The New Student's Reference Work/Tarifa

Tarifa (tȧ-rē′fȧ), a famous Spanish city, is 25 miles southeast of Cape Trafalgar. It has old walls, towers, a fortress and a Moorish castle. Tarifa was founded by the Moors, who forced all vessels passing through the Strait of Gibraltar to pay tribute at this town. From this fact comes our word “tariff.” The Castilians captured Tarifa in 1292 and held it in the face of several sieges by the Moors. The French besieged it in vain in 1811, but captured it in 1823. Population 11,725.