IFNI

IFNI / إفني (Spanish colony, now in Morocco).

25th anniversary of the accession of General Franco to the Head of State, 1936-1961.
Map of the Spanish territory if Ifni.
First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 01.10.1961.
Face value: 25 cents of Spanish peseta.
Printing: Photogravure.
Issue: 240,000 copies.
Size: 25 x 41 mm.

Catalogues
- Edifil No. 179.
- Michel No. 208.
- Scott No. 99.
- StampWorld No. 178.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 177.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 153.

Ifni is a territory in southwestern Morocco, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, which was a colony and later a Spanish province. The extension of its territory is 1,502 km² (580 sq mi), with an estimated population of about 54,000 inhabitants. The Spanish presence in the area dates back to the 15th century, when Diego de Herrera founded, in 1476 or 1478, in a place on the coast used as a temporary base for Spanish sailors and fishermen, a slave fort called Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña. The Spanish were evicted by the Berbers in 1524, but Morocco recognized the right of Spain to that ancient establishment of the area through the Treaty of Was Ras signed in Tetouan on April 26, 1860, after a short war. However, the Spanish presence was non-existent until 1934, when a military garrison was established. Since Morocco gained independence in 1956, it has claimed the territory on several occasions, and after a bloody war not officially declared and a long dispute, the territory was integrated into the Kingdom of Morocco on June 30, 1969.