The Moroccan Wall, or the “Berm” to Western Sahara locals where this sand and stone structure is located, has the dubious bragging rights of being the longest militarized wall in the world right now.
If length is something that matters to you, the seven million landmines scattered across its perimeter also help rank it as the world’s longest minefield. At nearly 1,700 miles, it doesn’t quite match the enormity of the Great Wall of China, but the Great Wall of today doesn’t have explosives surrounding it and soldiers on patrol.
When Morocco took region of Western Sahara over from Spain in 1976, it inherited a long-standing territorial issue with guerrilla forces from the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
In 1981 Morocco began construction on the wall, completing it in 1987. Hostilities between the opposing sides officially came to a truce in 1991, but the Berm may yet play a role in future developments as new tensions mount and the possibility of armed conflict increases.
Story by Jay Moon
