The
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
–
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...
border is 1,427 km (887 mi) in length and runs from
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
in the north, to the tripoint with
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...
in the south.
Description
The boundary starts in the north on the Mediterranean Sea just west of
Marsa Ben M'Hidi; it then proceeds overland toward the south via a series of irregular lines, veering slightly to the southeast.
Near the Moroccan town of
Figuig it veers sharply to the west, proceeding then in a broadly south-westerly direction via a series of straight and irregular lines. Upon reaching the
Draa River
:''Dra is also the abbreviation for the constellation Draco.''
The Draa ( ber, Asif en Dra, ⴰⵙⵉⴼ ⴻⵏ ⴷⵔⴰ, ary, واد درعة, wad dərʿa; also spelled Dra or Drâa, in older sources mostly Darha or Dara) is Morocco's longest ...
the border then follows this for some distance, before veering sharply to the south, whereupon a straight north–south line proceeds for 116 km (72 mi) down to the Western Sahara tripoint.
History
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
occupied much of the northern coastal areas of Algeria in the period 1830–47, which had hitherto been subject to the nominal control of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
.
Morocco initially managed to maintain its independence throughout the '
Scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa, also called the Partition of Africa, or Conquest of Africa, was the invasion, annexation, division, and colonization of most of Africa by seven Western European powers during a short period known as New Imperialism ...
' in the late 19th century, whereby European colonial control was established in the rest of Africa. The border between it and the Ottoman domains to the east had been vague, and Morocco maintained a traditional, though often weakly enforced, claim to large areas of north-west Africa.
[''Security Problems with Neighboring States''](_blank)
– Countrystudies.us France sought to rectify this, and as a result a border which delimited from the Mediterranean south to Teniet el-Sassi via the
Treaty of Lalla Marnia of 18 March 1845.
Protocols confirming this treaty were signed on 20 July 1901 and 20 April 1902, which also extended the frontier south to Figuig, though not in any great detail.
The thinly scarcely inhabited areas south of Figuig the border remained undemarcated, subject to vague and ill-defined administrative practices on the ground of uncertain legal standing.
In 1912, via the
Treaty of Fes, France and
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
partitioned Morocco between them, with the northern littoral becoming
Spanish protectorate in Morocco
The Spanish protectorate in Morocco ; es, Protectorado español de Marruecos, links=no, was established on 27 November 1912 by a treaty between France and Spain that converted the Spanish sphere of influence in Morocco into a formal prote ...
(excluding
Tangier
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...
, which later became an
international zone) and the rest
French Protectorate in Morocco (minus
Ifni, which formed a Spanish exclave).
Morocco gained full independence in 1956, followed by Algeria in 1962.
The uncertainty over much of the border alignment, and Morocco's claims for a so-called '
Greater Morocco' encompassing much of north-west Africa, led to the
Sand War of 1962–3.
Various agreements were signed in 1969-70 aiming to provide a peaceful resolution of the dispute, which resulted in the treaty of 15 June 1972 which demarcated for the first time the entire boundary.
However relations worsened when Spain announced its intention to pull out of
Spanish Sahara
Spanish Sahara ( es, Sahara Español; ar, الصحراء الإسبانية, As-Sahrā'a Al-Isbānīyah), officially the Spanish Possessions in the Sahara from 1884 to 1958 then Province of the Sahara between 1958 and 1976, was the name used f ...
(modern Western Sahara) in 1975, with Morocco then annexing the northern two-thirds, and later the whole, of the territory.
Algeria opposed the annexation and provided shelter for the
Polisario Front Saharawi nationalist militia and Saharawi refugees on its territory.
[Entelis, John P. with Lisa Arone. "The Maghrib"]
''Algeria: a country study''
. Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
Federal Research Division
The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress.
The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unit ...
(December 1993) As Algeria slid into
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
in the 1990s, relations once again soured, with Algeria closing the border in 1994.
Relations thawed slightly with the advent of peace in Algeria in the early 2000s, though at present the border remains closed. Travel and trade between the two countries is allowed, but must be done either by air or sea.
Settlements near the border
Algeria
*
Marsa Ben M'Hidi
*
Maghnia
Maghnia () (formerly Marnia) is a town in Tlemcen Province, northwestern Algeria. It is the second most populated town in Tlemcen Province, after Tlemcen. The current population is over 200,000.
History
Archaeologists have found evidence of pre ...
* Magoura
*
Forthassa Gharbia
*
Beni Ounif
* Er Remlia
Morocco
*
Ahfir
Ahfir (, ) is a town in Berkane Province, Oriental, Morocco, adjacent the border with Algeria. According to the 2004 census, it has a population of 19,482. The name Ahfir refers to the stone quarry which was exploited in this village founded by H ...
*
Oujda
Oujda ( ar, وجدة; ber, ⵡⵓⵊⴷⴰ, Wujda) is a major Moroccan city in its northeast near the border with Algeria. Oujda is the capital city of the Oriental region of northeastern Morocco and has a population of about 558,000 people. It ...
*
Touissit
* Sidi Aissa
* El Hammam
*
Figuig
* Zenaga
* Aïn Chaïr
* Taouz
*
Merzouga
*
Rgabi Ait Hassou
*
M'Hamid El Ghizlane
M'Hamid El Ghizlane, also known as Lamhamid Ghozlane, (in Berber : ⵜⴰⵔⴰⴳⴰⵍⵜ Taragalt, in Arabic: محاميد الغزلان for "plain of gazelles") is a small oasis town in Zagora Province, Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco, with abou ...
See also
*
Algeria–Morocco relations
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Algeria-Morocco border
Borders of Algeria
Borders of Morocco
International borders