Editing Ifni

{{Short description|Former Spanish colonial province in Morocco}}
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{{Infobox former country
| conventional_long_name = Territory of Ifni
| common_name            = Ifni
| era                    = [[Interwar period]], [[World War II]],<br/>[[Cold War]], [[Decolonisation of Africa]]
| native_name            ={{native name|es|Territorio de Ifni}}<br/>{{native name|ar|إفني}}<br/>{{nativename|ber|ⵉⴼⵏⵉ}}
| image_flag             = Flag of Spain 1945 1977.svg
| flag_type              = [[Flag of Spain|Flag<br>(1945–1969)]]
| image_coat             = Coat of Arms of the Spanish Province of Sidi Ifni.svg
| symbol_type_article    = Coat of arms of Morocco
| image_map              = Ifni txu-oclc-6949452-nh29-10.jpg
| image_map_size         = 320px
| map_caption            = Map showing the boundary of Ifni<br/>(Date on map: 1953)
| capital                = [[Sidi Ifni]]
| religion               = [[Catholicism]]<br/>[[Islam]]
| established_event1     = [[Treaty of Wad Ras]]
| established_date1      = 26 April 1860
| currency               = [[Spanish peseta]]
| status                 = [[Colony]] of [[Spanish Empire|Spain]] (1934–1946)<br/>Constituent of [[Spanish West Africa]] (1946–1958)<br/>[[Overseas territories|Province]] of [[Francoist Spain|Spain]] (1958–1969)
| empire                 = Spain
| year_end               = 1969
| life_span              = 1860{{efn|The [[Morocco|Sultanate of Morocco]] agreed to handle the place (of uncertain location) to Spain in the 1860 [[Treaty of Wad Ras]]. In the wake of the visit of a Spanish delegation to [[Fez, Morocco|Fez]] in 1877, a joint Hispano-Moroccan committee was created in order to determine the location of [[Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña]]. This committee eventually misidentified Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña with Ifni, actually located about 480 kilometers north of the real fortress. The Moroccan Sultan [[Hassan I of Morocco|Hassan I]] accepted the identification in 1883, even if the border delimitation did not take place at the time and the effective Spanish occupation did not take place until 1934.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=La negociación de la retrocesión de Ifni: contribución a su estudio.|first=Ana|last=Torres García|journal=Norba: Revista de historia|issn=0213-375X|issue=29–30|year=2016–2017|trans-title=The negotiation of the retrocession of Ifni: contribution to its study|language=es|pages=183–184|url=https://dehesa.unex.es/bitstream/10662/7553/1/0213-375X_29-30_181.pdf}}</ref>}}–1969
| year_start             = 1934
| common_languages       = [[Spanish language|Spanish]]<br>[[Moroccan Arabic]]
| title_leader           = [[List of heads of state of Spain|Head of State]]
| year_leader1           = 1934–1936
| leader1                = [[Niceto Alcalá-Zamora]]
| year_leader2           = 1936
| leader2                = [[Manuel Azaña]]
| year_leader3           = 1936–1969
| leader3                = [[Francisco Franco]]
| title_representative   = [[List of colonial governors of Ifni|Government Delegate]]
| year_representative1   = 1934–1935 {{smaller|(first)}}
| representative1        = [[Rodríguez de la Herranza]]
| year_representative2   = 1957–1958 {{smaller|(last)}}
| representative2        = [[Francisco Mena Díaz]]
| title_deputy           = [[List of colonial governors of Ifni|Governor-General]]
| year_deputy1           = 1958–1959 {{smaller|(first)}}
| deputy1                = {{nobr|[[Mariano Gómez-Zamalloa y Quirce]]}}
| year_deputy2           = 1967–1969 {{smaller|(last)}}
| deputy2                = [[José Miguel Vega Rodríguez]]
| date_start             = 12 January
| event2                 = [[Ifni War]]
| date_event2            = 23 November 1957<ref name=Jacques>Tony Jaques, ''Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A Guide to 8,500 Battles from Antiquity Through the Twenty-first Century'' (Bloomsbury Publishing, 1994) p.466</ref>
| event3                 = {{nobr|[[Treaty of Angra de Cintra]]}}
| date_event3            = 1 April 1958
| event_end              = Retroceded to [[Morocco]]
| date_end               = 30 June
| p1                     = Alawi Sultanate{{!}}Sultanate of Morocco
| s1                     = Morocco{{!}}{{nobr|Kingdom of Morocco}}
| flag_p1                = Flag of Morocco (1666–1915).svg
| flag_s1                = Flag of Morocco.svg
}}
The '''Territory of Ifni''' ({{Langx|es|Territorio de 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 {{cvt|1,502|km2}}, and a population of 51,517 in 1964. The main industry was fishing. The present-day Moroccan province in the same area is called [[Sidi Ifni Province|Sidi Ifni]], with its capital in the city of the [[Sidi Ifni|same name]], but encompassing a much larger territory.

