Tindouf Province

Map o Algerie hielichtin Tindouf

Tindouf, an aa written Tinduf, (Arabic: ولاية تندوف‎) is the wastrenmaist province o Algeria, haein a population o 58,193 as o the 2008 census. Despite the barren landscape, Tindouf is a resource-rich province, wi important quantities o iron ore locatit in the Gara Djebilet aurie close tae the border wi Mali. Prior tae Algerian unthirldom, the aurie served as a strangpoint o several tribes o the nomadic Reguibat confederation.

Admeenistrative diveesions

Map showin the 2 municipalities

The province contains ane daïra (destrict), Tindouf, which is coextensive wi the province. The province an daïra haes a population of 58,193 inhabitants. The daira is further dividit intae twa communes or municipalities: Tindouf an Oum El Assel. It is the anerlie province in the kintra which haes anerlie ane daïra an it an aa haes the fewest communes.

Sahrawi refugee camps

For the refugee camps in Tindouf Province, see Refugee camps in Tindouf Province, Algerie.

Strategic significance

The province hooses airmy an airforce bases for the Algerian military, an is strategically important due tae its proximity tae the Moroccan border, an its location at a fower-kintra border crossin. Thegither wi Béchar, it wis the scene o a brief Moroccan-Algerian border war in 1963, efter Morocco claimed the aurie as its awn follaein Algerian unthirldom. (See belaw.)

Frae 1974, refugees frae the contestit Spainyie Sahara stairtit arrivin tae the Tindouf aurie, follaein an earlier wave frae the 1958 unrest. This turned intae a major exodus frae 1975 onwards, when Morocco an Mauritanie seized control o what wis then cried Wastren Sahara, an Algerie retaliatit bi allouin the Polisario Front, a naitionalist Sahrawi movement, tae uise the aurie as its main base. The Polisario remains in the province, runnin the lairge refugee camps locatit sooth o Tindouf ceety.

History

The toun of Tindouf wis built near an isolatit Saharan oasis in 1852 bi members o the Tajakant tribe, but sacked an destroyed bi Reguibat tribe in 1895. It remained desertit till French troops led bi colonel Trinquet arrived in the aurie in 1934 an attached the region tae the French Algerie territory.

Moroccan territorial claims

Main airticle: Greater Morocco

Frae unthirldom in 1956, the Kinrick o Morocco claimed the Tindouf aurie an wastren Algerie as pairt o Morocco. These claims are based on the allegations that till 1952, Tindouf wis pairt o French Morocco an wis admeenistratively attached tae Agadir, an promises made bi pairts o the Algerian unnergrund durin that kintra's war for unthirldom. Efter Algerie's unthirldom in 1962, Morocco's claim tae Tindouf wis no acceptit bi the new Algerian republic. This led tae the 1963 Sand war, fought alang the Moroccan-Algerian border in the Tindouf region.

In a process begun in 1969 an feenalized durin the OAU summit in Rabat in 1972, Morocco recognized the border wi Algerie, in exchynge for joint exploitation o the iron ore in Tindouf. Housomeivver, pairts o Moroccan society an some naitionalist poleetical pairties still refer tae the Tindouf aurie as historically Moroccan territory, an the Moroccan parliament haes still no ratified the border recognition.