Spanish West Africa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Spanish West Africa África Occidental Española  (Spanish) غرب افريقيا الاسبانية  (Arabic)
1946–1958
Flag
Anthem: Marcha Real "Royal March"
Spanish Northwestern African possessions in 1912.
Status	Federation of Spanish colonial possessions
Capital	Sidi Ifni
Common languages	Spanish Arabic
Religion	Catholicism Islam
Government	Colonial administration
Head of State
• 1946–1958	Francisco Franco
Governor
• 1946–1949 (first)	José Bermejo López
• 1957–1958 (last)	Mariano Gómez-Zamalloa
Historical era	Cold War
• Established	20 July 1946
• Disestablished	10 January 1958
Currency	Spanish peseta
Preceded by Succeeded by Spanish Morocco Ifni Saguia el-Hamra Río de Oro Morocco Ifni Spanish Sahara

Spanish West Africa (Spanish: África Occidental Española, AOE) was a grouping of Spanish colonies along the Atlantic coast of northwest Africa. It was formed in 1946 by joining the southern zone (the Cape Juby Strip) of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco with the colonies of Ifni, Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro into a single administrative unit. Following the Ifni War (1957–58), Spain ceded the Cape Juby Strip to Morocco by the Treaty of Angra de Cintra, and created separate provinces for Ifni and the Sahara in 1958.

Spanish West Africa was formed by a decree of 20 July 1946. The new governor sat at Ifni. He was ex officio the delegate of the Spanish high commissioner in Morocco in the southern zone of the protectorate, to facilitate its government along the same lines as the other Spanish possessions on the coast. On 12 July 1947, Ifni and the Sahara were raised into distinct entities, but still under the authority of the governor in Ifni. On 10 and 14 January 1958, respectively, the Sahara and Ifni were raised into regular Spanish overseas provinces completely independent of one another.

Governors

See also

In Spanish: África Occidental Española para niños