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63-734: The territory had been a Spanish province and former colony. The agreement was signed in Madrid on November 14, 1975, six days before Franco died, although it was never published on the Boletin Oficial del Estado . This agreement conflicted with the Law on decolonization of Sahara , ratified by the Spanish Parliament ( Cortes ) on November 18. Under the Madrid agreement, the territory would then be divided between Morocco and Mauritania, with no role for either

126-486: A coma and died on November 20), the government was anxious to avoid conflict and decided to split the territory in order to preserve maximum possible influence and economic benefit. President Moktar Ould Daddah had claimed the territory as part of " Greater Mauritania " even before independence (Ould Ahmed Salem, p. 498). Some argue that the intent of Mauritania's claims was to keep Morocco's border with Mauritania farther away. However, Rabat had historically claimed

189-461: A mining company, OCP diversified in 1965 to become a phosphate processor, making it the world's largest fertilizer manufacturer. The company holds a 31% market share of the world phosphate product market. The group employs nearly 23,000 people in Morocco and a number of international subsidiaries. In 2018, its revenues amounted to US$ 5.884 billion. The OCP Group was founded in Morocco in 1920 as

252-620: A " Greater Morocco ", in which Spanish Sahara and Mauritania were parts of Morocco, until 1969, when the latter claim regarding Mauritania was dropped. Thompson and Adloff write, According to [the treaty's] publicised terms, Spain agreed to decolonise the Sahara and leave the area before 28 February 1976. In the interim, the territory would be administered by the Spanish governor general, assisted by two Moroccan and Mauritanian deputy governors, who would respect Sahrawi public opinion as expressed through

315-590: A "local entity" in the Constitution, the Provincial council belongs to the sphere of local government . The layout of Spain's provinces closely follows the pattern of the territorial division of the country carried out in 1833 . The only major change of provincial borders since that time has been the division of the Province of Canary Islands into the provinces of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife . Historically,

378-643: A Non-Sovereign Territory, awaiting formal decolonization . It recognizes that Morocco presently administers much of it de facto , but neither the General Assembly nor any other UN body has ever recognized this as constituting sovereignty. In a 2002 letter of the General Secretary for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel of the United Nations, Hans Corell , in which he gave an opinion on the legality of actions taken by Moroccan authorities in signing contracts for

441-595: A fertilizer plant with Krishak Bharati Limited ( Kribhco ) that will have a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per year – the combined investment is worth US$ 230 million. The unit will use phosphate transported from OCP facilities in Morocco, the company will also be responsible for the shipping of the products. OCP has a research, sales and marketing function in Asia Pacific based in Singapore and Beijing . The construction of

504-458: A fertilizer processing plant is underway in Singapore to allow easier mass customization of products for local markets. Founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of OCP S.A. in 2016, the company acts as a distributor for OCP products as well as operating facilities for fertilizer production. This capacity is being expanded rapidly following a large-scale investment program. OCP Group sees Africa as

567-756: A field by field scale. A number of different formulations are produced. NP+ are nitrogen and phosphate-based complex fertilizers, enriched with secondary and micro nutrients . NPK+ is similar in structure to the former, but uses a different chemical process, and contains potash . OCP products can also be tailored to meet crop specific nutrient requirements, for example, for corn , cotton , or cocoa . Soluble Fertilizers are used for high value crops specifically for irrigated systems . They ensure efficient use of fertilizers, thus considerably enhance agricultural productivity and reduce water consumption. These fertilizers are well-suited to new micro-irrigation and sprinkler systems. The group's total fertilizer production

630-491: A major market for growth due to its unexploited potential due to the comparatively low use of fertilizers, which is reflected in lower than average per hectare crop yields . Support provided includes training programs and soil analysis that seeks to help farmers make the most of their land. OCP Africa operates in 16 African nations and has 12 subsidiary companies. OCP's largest African operation outside of Morocco, in Ethiopia,

