Issue date: 05 May, 2006

EXFILNA 2006

CONSULT RATES

EXFILNA 2006

HISTORY

Algeciras, a port city in the south of Spain, will be hosting the XLIV edition of EXFILNA 2006, the Spanish National Philatelic Exhibition, from 5 to 13 May 2006. The exhibition coincides with the celebration of two events which took place in the city in 1906: the International Conference on Morocco and the creation of the Port Authority of Algeciras. The souvenir sheet issued on this occasion depicts a panoramic view of the city port, while the commemorative stamp shows a picture of the façade of the city council.On 16 January 1906, the nineteenth-century city council held the opening session of the International Conference on Morocco, which dealt, amongst others, with important issues such as the sovereignty principle of the sultan of Morocco, the integrity of the Moroccan state, trade liberalization, tax collection, measures against smuggling and customs control. Closed on 7 April 1906 and having been attended by delegates from Germany, Austria, the United States, France, Great Britain, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Portugal and Spain, the conference highlighted both the strategic location of the city and the need to provide it with the required infrastructures.The Port Authority of Algeciras was created in September 1906, the construction works of the port beginning later in 1913. Apart from having been one of the busiest ports between both coasts of the Strait of Gibraltar since the Middle Age, the port of Gibraltar was also used as a port of call by most traffic traveling between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Nowadays, the port holds a great potential and not only does it stand out by its industrial development, but it also boasts an increasing movement of passengers, vehicles and goods through the Strait, which has turned into a profitable activity for the city and its surroundings.EXFILNA 2006, one of the most significant exhibitions for the Spanish philately, will once more help boost and promote the art of stamp collecting.