The Spanish Protectorate of Morocco had Tetouan as its capital.
Protectorate is the function and work carried out by a protector . A protector, on the other hand, is a person whose obligation is to take care of the interests of a society. In the broadest sense of the term, protector is someone who protects.
The notion of protectorate, in any case, is usually associated with a territory whose administration depends on a State that has not been able to fully incorporate it into its national structure. In this way, in a protectorate authorities from this State coexist with others that are specific to the region in question.
Emergence and development of a protectorate
The protectorate can arise from an agreement between two or more States or from the agreement between a State and a lower-ranking political entity, which lacks the necessary institutions to exercise sovereignty . The usual thing is that the protection of the State exercised by the protectorate is accepted in matters such as defense, security and external links.
In practice, protectorate usually implies that a strong State provides protection to a weaker State or a smaller entity, acting in the territory of the protected one. In exchange for providing such assistance, the State that exercises the protectorate receives different benefits.
Typically, the protected region retains a certain autonomy , being able to make certain decisions beyond the presence of the protecting State. A protectorate, however, usually implies domination by the powerful over the weak.
The case of Morocco and Spain
One of the best-known protectorates in history was the so-called Spanish Protectorate of Morocco , which was in force from approximately 1913 to 1956 . As its name indicates, it was a Moroccan territory in which the Spanish government exercised a protectorate regime.
Specifically, that territory framed under the aforementioned legal figure was divided into two zones:
- The north , which had a border with the international zone of Tangier and with the cities of Ceuta and Melilla .
- The south , which was in the province of Tarfaya .
Almost 21,000 square meters made up this territory, which had Tetouan as its capital and had an administrative organization made up of a Moroccan government, a delegation of indigenous affairs and the so-called High Commissariat . This last body had figures such as the High Commissioner , the interveners, the Indigenous Police and the Regulars .
In this protectorate, both Spanish and Arabic were official languages, the prevailing religions were Islam and Catholicism and the official currency was the peseta.
The British Protectorate of Central Africa operated in the current territory of Malawi.
The British Protectorate of Central Africa
An example of a protectorate was the British Protectorate of Central Africa which was in effect between 1891 and 1907 in what is now Malawi . There, a British commissioner was in charge of administering and controlling the security forces.
That protectorate had English as its official language and its system of government was a constitutional monarchy. To all this we must add that the capital was Zomba and that the currency used was the Rhodesian pound.
The concept today
Currently there is also what is known as the Protectorate of Foundations .
Within the scope of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain , mention is made of this organization, which is responsible for ensuring the correct implementation of foundations, their constitution and even ensuring that they respect all established laws.