- 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
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 ofMorocco , south ofAgadir and across from theCanary 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 theCanary Islands . The Spanish were expelled from the area in 1524 by theBerbers .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 theMaghreb , that Spain became interested in its lost medieval fortress in order to claim the southern part ofMorocco . Ifni was considered the most likely area. The territory and its main town,Sidi Ifni , were ceded to Spain by Morocco onOctober 22 ,1859 , following a short war, but there was little Spanish presence until 1934, when thegovernor-general ofSpanish Sahara took up residence. During Franco's dictatorship, the colony was made aprovince to stopUnited Nations criticism on decolonization. Spain returned Ifni to Morocco onJanuary 4 ,1969 .Postage stamps
Spain began issuing
postage stamp s for Ifni in 1941, initiallyoverprinting Spanish stamps with "TERRITORIO DE IFNI", then issuing new designs in 1943. Issues followed at the rate of about 10/year, the last onNovember 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 ofmail 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]
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