SPANISH TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES IN NORTHWEST AFRICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP61-00391R000200240015-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 8, 1998
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: February 10, 1958
• Content Type: OUTLINE

Approved For Release : CIA-RDP61-00391 R000200240015-7
LO e ruary 195)3
O/E_79
SPANISH TERRITCft I , BOUNDARIES. 3:N NORTHWEST AFRICA
16 SCOPE
The following. information includes data on Spanish territorial
boundary claims to Ifni,, Ceuta, Melilla, Spanish Sahara, and Southern
Morocco6 These claims are indicated on the accompanying five map,.
The boundaries of all five territories have been described in
various international agreements, but Little information is availatble
as to whether or not these boundaries have actually been demarcated,
Lack of specific information indicates that the boundary s have not been
F
demarcated, except for the frontier between Rio de Oro and Mauritania,,
In this case,, a mixed Spanish-French team recently delimited and marked
the frontiero Additional information on the demarcation of frontLers
is being requested from the field.
no
5~1
Spain's claim to Ifni can be.traced'to the fifteenth century, but an
1860 treaty between Spain and Morocco is generally cited as the legal
basis for Spanish occupation of the territory. The boundary of Ifni has
been delineated in varicius international agreements, most recently in_
1912, After the occupation of Ifni by Spanish troops in 1934, a boundary
to the east of the, 1912 line was shown on some maps a and still other
versions of the boundary have been used on recent official Spanish maps,
Thus, no single official interpretation of the line is available, but
the 1912 version appears to have most validity,
Approved For Release : CIA-RDP61-00391 R000200240015-7
 Spanish possession for centuries, but a treaty between Spain and Morocco
in 1912 is believed to be the legal basis of the boundary currently in
use, The boundary of Melilla, another ancient Mediterranean coastal
possession of;Spain,, was delineated in 1862,
The boundaries of the several. parts of., Spanish Sahara have been
defined with considerably precision, but only,. along the Rio de Orc-t.
Mauritania frontier have boundary marcers been established. This
boundary was ' agreed. upon in 1900, but it was not 'demarcated until
reeentlyo.: The. territorial limits of Saguia el Hamr4 were established
in 190?'and apparently have not been so controversial as most other
boundaries: in the area, The present--day boundary of Southern Morocco
is based on a 1912 treaty signed by France and Spain' The current
controversy over Southern Morocco is not one of boundaries but of
territorial ownership. Morocco's claim to sovereignty over Southern
Morocco would appear to be substantiated by the 1904 and 1912.treyilesa
III, g2MI ARY DETAILS---
A. IFrr: i
Spain first claimed I:cni in the latter part of the fifteenth
century, when Spanish troops from the Canary Islands disembarked o.
the land and the local ruler submitted himself as a vassal of the Spanish.
.monarch, The Spaniards then constructed a small fort, but it was rapidly
overrun by the Berbers. Within a relatively few years, almost all trace
of the fort had disappeared. Spain?s claim was not formally reaffirmed
until l86Oo this time by an article in the treaty which ended the
Spanish-Moroccan war of 1859--1860,, The Treaty of Peace. and Amity "between
Spain and Morocco of 26 April 1860, included in Article VIII the following
in reference to Ifni:
Approved for Release-.:CIA-RDP61-00391 RU0020024OO15-7
 Approved For Reliase : gCIA-RDP61-00391 R000200240015-7
Moroccocedes to Spain on the coast of the ocean close
to Santa.Cruz la Pequeea [Ifni] ground that shall be
suf.rieient for'the formation thereon of a fishery
establishment, similar to that which Spin possessed
there in ancient times o
Despite.this treaty, Spainas claim to Ifni remained beclouded
bec"suss al.nost as soon as the treaty was signed, the question. arose as
Spanish.-Moroccan expedition was organized for the purpose of establishing
the geographic basis: of the treaty. The missions bee ted ! ruins of a
to, the exact lo.cafiora of Santa Cruz la Pecuena j In
1878 a mixed
Spanish ford on the ight bank of the Ifni River, which seemed-to
identity the si.4e of Santa Cruz la Pequesna (also called Santa Cruz de
Mar Pequeria)? but with' .very little degree of certainty,
In Article IV of the Convention of 3.October ].90"atweet Spain
and France,S.pair ? s claim to Ifni was again reaff irmed.--this time with
sornew~hat., more
geographic precision-as follows:
The Moroccan Government having, in accordance with
the Treaty of 26 April 1860, conceded to Spain an
establishment at Santa Cruz de Mar Pequena, it is
understood that the territory of the establishment
will. not extend beyond the course of the Wadi
Tazeroualt from its source as far as its confluence
with the Wadi Mesa and the course of the Wadi Mesa
from its confluence as far as the vseao
_3
Approved For Release .-=CIA-RDP61-003.91 R000200240015-7
 AA 9Xfr 1 F1? Re~~iaeSbo daAr3.eesDof Ifni again were 0t24e001b5 7 of
international agreement0 According to Article III of the French-Spanish
Convention of 27 November 1912, Prance and Spain delineated the boundaries
as follows :
The Moroccan Government having, by the Treaty of 26
April :186O, conceded to Spain an establishment at
Santa Cruz de Mar Pequena, it is understood that the
...,.territory of this establishment has the following
limits : to the north, the Wadi Bou-Sedra Or Asif
en Sslgiaem 31 from its mouth; to '.he south, the
k4.di Noun For Uad A sac j from its mouth-, and to
the east, a line approximately 25 kilometers from
the' coast,
An interpretation of the boundary according to the 1912 Trea.t,gr is
shorn on tap:,10 Spain did not accom,lish an effective occupation of I .
