Then, it was permanently settled and used by the Spanish authorities as an advanced desert military outpost. Now in reconstruction, it is estimated that Tifariti had a population of approximately 7,000 inhabitants in 1975. Its inhabitants largely abandoned the town in 1976 because of the war with Morocco.  Tifariti never had many fixed structures, due to the nomadic lifestyle of the Sahrawis.  It is located in a rugged desert area, with little vegetation.