Praia da Calheta (English: Calheta Beach) is a beach located near the town Calheta, on the island of Madeira, Portugal.
Praia da Calheta | |
|---|---|
Beach | |
.jpg) The manufactured coastal beach of Calheta. | |
  Praia da Calheta | |
| Coordinates: 32°43′08″N 17°10′28″W / 32.71889°N 17.17444°W | |
| Location | Calheta, Madeira, Portugal |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 100 m |
It is one of the few sandy beaches of Madeira, with sand imported from North Africa. However, these sand-imports were quite controversial, as the sand was taken from Western Sahara,[1] a Non-Self Governing Territory which has been largely occupied by Morocco since 1975. The imports are considered to be a violation of international law, as the consent of the people of the territory is required in the exploitation of the territory’s resources.[2]
The Madeira officials have neglected to consult the Sahrawi people on the sand purchases and instead opted to engage in business with Morocco. The latest confirmed shipments from occupied Western Sahara to Calheta took place in 2010.
References
edit- ^ "20 TONELADAS DE AREIA PARA NOVA PRAIA EM MACHICO, MADEIRA" (in Portuguese). PDR - PROJECTO DEMOCRACIA REAL. Archived from the original on October 3, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
- ^ Corell, Hans (February 12, 2002). "Letter dated 29 January 2002 from the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, the Legal Counsel, addressed to the President of the Security Council" (PDF). United Nations Security Council. Archived from the original on December 7, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.