until 1,034. At'that time. however, Spanish forces claimed amore easterly
boundary than thatshoo?n on Map 1, The 2934 claim has been added to
Pap 1, along with the most.recent available Spa fish version of ths:
boundary, r hiich appeared in an official 1.95 publication of the Direcc icon
General de Nar?r uecos y Colonl v.
None of the sources of information on the Ifni boundary indic~!tes
that the line has been demarcated.
B. C 'TJTA
In 1580, Ceuta came into the possession of Spain, and it was
confirmed as Spanish in 1640. Ceuta has been a Spanish possessior since
that date, although, with Spanish consent,, it was occupied by the British
during the Napoleonic Wars
Approved For Release : CIA-RDP61-00391 R0002002400-1-5----.T-
 App proved For Release : CIA-RDP61-00391 R000200240015-7
in August 1844, a.treaty was concluded between Spain and Morocco
in which the limits of Ceuta were defined. This treaty was confirmed
on .7 October 184?j., The following year, on 6 r_ay 1845, another treaty
was signed by Spain and Morocco relative to the Ceuta frontier; again
on 26 Apri1:1860 the boundary was the subject of a Spanish-Moroccan
agreement ," .The: last agreement, the Treaty of Peace and Amity betijeen
Spain and ford-ec?,.is believed to be the legal basis of the present-day
boundary, The delineation of the boundary according to this treaty, is
indicated :fl Nap 2 accompanying this memorandum; it is shown in greater
detail on..a.map available on loan from the U. S. Arty i Service.
Nowhere in the literature dealing with the Ceuta boundary is any
mention made of actual demarcation of the line.
C. MLILL&
In.1 0, Melilla came into the possession of Spain; but the
earliest known reference to the boundaries of Melilla is dated 24 August
1859, at which time a convention was concluded between Spain. and Yorocco
extending Spanish jurisdiction beyond its previous limits. The fo . owing
year, on 26 April 1860, the boundary was defined in a treaty betwe?,n
Spain and Morocco as follows
Pertinent sections of this 1860 Treaty may be found iii British and
ForelGn State Parr ti Vol. II, page 928,
" r Pia del Norte dFt riarrueeos No ~a 2? e;eia a~Tetu n ANS Library call
No. 23P 3-30-52001-100.
-5 -
Approved For Release : CIA-RDP61-00391 R000200240015-7
 Apphoveilm iFr RI~econce RDPG t OOp 940001200b240015-7
fixed by Spanish and Moroccan engineers, who shall
adopt as their basis of operations for fixing the
extension of said limits,, the range of a piece of
cannon...;-
There is no information to indicate that Spanish or Moroccan
engineers ever fired the "piece of Cannon" in order to establish In
this picturesque but imprecise manner the limits of Spanish territory.
In fact, differences soon arose over the fulfillment of both the 1859.
Convention and the 1860 Treaty. Another treaty was therefore concluded
on 30 October 1861. As a result of this treaty,, an Act of Delimitation
was signed by the commissioners of Spain and Morocco on 26 June 1862
fixing both the boundary of Melilla and that of a surrounding neutral
zone. These boundaries are indicated on Map 3 accomr_:anyir g this
memorandum. They are shown in greater detail on a map available or loan
from the U. S. Army Map Service.
No information is available as, to whether or not boundary markers
have been established on the ground,
D, SnANISH SAHARA
1., Rio de Oro
A.MS Library Call No, 41- jO-520011; .
On 9 January 1885? Spain gave formal notice of the
extension of Spanish protection over certain territories on the no:rthwest
Coast of Arica extending from Cape Blanco to Cape Bo jailor, that i:s? the
area now known as Rio de Oro. On 26 April 1887, this territory was placed
under the charge of the Spanish governor-general of the Canary Islands.
