlled by the Polisario Front (green) and Morocco (light red).]]
About two-thirds of Western Sahara, a UN-designated non-self-governing territory in the Maghreb, has been occupied by Morocco since 1975 amid the Western Sahara War. It was illegally annexed by Morocco in two stages in 1976 and 1979. The occupied territories are administered as integral parts of Morocco, and state-sponsored settlement programs exist to relocate Moroccans to Western Sahara.
The Moroccan government uses the terminology southern provinces<!-- Lowercase as "southern provinces" is not a proper noun --> or Moroccan Sahara to refer to the occupied territory. Approximately 80% of the territory is currently administered by Morocco, which considers the region its southern provinces, corresponding to the portion west of the Berm wall. The remaining part constitutes the Polisario Front-controlled Free Zone of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
Morocco manages these areas as integral parts of its national territory. The government implements large-scale economic and social development programs that have led to significant population growth, incorporating these southern provinces into the national budget for government funding, national sports competitions, educational programs, and national parliamentary elections. The Moroccan state broadcaster also operates Laayoune TV, a local television channel. The total population of Western Sahara is around 576,000. Coastal areas are utilized for fishing, and land areas are exploited for phosphate mining by both government and private entities.
In terms of administration, Morocco divided its controlled territory into administrative units (wilayas). Flags and coats of arms were established for the three wilayas of Boujdour, Smara, and Laayoune.
In 1983, further changes occurred, resulting in the establishment of four wilayas, with the addition of Dakhla. In 1990, Wadi al-Dhahab (Río de Oro) was also incorporated.
As of 2022, the southern provinces are organized into three regions: Guelmim-Oued Noun in the north, Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra in the center, and Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab in the south. These regions are further subdivided into ten provinces. The regions of Guelmim-Oued Noun and Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra encompass parts of the Western Saharan territory as well as undisputed Moroccan territory to the north.
Moroccan settlers
Following the 1975 Green March, the Moroccan state initiated settlement programs that encouraged numerous Moroccans to relocate to the Moroccan-administered portion of Western Sahara (accounting for approx. 70% of the disputed territory).
By 2015, it was estimated that Moroccan settlers constituted at least two-thirds of the 500,000 inhabitants. In addition to offering a right of return for the Sahrawi refugees, the Sahrawi government in exile expressed a willingness to grant Sahrawi citizenship to Moroccan settlers and their descendants in a prospective independent state.