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RIO DE ORO

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Originally appearing in Volume V23, Page 357 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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RIO DE ORO , a See also:

Spanish See also:possession on the N.W. See also:coast of See also:Africa. It is bounded W. by the See also:Atlantic, E. and S. by Saharan territory under See also:French See also:protection. The See also:northern frontier, where the See also:protectorate adjoins the territory of the semi-See also:independent tribes See also:south of See also:Morocco, is undefined. The most northerly point claimed by See also:Spain on the coast is Cape Bojador. The See also:southern and eastern boundaries were defined by a Franco-Spanish See also:convention in 1900. The frontier traverses the See also:middle of the Cape Blanco promontory, then runs eastward along the parallel of 210 20' N. till it meets the See also:meridian of 13° W., whence it turns first N.W. and afterwards N.E., See also:meeting the tropic of See also:Cancer 'at 12° W. and thereafter runs due N. Forming See also:part of the See also:Sahara, Rio de Oro is nearly waterless. Oases are few and the sparse See also:population consists almost entirely of See also:nomad See also:Arabs and See also:Berbers. They are Mahommedans. In the south is the hilly See also:country called See also:Adrar Suttuf, not to be confounded with Adrar Temur (see ADRAR and SAHARA). The estimated See also:area of the protectorate is 70,000 sq. m. The See also:peninsula of Rio de Oro, where is the See also:principal Spanish See also:settlement, occupies the central part of the coast-See also:line in 23° 50' N., 16°W., and is See also:united to the mainland by a sandy See also:isthmus.

Its length is 23 m., its breadth r; to 2 in. and it is on an See also:

average about 20 ft. Above See also:sea-level. The See also:bay between peninsula and mainland—the so-called Rio de Oro—is 22 M. See also:long, 5 broad, navigable over two-thirds of its extent, with See also:good anchorage in most of the channel, but the See also:bar at its mouth is not always easy to pass in rough See also:weather. The peninsula has very sparse vegetation, except in its southernmost part near Cape Durnford. At the See also:head of the bay is a small See also:island—See also:Isla See also:Herne. The See also:climate is generally temperate, and not unhealthy except in the autumn. See also:Esparto grass and manzanilla are grown in many places, but See also:European See also:plants are not easily acclimatized. On the peninsula and in the neighbouring country there are many wolves, toxes, hyenas, gazelles, lizards, See also:hares, pelicans and large crows. The natives See also:rear See also:cattle, See also:sheep, camels,. and have but few horses. In contrast with the sterility of the See also:land the sea throughout the coast of Rio de Oro abounds in See also:fish, especially See also:cod. The fishing See also:industry is in the hands of the See also:Canary Islanders and of the French. The See also:estuary between the mainland and the peninsula was taken by, its Portuguese discoverers in the middle of the 15th See also:century for a See also:river, and, obtaining there a quantity of See also:gold dust from the natives, they named it Rio d'Ouro (Gold River), Rio de Oro being the Spanish See also:form.

At a spot about 5o M. inland from the head of the estuary a Portuguese trading station was established, of which ruins exist, but the activity of the Portuguese was before long transferred to the true auriferous regions of the Gulf of See also:

Guinea. Spain's See also:interest in the Saharan coast See also:dates from the 13th century, but was particularly directed to that part nearest the Canary Islands, a' See also:strip of coast over which she now exercises no See also:sovereignty. The site of the fort of See also:Santa Cruz de See also:Mar Pequena, established in 1476, though not identified, was See also:north of Cape Bojador. The protection of the Canary Islanders engaged in the See also:fisheries south of that point occasioned, however, the presence of Spanish warships in these See also:waters, and•small trading stations were formed at Rio de Oro, Cape Blanco and elsewhere.' To preserve the interests thus acquired, Spain in See also:January 1885 took the territories on the coast between capes Blanco and Bojador under her protection. The See also:year before the Hispano-See also:American See also:Company had built a trading station on Rio de Oro peninsula, but in 1885 it was destroyed by the natives. The company renewed its operations, but subsequently ceded its rights to the Transatlantic Company of See also:Barcelona. The See also:extension inland of Spanish See also:influence was opposed by See also:France, which claimed a protectorate over the Sahara. See also:Tire conflicting claims of the two See also:powers were finally settled by the convention of 1900, which fixed the frontier in the manner stated. The See also:administration is carried on under the See also:control of the See also:captain-See also:general of the Canary Islands.

End of Article: RIO DE ORO

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