Ifni

Infobox Former Subdivision
conventional_long_name = Ifni
common_name = Spanish West Africa
subdivision = Province
nation = Spain
era =
event_start =
year_start = 1958
date_start = January 12
event_end = Returned to Morocco
year_end = 1969
date_end = January 4
event1 =
date_event1 =
event2 =
date_event2 =
event_post =
date_post =
p1 = Spanish West Africa
flag_p1 = Flag of Spain 1945 1977.svg
s1 = Morocco
flag_s1 = Flag of Morocco.svg

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image_map_caption = Map of Ifni
capital = Sidi Ifni
common_languages = Spanish, Arabic
religion = Catholic, Muslim
title_representative = Governor-General
representative1 = Mariano Gómez Zamalloa y Quirce
year_representative1 = 1958-1961 (first)
representative2 = José Rodríguez
year_representative2 = 1969 (last)
title_deputy =
deputy1 =
year_deputy1 =
deputy2 =
year_deputy2 =
currency = Spanish peseta
stat_year1 = 1969
stat_area1 = 1502
stat_year2 = 1964
stat_pop2 = 51517
footnotes =

Ifni was a Spanish province on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, south of Agadir and across from the Canary Islands.

It had a total area of 1,502 km² (580 sq mi), and a population of 51,517 in 1964. The main industry was fishing.

Spain's presence in the area can be traced to a settlement called Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña, founded in 1476, whose importance was derived from its position as a center for the trans-Saharan slave trade, and captives were shipped to sugar plantations on the Canary Islands. The Spanish were expelled from the area in 1524 by the Berbers.

After its abandonment, the exact location of Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña was unknown. It was only until the mid-nineteenth century, during the Scramble for Africa, when France and Spain laid conflicting claims over the Maghreb, that Spain became interested in its lost medieval fortress in order to claim the southern part of Morocco. Ifni was considered the most likely area. The territory and its main town, Sidi Ifni, were ceded to Spain by Morocco on October 22, 1859, following a short war, but there was little Spanish presence until 1934, when the governor-general of Spanish Sahara took up residence. During Franco's dictatorship, the colony was made a province to stop United Nations criticism on decolonization. Spain returned Ifni to Morocco on January 4, 1969.

Postage stamps

Spain began issuing postage stamps for Ifni in 1941, initially overprinting Spanish stamps with "TERRITORIO DE IFNI", then issuing new designs in 1943. Issues followed at the rate of about 10/year, the last on November 23, 1968. Most are commonly available, but far more often seem unused, raising suspicion that the stamps were primarily issued to make money from stamp collectors, rather than to cope with a flood of mail from the residents.

See also

* Ifni War

External links

* [http://elguanche.net/santacruzdelamarpequena.htm Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña: Una Fortaleza Canaria en el Sahara]
* [http://home.pages.at/maxifant/Frames/ifni.htm Maps of Ifni]