Laayoune, Western Sahara · UTC+1

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Laayoune is the largest city in Western Sahara, a disputed territory administered by Morocco but claimed by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The city runs on Africa/El_Aaiun time, which follows Morocco’s clock: UTC+1 year-round, with one annual exception: Morocco reverts to UTC+0 during Ramadan each year, then returns to UTC+1 when Ramadan ends.

Morocco permanently abandoned seasonal DST in 2018, settling on UTC+1 as the base offset. The only clock shift that now occurs is the Ramadan reversion to UTC+0. This is not DST in the conventional sense — the reversion follows the Islamic lunar calendar, so it falls on a different part of the Gregorian year each year and does not align to summer or winter. There is no UTC+2 offset in Morocco or Western Sahara at any point in the year.

disputed territory, Morocco’s most subsidized city

Laayoune is a planned city, laid out under Spanish colonial administration as the capital of the Spanish Sahara province. Spain withdrew in 1975 and Morocco moved in. The current city is heavily subsidized by Morocco as a political statement of integration.

At 27 degrees north, Laayoune has noticeable seasonal light variation: about 10.5 hours in December, 13.5 in June. The Saharan climate delivers relentless sunshine almost year-round, making daylight variation more about heat intensity than usable light.

9am in Laayoune is 8am in London during standard time, one hour ahead.

Read more about time in Western Sahara →

Sources

  1. IANA Time Zone Database - Africa/El_Aaiun
  2. Haut-Commissariat au Plan Maroc
IANA timezone Africa/El_Aaiun
Current offset UTC+1
Daylight saving No DST observed

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Questions about time in Laayoune

What timezone is Laayoune in?
Laayoune uses the IANA timezone Africa/El_Aaiun. The UTC offset is always UTC+1 - this timezone does not observe daylight saving time.
Does Laayoune observe daylight saving time?
No. Laayoune does not observe daylight saving time. The UTC offset remains UTC+1 all year round.
What is the current UTC offset for Laayoune?
Laayoune is currently at UTC+1.
What is the time difference between Laayoune and New York?
Laayoune is currently 5 hours ahead of New York.
What is the time difference between Laayoune and Los Angeles?
Laayoune is currently 8 hours ahead of Los Angeles.
What is the time difference between Laayoune and Tokyo?
Laayoune is currently 8 hours behind Tokyo.
What is the IANA timezone name for Laayoune?
The IANA timezone database identifier for Laayoune is Africa/El_Aaiun. Use this string in programming languages and APIs: JavaScript (`new Intl.DateTimeFormat('en-US', { timeZone: 'Africa/El_Aaiun' })`), Python (`pytz.timezone('Africa/El_Aaiun')`), or any IANA-compatible library.

Frequently Asked Questions

What timezone is Laayoune in?

Laayoune uses the IANA timezone Africa/El_Aaiun. The UTC offset is always UTC+1 - this timezone does not observe daylight saving time.

Does Laayoune observe daylight saving time?

No. Laayoune does not observe daylight saving time. The UTC offset remains UTC+1 all year round.

What is the current UTC offset for Laayoune?

Laayoune is currently at UTC+1.

What is the time difference between Laayoune and New York?

Laayoune is currently 5 hours ahead of New York.