693-456: A market share of 49%. OCP also has a number of sites producing fertilizer. Fertilizer sales, including fortified fertilizers now account for slightly over half of OCP's total revenue and 23% of its world market share (2018 production: 8.8MT). The phosphate-based conventional fertilizers produced by OCP include; Mono-Ammonium Phosphate (MAP) a concentrated phosphate fertilizer, made with phosphorus and nitrogen . Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)

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756-426: A phosphate processing plant, producing fertilizer and phosphoric acid. The scheme is expected to create more than 5,000 job in the region. Phosboucraa says that the project will continue a policy of hiring local workers, which they say make up 76% of the workforce, up from just 4% in 1976, achieved through outreach and training programs, and which have also led to hundreds of workers being trained to do skilled work at

819-519: A postponement of further Moroccan demands for the presidios , as well as compensation for repatriated Spanish and Canary Island civilians. (p. 175) The United States Library of Congress study of Mauritania (1990) states that, In early 1975, both Morocco and Mauritania agreed to abide by the decision of the International Court of Justice on the status of the Spanish Sahara, but when

882-654: A significant amount of energy. The site employs more people than any other OCP mine, which is more than 6,100 people. In 2016, the mine produced 18.9 MT of Phosphate Rock, or 70% of the total group output. In 1994, the OCP Group started a new mining project in Sidi Chennane in the Khouribga area. The construction of the purified phosphoric acid plant was launched in Jorf Lasfar in 1996 and started production in 1998. In 2014,

945-520: Is 8.8 million metric tonnes (including conventional fertilizers). OCP also produces animal feeds from phosphate. The product is called PHOSFEED and is made from phosphoric acid and calcium carbonate . PHOSFEED is GMP+, HACCP and ISO 22000 certified. While the majority of OCP's operations are based in Morocco due to its large Phosphate reserves, the company has expanded globally, in processing, sales, and distribution. The company has more than 160 customers on 5 continents. The companies also support

1008-440: Is a state-owned phosphate rock miner, phosphoric acid manufacturer and fertilizer producer. Founded in 1920, the company has grown to become the world's largest producer of phosphate and phosphate-based products and it is one of the largest phosphate, fertilizer , chemicals , and mineral industrial companies in the world by revenue. OCP has access to more than 70% of the world's phosphate rock reserves. Initially

1071-426: Is a concentrated phosphate fertilizer, that can also be used as a fire retardant . Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) is a concentrated phosphate fertilizer made with just phosphate. These can be used directly for soil fertilization or as raw material for blends, or other products. OCP Group also produces a number of fortified fertilizers that can be tailored to meet the needs of particular types of soil – even down to

1134-609: Is a joint venture between OCP Group and the Wallonia Regional Investment Company. The original company was founded in 1882, in Belgium as the Société Anonyme Métallurgique de Prayon, a Zinc producer. In 1996, OCP bought half of the shares. The company specializes in chemical R&D, finding and developing compounds and developing their use cases. The company, through OCP's expertise is recognized as

1197-475: Is also processed at Youssoufia. The Jorf Lasfar processing platform is the largest fertilizer complex in the world. The first phase of the site opened in 1984 and has been expanded multiple times since. Products are made using phosphate rock mined in Khouribga. The site produced 4.63Mt of fertilizer in 2016, including, 1.86Mt Phosphoric acid , 1.91Mt MAP , and 1.14Mt DAP . Over 30 different types of fertilizer were produced to suit various soil types . The complex

1260-526: Is made up of several units including the newest, the Africa fertilizer complex and JFC II. The site is the world's largest exporter of fertilizer. The site has a desalination plant with a capacity of 25 Mm per year – since its construction this has significantly reduced the amount of water consumed by the plant from local sources. The first OCP chemical site, the Safi complex started its activities in 1965 to process

1323-402: Is set to expand significantly on the completion of a new fertilizer blending unit that will increase supply of customized fertilizer. In 2010, OCP Group entered in to a joint venture with Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. , one of the world's largest providers of technical , professional, and construction services. The new company was named Jacobs Engineering SA (JESA). Prayon Technologies

