Ifni

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. The Spanish were expelled from the area in 1524 by the Berbers.

In the mid-19th century, Spain mooted an interest in its lost medieval fortress in order to stake a claim to the southern part of Morocco. This served as a pretext for a short war with Morocco in 1859.

The territory and its main town of Sidi Ifni were ceded to Spain by Morocco on April 26, 1860, but there was little interest in this colonial acquisition until 1934 when the governor-general of Spanish Sahara took up residence.

During Franco's dictatorship, the colony was made into a Spanish province in order to forestall U.N. criticism of continued colonization.

After the "Forgotten War" (1957) most of the territory became occupied by Morocco.

Spain formally returned the territory to Morocco on January 4, 1969. The territory was integrated into the Moroccan region of Souss-Massa-Drâa.