Berber guerrilla leader who proclaimed the Republic of the Rif in 1921. The Riffian Berbers won several victories over the Spanish in the Rif War in the 1920s before they were eventually defeated. The Spanish region was decolonised and restored to Morocco by Spain in April 1956, a month after the French region gained its independence from France. Shortly afterward, a revolt broke out in the north against the Moroccan king by Riffian insurgents in 1958, but it was easily suppressed. Economy Farmers in the Rif produce most of Morocco's supply of cannabis. The region is economically underdeveloped. Environment According to C. Michael Hogan, there are between five and eight separate subpopulations of the endangered primate Barbary macaque, Macaca sylvanus. The Rif mountains are also home to the honey bee subspecies Apis mellifera major. The Rif region receives more rainfall than any other region in Morocco, with some portions receiving upwards of of precipitation a year. The western and central portions are more rainy and are covered in forests of Atlas cedar, cork oak and holm oak, as well as the only remaining forests of Moroccan fir, a subspecies of the Spanish fir. The eastern slopes receive less rainfall, and there forests consist mainly of pines, particularly the Aleppo pine and the maritime pine, as well as tetraclinis. Massive deforestation due to overgrazing, forest fires, and forest clearing for agriculture, particularly for the creation of cannabis plantations, has taken place since the 1950s. This deforestation has led to soil degradation due to the washing away of topsoil, which has aggravated the process. See also Ghomaras Hirak Rif Jebala people Iznasen Nekor Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Oriental (Morocco) Riffian Footnotes References Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy (2005). "Morocco said to produce nearly half of the world's hashish supply", Jane's Intelligence Review C. Michael Hogan (2008). "Barbary Macaque: Macaca sylvanus", Globaltwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg External links Galerie Rif (Arrif) Rif Map Al Hoceïma Province Berber history Geography of Fès-Meknès Geography of Oriental (Morocco) Geography of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Geographic history of Morocco Historical regions Mountain ranges of Morocco