==History==
Spanish presence in the area can be traced to a settlement called [[Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña]], founded in 1476. After attacks by the [[Berber people|Berbers]], the Spanish decided to focus on colonising other areas of [[North Africa]] and abandoned the region.

In the mid-19th century, when the European powers [[Scramble for Africa|looked again to Africa]] for resources, Spain suddenly mooted an interest in its lost [[late medieval]] fortress in order to stake a claim to the southern part of Morocco. This served as a pretext for [[Hispano–Moroccan War (1859–1860)|a short war]] with [[Morocco]] in 1859.

The territory and its main town of Sidi Ifni were ceded to Spain by the [[Alawi Sultanate|Sultanate of Morocco]] on 26 April 1860, but there was little interest in this colonial acquisition until 1934, when the [[List of colonial governors of Spanish Sahara|Governor-General]] of [[Spanish Sahara]] took up residence. The airport had become a crucial stopover for flights between the mainland and the [[Canary Islands]], and in 1938 a commercial route was established by airline Iberia linking [[Seville]], [[Larache]], [[Sidi Ifni]], [[Cape Juby]] and [[Gando Air Base|Gando in the Canaries]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Iberia 'descubrió' Canarias hace 80 años |url=https://www.laprovincia.es/gran-canaria/2018/04/23/iberia-descubrio-canarias-80-anos/1050818.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426064504/http://www.laprovincia.es/gran-canaria/2018/04/23/iberia-descubrio-canarias-80-anos/1050818.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 April 2018 |access-date=23 August 2020 |website=www.laprovincia.es |lang=es}}</ref>

The origin of Ifni must be dated to 1934, after Colonel Osvaldo Capaz took possession of the area, on behalf of the Government of the [[Second Spanish Republic]]. At that time, there was only a small construction, an aduar called ''Amezdog'', belonging to the El Mesti Kabyle of the Ait-Baamarani Berber tribe, and of which there are currently no remnants.
[[File:19520809 Spanisch-Ifni Reisepass.jpg|thumb|Passport issued in the Territory of Ifni, 1952.]]
Ifni's occupation took place after satisfactory contacts between Colonel Capaz and representatives of the population of the territory, with conversations carried out in Cape Juby on March the 27th of 1934. Then, on 4 April, after receiving authorization from the Spanish Government, said colonel embarked on the ''Canalejas'' gunboat towards Ifni. On that date, a three-engine unit dropped a letter from Capaz in the Arbaa de Mesti souk, announcing the agreements adopted and the next Spanish landing. The event was related thus by Francisco Hernández-Pacheco, who was part of the scientific expedition that traveled over the territory of Ifni shortly after:<blockquote>Capaz landed on the beach of Sidi Ifni on April 6, accompanied only by Lieutenant Lorenzi and the signalman from Canalejas, Fernando Gómez Flórez. To meet the Spanish boat, a row-boat with local people left the beach, to which Capaz and his crew transferred, all of them landing safely on the beach. Capaz addressed a group of indigenous people who were waiting for him, from which some notable stood out, and who offered the Colonel a bowl of sour milk as a welcome sign. Later, on horseback, he ascended to the top of the coastal area and in the immediate hamlet of Amedog (sic) he ate. During the meal some groups of indigenous and notable people arrived, to whom Capaz explained simply and clearly the purposes and intentions of Spain. The locals left after the meal, convening to hold meetings to discuss the matter. The following morning they informed Colonel Capaz of Ifni's agreement to join Spain. Francisco Hernández-Pacheco, ''Physiographic and geological features of the Ifni territory''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hernández-Pacheco|first=Francisco|date=1945|title=Rasgos fisiográficos y geológicos del territorio de Ifni|journal=Boletín de la Real Sociedad Geográfica|volume=LXXXI|pages=50}}</ref> </blockquote>Together with Amezdog, the Spanish presence was formalized in a ceremony attended by notable Baamaranis and Colonel Osvaldo Capaz.

