Sidi Ifni (province)

Sidi Ifni Province within the former Souss-Massa-Draâ region

The province of Sidi Ifni, which is around 3800 km² in size and has a population of around 120,000 , has belonged to the Moroccan region of Guelmim-Oued Noun since 2015 (previously to Souss-Massa-Draâ ).

geography

location

The province of Sidi Ifni borders the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Tiznit province in the north and the Guelmim province in the south .

landscape

The province is embedded in the western foothills of the Anti-Atlas Mountains. To the east of a flat coastal strip, the landscape profile quickly becomes hilly and to the east it rises to heights of over 1000  m .

population

About 75% of the Arabic and Berber dialects ( Taschelhit and Central Atlas Tamazight ) -speaking Muslim population live in rural communities. In 2014, only about 25% lived in the three most important cities of Sidi Ifni (approx. 23,000 inh.), Mirleft (approx. 5,000 in.) And Lakhsas (approx. 5,000 in.).

history

The history of the province is closely linked to that of the city of Sidi Ifni, which was a Spanish exclave from 1884 to 1969 . After the independence of Morocco (1956) the special status of the territory remained until 1969; thereafter the area was incorporated into the former province of Agadir, from which the province of Tiznit was separated in 1975. From this in turn - after violent protests in the previous year, in which the more than one hundred year old independent traditions also played a not insignificant role - the newly created province of Sidi Ifni split off in 2009.

economy

The province's main livelihoods are agriculture and fishing. There are also several smaller cooperatives for the production of argan oil and prickly pears are also used to make jam, etc. The beautiful sandy beaches and the European-liberal infrastructure dictated by the colonial era also offer important potential for developing tourism. For surfers , the beaches of Sidi Ifni have long been appreciated.

Attractions

The town of Sidi Ifni, which was mainly built in the 1930s, has numerous Art Déco buildings, in which Moorish style elements have also been integrated, and has a European-colonial flair to this day.

Web links

• Sidi Ifni - photos + information
• Sidi Ifni - photos + travel report