Spanish Sahara

Spanish Sahara was Spain’s colonial territory in the area of present-day Western Sahara, administered from 1884 until Spain withdrew in 1976.

Berlin Conference: The 1884–1885 meeting at which European powers formalized rules for claiming territory in Africa. Its opening coincided with Spain’s declaration of a protectorate over the Saharan coast.
Spanish Sahara administration: The institutions Spain used to govern its Saharan territory, including a governor-general and local administrative bodies. Its structure shows how Spain exercised control across a sparsely populated territory.
Madrid Accords: The November 1975 agreements through which Spain arranged to transfer administration of Spanish Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania. They shaped Spain’s departure but did not settle the territory’s sovereignty.
Western Sahara: A disputed territory on the northwest coast of Africa, formerly Spanish Sahara and claimed by Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. This is the present-day name for the territory Spain once administered.
Spanish Empire: The overseas territories ruled by Spain from the late fifteenth century into the twentieth century. Spanish Sahara was one of the empire’s last African possessions.
Spanish Sahara census: Spain’s 1974 registration of residents in Spanish Sahara, intended to support a proposed self-determination vote. The census later became a contested basis for identifying eligible voters.
Green March: A November 1975 mass march organized by Morocco into Spanish Sahara to press its claim to the territory. It intensified pressure on Spain as it prepared to withdraw.
Ifni: A former Spanish enclave on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, returned to Morocco in 1969. Ifni was a separate Spanish possession often confused with Spanish Sahara.
Sahrawi people: A people native to Western Sahara and neighboring regions, with distinct Hassaniya Arabic and cultural traditions. Their communities and political claims shaped the territory’s history under Spanish rule.
Dakhla: A coastal city in Western Sahara, formerly known as Villa Cisneros under Spanish rule. It was a major administrative and military center in the territory.

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