Imperialism and Cartography: the Organisation of the General Staff Board of Spain in Morocco, 1881-1882

Abstract

The General Staff of the Spanish Army began in 1881 an extensive program of territorial information in North Africa, which led to the production of the first modern maps of Morocco. This paper, which is based on archive sources, will examine the foundation and the first activities of the Spanish General Staff Board in Morocco, set up by the War Office in order to map the Morocco’s territory and gather up military information. The organisation of the General Staff Board in Morocco mirrors the tensions sparked off by the imperial purpose in Africa, and opened a new stage in the history of the Spanish Colonial Cartography.