'''Laâyoune''' ( , also  , ) or '''El Aaiún''' ( , ; Hassaniya Arabic: , romanized: ; ; ) is the largest city of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, with a population of 217,732 in 2014. The city is under ''de facto'' administration by Morocco. The modern city is thought to have been founded by the Spanish captain Antonio de Oro in 1938. In 1940, Spain designated it as the capital of the Spanish Sahara. Laâyoune is the capital of the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region administered by Morocco, under the supervision of the UN peacekeeping mission MINURSO.