
Sunrise and sunset in Western Sahara
Sunrise today: 6:47 h
Sunset today: 19:08 h
(Times for El Aaiún)Sunset today: 19:08 h
Sunrise and sunset times in Western Sahara are determined by the moderate location in the northern hemisphere. Not as extreme as in the Nordic countries, but still noticeable. The days are longer in summer (June to September) than in winter (December to March). With up to about 13:50 hours, there are the longest days in June. The longest dark nights, on the other hand, are in winter. A December night in El Aaiún lasts almost 14 hours and the days start about 2 hours later.
During these days, the sun in El Aaiún rises at 6:47. The Sunset can currently be watched at about 19:08 in the early evening.
Back to overview: Western Sahara
Average length of day in El Aaiún
The following graph shows the times of sunrise and sunset over the course of the year. The duration of twilight can be seen at the top and bottom edges. The vertical offset between March and April shows the effect of daylight saving time, when the time is set one hour ahead.
Sunrise and sunset in the most important cities of Western Sahara

City | Sunrise | Sunset | Hours of daylight |
---|---|---|---|
Smara | 06:41 am | 07:02 pm | 12:20 h |
El Aaiún | 06:47 am | 07:08 pm | 12:21 h |
Laayoune Plage | 06:48 am | 07:09 pm | 12:21 h |
Dakhla | 06:59 am | 07:18 pm | 12:19 h |
Sunrise and sunset by month (El Aaiún)
Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Hours of daylight |
---|---|---|---|
January | 08:42 am | 07:21 pm | 10:40 h |
February | 08:28 am | 07:45 pm | 11:17 h |
March | 08:01 am | 08:02 pm | 12:01 h |
April | 06:27 am | 07:18 pm | 12:51 h |
May | 07:03 am | 08:34 pm | 13:31 h |
June | 06:56 am | 08:49 pm | 13:53 h |
July | 07:06 am | 08:50 pm | 13:44 h |
August | 07:22 am | 08:31 pm | 13:09 h |
September | 07:36 am | 07:59 pm | 12:22 h |
October | 07:51 am | 07:25 pm | 11:35 h |
November | 08:11 am | 07:03 pm | 10:52 h |
December | 08:33 am | 07:02 pm | 10:29 h |
Duration of the sunset
The distance from the equator and the path of the sun determines not only the time of sunrise and sunset. The farther a country is from the equator, the more oblique the sun's path is to the horizon, causing sunset to last for a different duration. El Aaiún lies on the 27th degree of northern latitude and is therefore quite far away from the equator. While a sunset near the equator lasts only about 20 minutes, in Western Sahara, this period averages 28 minutes. In June, it's about 28 minutes in El Aaiún, while in December it's 27 minutes.International cities for comparison
City | Sunrise | Sunset | Hours of daylight |
---|---|---|---|
Berlin (Germany) | 06:51 am | 07:32 pm | 12:42 h |
New York (USA) | 06:46 am | 07:16 pm | 12:30 h |
Sydney (Australia) | 07:01 am | 06:59 pm | 11:57 h |
Manila (Philippines) | 05:54 am | 06:08 pm | 12:14 h |
Moscow (Russia) | 06:12 am | 06:57 pm | 12:46 h |
Shanghai (China) | 05:48 am | 06:10 pm | 12:22 h |
Helsinki (Finland) | 06:58 am | 07:52 pm | 12:54 h |