The Chafarinas Islands (Spanish: Islas Chafarinas IPA: [ˈislas tʃafaˈɾinas], Berber languages: Igumamen Iceffaren or Takfarinas, Arabic: جزر الشفارين or الجزر الجعفرية), also spelled Zafarin, Djaferin[1] or Zafarani,[2] are a group of three small Spanish islets located in the Alboran Sea off the coast of Morocco with an aggregate area of 0.525 square kilometres (0.203 sq mi), 45 km (28.0 mi) to the east of Nador and 3.3 km (2.1 mi) off the Moroccan town of Ras Kebdana.

The Chafarinas Islands are one of the Spanish territories in North Africa off the Moroccan coast known as plazas de soberanía.

Forewarned by its consul in Oran, Spain, which also coveted the Chafarinas, quickly dispatched a warship to the islands from Malaga.

[4] The Chafarinas Islands are made up of three islands (from west to east, with areas in hectares): Under Spanish control since 1847, there is a 30-man[5] military garrison on Isla Isabel II, the only stable population on the small archipelago, down from 426 people in 1900 and 736 people in 1910.

Small numbers of scientists, anti-trafficking police, and other authorized personnel sometimes increase the population to around 50.