6-
y Croquis del Campo Fronterizo,
Approved For Release : CIA-RDP61-00391 R00020024001;5-7
 Approved For Release :1IA-RDP61-00391 R000200240015-7
Desp3 :the 1885 decrees the Convention between France and Span
signed on 27 June 1900 is generally listed by Spanish sources as the
legal basis for the boundary between French Mauritania and Spanish
e
Rio de Oro,
The technical implementation of the Convention of.1900 as long-
delayed. Not until Decembet 1956 did Spain and France reach a finn12
agreement ratifying the wor~ of a team that had been engaged., for some
time in deiiiniti_ng and mark' ng the frontier.
available in 4ashington but Was summarized in
733
That agreement'is noi; yet
Amembassy Madrid Despatch
sea at Cabo'Blanco
on a line midway between the shores
of 10 January.. 1957 as follows:
The, frontier will rut3 from the
of the peninsula
as far as :the 21? 201 parallel of north la`ti.tude;
then follow this parallel eastward as far as the 13th
meridian west of Greenwich; then follow this meridian
northward to (alb Azefal; then proceed by a series
of straight lines uniting high. landmarks to Glief
Terad; then continue to the intersection of the
Tropic of Cancer with the 12th meridian; then follow
this meridian northward.
No map is currently available that shows the results of the 1956
agreements When such a map does become available, the interpretation of
the o de. Oro-Mauritania boundary should be reexamined, since there
appears to be a .slight discrepancy between the boundary as d?3scribed in
the quoted agreement and that given by other presumably, reliable so~lrces.
Approved For Release CIA-RDP61-00391 R000200240015-7
 Approved For Release: CIA-RDP61-00391 R000200240015-7
`these other sources include a 1955 publication of the Spanish Consejo
Supe-rior de Investigaeiones Cientificas and the French Carte A:erorautcaue
du Monde published in 1956 by the Institut Ge'ographique National. The
boundary shown on Yap 4 is taken from the 1955 Spanish publication and
is essentially in agreement with the French version of the boundary.
The boundaries of Saguia el Hamra shown on. Map Z. were defined.
in Article VI..of the French-Spanish Convention of 3 October 190 as
follows :
The: Government of the French Republic acknowledges
henceforth to the Spanish Government:: full liberty
of action in the region between 261 and 27?401. north
latittade nd the meridian 11? west of Paris (8?kOR
west of Greenwich) ,Land the co-ast .
Southern Eorocco
sr g4 r nOtT VT -
Approved For Release .CIA-RDP61-00391 R000200240015-7
Thehoundaries of the territory variously called Southern-
!~orocco, Spa.nibh Southern Morocco, Southern S anish Protectorate, 'rekna,
or sirrip;1y the,Zone South of the River Draa were defined by the Fre:aoh_
Spanish treaty: -of 27 November 1912 (see Nap 4), Article II of this
treaty notes that:
In the south of r'-orocco? the frontier of the French
and Spanish Zones will be defined by the thaiweg of
theDraa River; the. frontier will follow the Draa
from the ocean to its junction with the 11th meridian
west of Paris (0?k0e west of Greenwich); it follows
this meridian southward to 27040 9 north latitude.
 !fit
Approved For Release : I R~?P61-003 18000200240015-7
South of this parallel (27401 north), Articles V
and Vi of the Convention of 3 October 1904 will
remain applicable. The Moroccan regions north dnd
eas%. f. the delimitation described in the present
paragraph will belong to the French Zone.
In reference to the. present-day Moroccan and Spanish disagreement
over this ter ,ort', it is reasonably clear from the terminology of
various international agreements negotiated during the early part of
this century that both Spain and France recognized the Sultan ?s claim
to sovereigxaty over Southern Morocco. Spain and France carved orrt
"spheres. of i~tfluence" in Moroccoig but,, in theory, upheld the idea of
Moroccan sovereignty. Much of the present confusion appears to be
caused by..the indiscriminate use of these two terms "spheres of .nfluencel'
and "soverej.gnty "
In Article V..of the French-Spanish treaty of 3 October 1904 4~'see
Map 5), the. Spanish sphere of influence was delimited so as to include
Saguia el Hamra;'. Southern Morocco, and territory north of the 0raa
River, but in' Article VI the fact that Saguia el Hamra was considered
"outside of Moroccan territory" was specifically noted. Thus the; very
strong inference is that this whole territory was within the Spanish
"sphere of influence" but that, only Saguia el I3amra was actually an
area of Spanish sovereignty.
In Article I of the French-Spanish treaty of 27 November 1912, it
was noted that:
The regions comprised in the zone of influence determine=d
by Article II remain under the civil and religious
authority of the Sultan....
Approve `For Release :CIA-RDP61-00301 R000200240:015-7
 A ro ed For Release :CIA RD 61-0391 R0~00200240015-7
Article o the same treaty (quoted n pa above notes, in effect,
that French influence extends as far south as the Draa River; that the
area between the Draa and 27040' N (i.e., Southern Morocco) is within
the Spanish zone; and that the area south of 27040' N is "outside of
Moroccan territory." If Spain at that time had claimed sovereigpty
over Southern Morocco as well as over the area south of 27040' Np it
is reasonable to conclude that specific notice would have been made of
that fact.
10
Approved for Release :CIA-RDP61-00391 R0002002400T6-7