ABSTRACT
On the Atlantic coast of northern Africa, and at the far western edge of the Sahara, lies Western Sahara. Spain claimed the territory as a colony in 1884 and established the trading post of Villa Cisneros at the inlet known as Rio de Oro. Villa Cisneros was established peaceably by negotiation with the local tribes, but hostilities soon developed between them and the Spanish, and the garrison fled to the Canary Islands. Spain finally relinquished its control over Western Sahara in November 1975, but ceded the northern two-thirds of the country to Morocco, with the southern third being handed over to Mauritania. Western Sahara has been a contested place for over 100 years, and this has created a conflict landscape specific to the territory and its people.
