The Tangier International Zone, is an International territory in northern Africa with a population of about 500,000. It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. It is bordered by the Rif Republic (former Spanish Morocco). The Tangier IZ is also called for short the Interzone. Its main city is Tangier. The Interzone is under the joint administration and protection of France, Spain, and United Kingdom under an international convention signed in Paris on 18 December, 1923.