Spanish Sahara

Categories: North Africa geography stubs | Former Spanish colonies | History of Western Sahara

Spanish Sahara was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was ruled by Spain, created from the Spanish territories of Rio de Oro and La Aguera in 1924. Entering the territory in 1884, Spain was unable to extend control to the countryside until 1934, when the French army joined in crushing an indigenous Sahrawi rebellion. Unrest continued, however, and in 1957, rebels nearly expelled the Spanish from the country in the 1957 Invasion of Spanish Sahara. The Spanish were able to re-establish control with the assistance of the French by 1958, and embarked on a harsh strategy of retaliation towards the countryside, which speeded up urbanization. After the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, however, Spain withdrew its forces from the territory, after negotiating a secret agreement with Morocco and Mauritania, both of which promptly invaded the country (Mauritania later withdrew its claim). The territory remains under dispute.