In just three years it went from an occasional tent camp, and some barracks, to the construction of six hundred houses or buildings. Indeed, the population experienced spectacular growth in just a few years. By 1940 the urban structure was already well advanced in its streets, squares and main buildings. However, for some years communication with the metropolis was difficult. The city did not stop growing in all subsequent years. Even just three short years before the 1969 retrocession to Morocco, the most considerable urban expansion was concluded, on the other side of the Ifni river, in the neighborhood popularly known as "Barrio Agulla" or, more commonly, "Colominas" (name of the Spanish construction company of the neighborhood).
[[File:Mapa-Territorio-Ifni-57-58.svg|thumb|320px|Borders of the Ifni territory before and after the war.]]
After Moroccan independence, the [[Moroccan Army of Liberation]] attacked the territory between November 1957 and July 1958. The attacks began on 23 November 1957,<ref>"50 Spaniards Killed, Hurt in Morocco", ''The Gazette'' (Montreal), 25 November 1957, p.1</ref><ref>"Africa: Non-Protracted Conflict (PC) Crises", in ''A Study of Crisis'' by Michael Brecher and Jonathan Wilkenfeld (University of Michigan Press, 1997) p.432</ref><ref name=Jacques/> beginning the [[Ifni War|War of Ifni]]. However, the city was supplied by sea and air and protected by outposts. Initially, a good part of the military personnel were indigenous, especially those included in the Ifni Group of Shooters and in the Territorial Police. They were disarmed, demobilized, and promptly replaced. Except for a frustrated plan by the Moroccan irregular forces to eliminate the Spanish officers, the initial minor incidents and an attack, [[Sidi Ifni]] was not directly affected by the military events. These were developed in the interior of the territory. On the Spanish side, it was finally decided to establish a defensive perimeter that is denser and more difficult to infiltrate and, furthermore, easier to sustain and supply, near the city of Sidi Ifni (between 8 and 10 km from the city center, according to the zone) leaving most of arid territory that would have been much more costly to defend without appreciable advantage. Those defensive positions, quite numerous, and the dirt tracks that connect them, are still perfectly visible.

After the Ifni War, most of the territory became part of Morocco by the [[Treaty of Angra de Cintra]]. In 1958, the colony was declared a Spanish [[Overseas territories|overseas province]] in order to forestall [[United Nations]] criticism of continued colonisation.

A fundamental aspect of Spanish political management in the area was the recognition and respect for the customs and traditions of the Baamarani population, as well as their religious beliefs. For example, Spain provided the means for the construction of mosques and for the Koranic education of Muslim schoolchildren. The prohibition of any kind of Christian religious proselytism was a perfectly known and respected principle.

On 30 June 1969, the Spanish government formally ceded what it kept from Ifni to Morocco, by virtue of the Retrocession Treaty signed in [[Fez, Morocco|Fez]] on 4 January and ratified 22 April 1969, thus making the retrocession effective.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/843644/files/A_7753-EN.pdf|title=United Nations General Assembly Twenty-fourth session, Agenda item 63|date=7 November 1969|access-date=3 November 2020}}</ref><ref>United Nations Yearbook 1969, pp. 661–64.</ref> After that, a difficult process of adaptation began, aggravated by an acute economic crisis and the imposition of the French-speaking administration.

==Postage stamps==
Spain started issuing [[postage stamp]]s to be used in Ifni in 1941, initially [[overprint]]ing Spanish stamps with "TERRITORIO DE IFNI", then issuing new designs in 1943. Issues followed at the rate of about ten per year with the last on 23 November 1968. Ifni stamps are of particular interest for collectors, as there cannot be any new issues, and it is therefore possible to collect the complete series.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ifni Postage Stamps and Postal History for Sale |url=https://thephilately.com/listing/ifni |access-date=31 August 2024 |website=The Philately |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of colonial governors of Ifni]]
* [[Ifni War]]
* [[Spanish protectorate in Morocco]]
* [[Spanish West Africa]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite web|lang=es|url=http://www.ifni.es|trans-title= Ifni Friend's Association |title=Asociación de Amigos de Ifni}}
* {{cite web|url=https://stampuoso.com/listing/ifni|title=Ifni stamp gallery}}
* {{cite web|lang=es|url=http://www.sidi-ifni.com|trans-title=The Corner of Sidi Ifni|title=El Rincón de Sidi Ifni}}
* {{cite web|lang=es|url=http://www.buscoenlaces.es/cosas_correos/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106021204/http://www.buscoenlaces.es/cosas_correos/|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 November 2009|website=Ifni today|title=Links for traveling to Ifni}}
* {{cite web|lang=es|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007062200/http://picasaweb.google.com/jomabase|url=http://picasaweb.google.com/jomabase|title= Jomabase photo album on Picasa|archive-date=7 October 2011}}
* {{cite web|lang=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050505122001/http://home.pages.at/maxifant/Frames/ifni.htm|url=http://home.pages.at/maxifant/Frames/ifni.htm|title= Maps of Ifni|archive-date=5 May 2005}}

{{Spanish Empire}}
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[[Category:Spanish Africa]]
[[Category:Colonial history of Morocco]]
[[Category:20th century in Morocco]]
[[Category:20th century in Spain]]
[[Category:Former Spanish colonies]]
[[Category:Former provinces of Spain]]
[[Category:Former exclaves]]
[[Category:1934 establishments in Morocco]]
[[Category:1934 establishments in Spain]]
[[Category:1969 disestablishments in Morocco]]
[[Category:1969 disestablishments in Spain]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1934]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1969]]
[[Category:Former colonies in Africa]]