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1386-513: Is the largest ever made in the Moroccan market. In February 2016, the OCP Group created a new subsidiary named OCP Africa, which is responsible for leading the development of the group in the African fertilizer market through a network of subsidiaries in 12 African countries. On 8 September 2023, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 M w hit Marrakesh-Safi region of Morocco. 6 Days later,

1449-665: The Balearic Islands , La Rioja , and Navarre , and a name reduction in Las Palmas and Castellón — and biggest town —with the exception of Pontevedra ( Vigo ), Asturias ( Gijón ) and Cádiz ( Jerez ). Only two capitals of autonomous communities— Mérida in Extremadura and Santiago de Compostela in Galicia —are not also the capitals of provinces. Seven of the autonomous communities comprise no more than one province each: Asturias,

1512-686: The Polisario Front or the Sahrawi people generally. Following the accords, the Polisario relocated from the Mauritanian border to Algeria. The province's future had been in dispute for several years, with both Morocco and Mauritania demanding its full annexation to their territory and Spain attempting to introduce either a regime of internal autonomy or a Sahrawi pro-Spanish independent state. Additionally, an independent group of indigenous Sahrawis called

1575-515: The Polisario Front sought independence through guerrilla warfare . The United Nations had since 1963 regarded the area as a colony, and demanded self-determination for it in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 1514 . The Madrid Accords followed on the heels of the Green March , a 350,000 strong Moroccan demonstration on 6 November 1975 called by King Hassan II , intended to put pressure on Spanish authorities. Rabat had been claiming

1638-689: The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which denies that the Madrid Accords held any validity and claims the entire area whereas actually controlling only small uninhabitable parts of it. The SADR is also unrecognized by the UN, but has been admitted as Western Sahara's representative to the African Union (AU) and its ruling party (the Polisario Front) is recognized by the UN at least as

1701-472: The autonomous community of Castile and León . In addition, organisations outside Spain use provinces for statistical analysis and policy making and in comparison with other countries including NUTS , OECD , FIPS , CIA World Factbook , ISO 3166-2 and the UN's Second Administrative Level Boundaries data set project (SALB). Most of the provinces are named after their capital town —with the exceptions of Álava , Asturias , Biscay , Cantabria , Gipuzkoa ,

1764-577: The country's exports and approximately 3.5% of the GDP in 2010. In 2016, Fitch Ratings confirmed the rating of "investment grade" for the OCP Group. After approval from the AMMC ((Moroccan Authority of the Capital Market) Autorité Marocaine du Marché des Capitaux) on December 9, 2016, the OCP Group managed to reach 10.2 billion dirhams of bonds from the national community. This loan

1827-522: The yemaa . (...) As to the Bu Craa (a phosphate mine) deposits, Spain would retain 35 per cent of the shares in the Fosfatos de Bucraa, S. A., Fosbucraa company, and a portion of the 65 per cent that would go to Morocco would presumably be allotted to Mauritania. Reportedly there were unpublicised agreements among the three signatories that gave satisfaction to Spain as regards its fishing rights and included

1890-601: The "sole legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people". Mauritania has pulled out from the conflict entirely since 1979. Morocco broke the treaty to spark the 2020 Western Sahara clashes . The following is the published text of the Madrid Accords: On November 14, 1975, the delegations lawfully representing the Governments of Spain, Morocco and Mauritania, meeting in Madrid, stated that they had agreed in order on

1953-615: The Accords and started supporting the Polisario Front militarily and diplomatically by early 1975. Algeria officially viewed its opposition as a way to uphold the UN charter and combat colonialism, although many observers believed that Algeria's actions were more to counter Morocco's influence and to gain access to the Atlantic Ocean. A long-standing rivalry between the two countries contributed to

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2016-481: The Balearic Islands, Cantabria, La Rioja, Madrid , Murcia , and Navarre. These are sometimes referred to as "uniprovincial" communities. Ceuta , Melilla , and the plazas de soberanía are not part of any province. The table below lists the provinces of Spain. For each, the capital city is given, together with an indication of the autonomous community to which it belongs and a link to a list of municipalities in

