Sidi Ifni

Sidi Ifni ( _ar. سيدي إفني) is a city located in southwest Morocco, next to the Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of 20,000 people. The economic base of the city is fishing.

History

In 1476, an enclave in the region of present-day Sidi Ifni was occupied by Spain, which named its settlement there Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña. It remained in Spanish hands until 1524 when it was captured by Saadian rulers.

Historically, Sidi Ifni is claimed to be the location of Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequena, which had been for long pursued by Spain for a small coastal fortress which no historian could determine its exact location along the coast from the south of Agadir to Tarfaya. In 1860, following the Spanish-Moroccan War, Morocco conceded Sidi Ifni and the territory of Ifni to Spain as a part of the Treaty of Tangiers. During the period often termed the "Scramble for Africa" in 1884, Spain acquired what is now Western Sahara. Spain administered Sidi Ifni and Western Sahara jointly, although the latter was formally known under the name Spanish Sahara, or Río de Oro and Saguia el-Hamra.

Morocco invaded Ifni in 1957 (except the capital, Sidi Ifni). In 1969, owing to Moroccan pressure, Spain relinquished Sidi Ifni to Morocco.

External links

* [http://lexicorient.com/morocco/ifni.htm Lexicorient]
* [http://www.ifniville.com/ Website describing culture history of Sidi Ifni]