Rif, El-

Rif, El-

 or Rif

Hilly coastal region, northern Morocco. Constituting the central and eastern parts of former Spanish Morocco, the hills extend from east of Melilla to Ceuta, both Spanish enclaves. For the greater part of its length, the mountains hug the Mediterranean Sea, leaving only a few narrow coastal valleys suitable for agriculture or urban settlement. The loftier peaks are snowcapped in winter. In the 1920s Berber tribes inhabiting the region rose in revolt under Abd al-Krim to resist Franco-Spanish occupation.