2079-468: The Bu Craa mining enterprise. Mauritania acquiesced to the agreements under the assumption, probably correct, that Morocco, with its superior military power, would otherwise have absorbed the entire territory. The agreement was bitterly opposed by Algeria and the Polisario Front, which remained committed to independence. Algeria dispatched a high-level delegation to Madrid in order to pressure Spain not to sign

2142-405: The OCP Group became a limited company. Currently 95% of the OCP Group is owned by the Moroccan state and 5% by Banque Centrale Populaire investment funds. In 2007, the OCP Group set itself a target to triple its production of fertilizers by 2020. The OCP Group plays an important economic and social role in Morocco. The value of phosphates and their derivatives represented nearly a quarter of

2205-482: The OCP Group donated $ 97.5 Million to Morocco’s Earthquake Relief Fund. OCP's first mine opened in Khouribga in 1921. The Khouribga area has the richest phosphate deposits in the world. In 2014, a slurry pipeline between Khouribga and Jorf Lasfar was launched, which transports phosphate from the mines to the processing facility safely and efficiently. The pipeline, one world's longest gravity powered pipelines saves more than 3 Mm of water per year, as well as

2268-581: The OCP Group inaugurated the slurry pipeline linking Khouribga to Jorf Lasfar, a technological advancement in the transportation of phosphates. In February 2016, a fertilizer production plant dedicated entirely to Africa was inaugurated at Jorf Lasfar, the African Fertilizer Complex. Connected to the slurry pipeline, JFC 4 will be fully integrated and have its own thermoelectric plant. These plants not only make Jorf Lasfar completely energy self-sufficient, they also create an energy surplus that fuels

2331-754: The Office Chérifien des Phosphates following Royal Decree. Mining production began in 1921, when it began extracting phosphate rock at its first mine in Khouribga . Transportation of the phosphate to the port of Casablanca also started in 1921, allowing the first export of phosphate that year. Subsequently, OCP launched other mining sites in Youssoufia in 1931 and in Benguerir in 1976, and launched chemical production in Safi in 1965, and in Jorf Lasfar in 1984. In 2008,

2394-462: The Spanish Parliament, giving rise to the common view that the 17 autonomous communities are subdivided into 50 provinces . In reality the system is not hierarchical but defined according to jurisdiction ( Spanish : competencias ). The body charged with government and administration of a province is the Provincial council , but their existence is controversial . As the province is defined as

2457-575: The Territory in the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories , and has, therefore, not transmitted information on the Territory in accordance with Article 73 e of the Charter of the United Nations". Morocco continues to claim Western Sahara as an integral part of its territory, by virtue of the Madrid Accords inter alia. The Polisario Front declared in 1976 an Algeria-based government-in-exile ,

2520-643: The Territory, nor did it confer upon any of the signatories the status of an administering Power, a status which Spain alone could not have unilaterally transferred. The transfer of administrative authority over the Territory to Morocco and Mauritania in 1975 did not affect the international status of Western Sahara as a Non-Self-Governing Territory". On 26 February 1976, Spain informed the Secretary-General that as of that date it had terminated its presence in Western Sahara and relinquished its responsibilities over

2583-478: The Territory, thus leaving it in fact under the administration of both Morocco and Mauritania in their respective controlled areas. Following the withdrawal of Mauritania from the Territory in 1979, upon the conclusion of the Mauritano-Sahrawi agreement of 19 August 1979 (S/13503, annex I), Morocco has administered the Territory of Western Sahara alone. Morocco, however, is not listed as the administering Power of

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2646-575: The adoption of the system of autonomous communities in the period of the Spanish transition to democracy . They nevertheless remain electoral districts for national elections. Provinces are also used as geographical references: for instance in postal addresses and telephone codes. National media will also frequently use the province to disambiguate small towns or communities whose names occur frequently throughout Spain. A small town would normally be identified as being in, say, Valladolid province rather than

