Western Sahara deserts on the edge of sand a white line stretches almost 100 kilometers long. Visible even from space, the structure is the world’s longest conveyor system, crossing the Western Sahara desert from the Bou Craa phosphate mine to the coastal town of El Marsa near Laayoune.
The conveyor belt is visible even from space. NASA Terra satellite photo.
A conveyor belt transports the vital mineral from the remote areas of North Africa to the port, from where agricultural areas around the world are transported. From this mine, 2,000 tons of phosphate rock is transported per hour on a giant conveyor.
Phosphorus is an essential element for all living things and forms the basis of our DNA. It is also one of the three main ingredients in commercial in fertilizers.
Phosphate mines in Western Sahara. jbdodane/Flickr photo.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), about 38 million cubic meters are mined annually in Morocco and Western Sahara. tons of phosphate rock, which in 2021 accounted for 17 percent global mining. The USGS also estimates that this region contains about 70 percent of of all known phosphate rock reserves on our planet.
These mines and a conveyor structure in the Western Sahara were captured by both NASA’s Terra satellite and International Space Station astronauts.
Phosphate mines in Western Sahara. jbdodane/Flickr photo.
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