2709-448: The best fertilizers for their needs. The company also helps market, sell, and distribute OCP products in the country. OCP sales in the country increased by 20% in Q1 2019. OCP India undertakes market and soil research in order to drive sales of OCP products in the country. The company carries out administration, sales support and marketing for OCP's Indian customers. The company is constructing

2772-639: The communities they operate in by analyzing soil to tailor fertilizer to specific needs . OCP North America , headquartered in Minnesota , United States , was founded in 2019. OCP's largest South American operations are located in Brazil . The company's Brazilian operations are made up of two companies, OCP di Brasil and OCP Fertilizantes, both headquartered in São Paulo . The companies undertake competitor and market research as well as working with farmers to establish

2835-509: The company's main business. The company extracted 34.4 million tonnes in 2018, 11.3 million tons of which were exported, with Khouribga accounting for the biggest share. OCP market share in this product category is 38%. Phosphoric acid is made from phosphate and due to its non-toxic nature, is widely used in the food , cosmetic , and dental industry . It is an example of diversification and supply chain integration to drive value. OCP produced 6.1 million metric tonnes in 2018, giving it

2898-469: The complex's sea water desalination station. Gantour is made up of two mining facilities, Benguerir and Youssoufia and holds the second largest amount of Morocco's phosphate reserves, 37% of the total. The mine in Benguerir opened in 1980. It is situated 70 km north of Marrakesh . In 2016, the mines' produced 6.3MT of Phosphate Rock , representing 23% of the group's total output. Since 2017,

2961-525: The court ruled in October 1975 that neither country was entitled to claim sovereignty over the territory, both governments chose to ignore the decision. In November 1975, they concluded the Madrid Agreements with Spain under which Morocco acquired the northern two-thirds of the territory, while Mauritania acquired the southern third . The agreement also included the proviso that Spain would retain shares in

3024-491: The exploration of mineral resources in Western Sahara, he stated: On 14 November 1975, a Declaration of Principles on Western Sahara was concluded in Madrid between Spain, Morocco and Mauritania ("the Madrid Agreement"), whereby the powers and responsibilities of Spain, as the administering Power of the Territory, were transferred to a temporary tripartite administration. The Madrid Agreement did not transfer sovereignty over

3087-589: The following principles: This declaration was signed by the president of the government Carlos Arias Navarro , for Spain; the Prime Minister, Ahmed Osman , for Morocco; and the Foreign Minister, Hamdi Ould Mouknass , for Mauritania. Provinces of Spain A province in Spain is a territorial division defined as a collection of municipalities . The current provinces of Spain correspond by and large to

3150-461: The groups site in the North. The numbers published by Phosboucraa, however, are disputed by local activists, including Western Sahara Research Watch, which notes that the designation of "local workers" doesn't distinguish between settlers and indigenous people. The mining of phosphorite , (also known as phosphate rock or rock phosphate) was OCP's earliest operation, with the sale of these products being

3213-492: The mine has been one of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University's testing sites that is open to the scientific community and allows researchers from partner universities to test full-scale solutions in key areas. Called the "Advanced Mining Technology Platform," this pilot mine has many purposes. Rock from Benguerir is transported by rail to Safi by ONCF , the national railway company of Morocco. The Group's activities are organised into an integrated model covering all operations of

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3276-570: The phosphate rock from Benguerir. In addition to fertilizer and phosphoric acid production units, the site has a phosphate washing unit and a sulfuric acid plant. In 2016, the site produced 1.5Mt of phosphoric acid and 832.6Kt of TSP fertilizer. These figures represented the highest production figures in the site's history. The site produces fertilizer for both the domestic and international markets. In 1976, OCP acquired 65% of Phosboucraa mine ( Boucraâ - Laayoune ), in Western Sahara and became

3339-710: The province. The names of the provinces and their capitals are ordered alphabetically according to the form in which they appear in the main Misplaced Pages articles describing them. Unless otherwise indicated, their Spanish-language names are the same; locally valid names in Spain's other co-official languages ( Basque , Catalan , which is officially called Valencian in the Valencian Community , Galician ) are also indicated where they differ. Fosbucraa The OCP Group (OCP S.A.) (formerly Office Chérifien des Phosphates)

3402-456: The provinces created under the purview of the 1833 territorial re-organization of Spain , with a similar predecessor from 1822 (during the Trienio Liberal ) and an earlier precedent in the 1810 Napoleonic division of Spain into 84 prefectures. There are many other groupings of municipalities that comprise the local government of Spain . The boundaries of provinces can only be altered by

3465-418: The provinces served mainly as transmission belts for policies enacted in Madrid, as Spain was a highly centralised state for most of its modern history. The provinces were the "building-blocks" from which the autonomous communities were created following processed defined in the 1978 Constitution . Consequently, no province is divided between these communities. The importance of the provinces has declined since

3528-543: The sole owner in 2002. Because Western Sahara is a non-self governing territory, the legality of mining by a foreign state actor is contentious under international law. As a result, several funds have disinvested from buyers of phosphates mined by Phosboucraa, and exports have dropped. Operations at the mine originally began in 1972; its activities include mining, processing and marketing phosphate rock. Boucraa mine represents approximately 2% of Morocco's total phosphate reserves, 4.6% of OCP Group's total revenue and around 8% of

3591-585: The tense relations. The Boumédiène government consequently broke with Morocco and started supplying the Polisario guerrillas with weapons and refuge and condemned the Accords internationally. Algeria expelled some 45,000 Moroccan citizens then living in Algeria, and began radio broadcasts in support of both the Polisario and – more briefly – a separatist group in the Canary Islands , the latter presumably in an attempt to punish Spain. Morocco and Mauritania split

3654-592: The territory as historically Moroccan since its accession to independence in 1956. Immediately after Morocco's independence, the Moroccan Liberation Army 's southern branch, the Saharan Liberation Army , had battled Spanish troops in Sidi Ifni , Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro , and managed to free most of the territory. Madrid later regained full control in 1958 with French help. Moroccan demands for

3717-445: The territory between them in the Western Sahara partition agreement , and moved in to assert their claims; this resulted in armed clashes erupted between the two countries troops and Polisario. Polisario and Algeria both deemed the advance of Morocco and Mauritania as a foreign invasion, while Morocco and Mauritania saw the fight against Polisario as a fight against a separatist group. In support of Polisario, Algeria sent troops deep into

3780-616: The territory continued in the 1960s and increased in intensity in the early 1970s as it became apparent that colonialism was expiring. Thompson and Adloff argue (e.g., pp. 132–134, 164–167) that the Green March, as well as increasingly heated rhetorical exchanges between Madrid and Rabat had convinced Spain that Morocco was willing to enter into war over the territory; a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency memorandum to Henry Kissinger had stated as much in early October 1975. With Spanish leader Francisco Franco dying (he had entered into

3843-546: The territory, but they eventually retreated after the Amgala battle in 1976 . The clashes turned into a 17-year-long war , during which Mauritania was forced to retreat, abandoning all claims to the region, in 1979. As an effect of the conflict, a part of the territory's population became refugees. It was finally ended with a ceasefire in 1991. Today, the status of the territory, now called Western Sahara , remains in dispute . The United Nations considers Western Sahara to remain

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3906-493: The total rock extracted. 100% of profits made in the region are reinvested in the local community through the Phosboucraa Foundation. The Phosboucraa Foundation has so far helped more the 50,000 people through its various programs in education, health, and entrepreneurship. Phosboucraa's activities are located in 3 different places: To help develop the value chain at this site OCP is investing $ 2.2 billion to build

3969-551: The value chain from the extraction of phosphates to the production and marketing of various products including fertilizers and phosphoric acid. The mine in Youssoufia is the second most important mine to the Moroccan economy after the Khouribga mine. It is also the third biggest producer worldwide of phosphate. Since 1998, OCP has also operated the Bouchane mine, which is situated 40 km from Youssoufia. The phosphate from this mine

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