Jump to content

Ceuta and Melilla

Edit links
Coordinates: 35°18′N 2°57′W / 35.300°N 2.950°W / 35.300; -2.950
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 79.41.230.152 (talk) at 14:39, 17 May 2017. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Sabtah" redirects here. For the Biblical figure, see List of minor Biblical figures. For other uses, see Ceuta (disambiguation).
See also: Ceuta border fence

Ceuta
Arabic: سبتة (Sabtah)
Autonomous city
Ceuta, as seen from Monte Hacho
Ceuta, as seen from Monte Hacho
Flag of Ceuta
Flag
Coat of arms of Ceuta
Coat of arms
Map of Ceuta
Location of Ceuta within Spain
Coordinates: 35°53′18″N 5°18′56″W / 35.88833°N 5.31556°W / 35.88833; -5.31556
CountrySpain
Autonomous cityCeuta
First settled5th century BC
End of Muslim rule14 August 1415
Ceded to Spain1 January 1668
Autonomy status14 March 1995
Founded byBerbers or Carthaginians
Government
 • TypeAutonomous city
 • BodyCouncil of Government
 • Mayor-PresidentJuan Jesús Vivas (PP)
Area
 • Total18.5 km2 (7.1 sq mi)
 • Land18.5 km2 (7.1 sq mi)
Elevation
10 m (30 ft)
Highest elevation
349 m (1,145 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total82,376
 • Density4,500/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Ceutan
ceutí (es)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166-2
ES-CE
Postal code
51001–51005
Official languageSpanish
ParliamentCortes Generales
Congress1 deputy (out of 350)
Senate2 senators (out of 264)
Websitewww.ceuta.es

Ceuta (assimilated pronunciation /ˈsjuːtə/ SEW-tə, also /ˈseɪʊtə/ SAY-uu-tə;[2] Spanish: [ˈθeuta]; Arabic: سبتة, Sabtah) is an 18.5-square-kilometre (7.1 sq mi) Spanish autonomous city located on the north coast of Africa, separated by 14 kilometers from Cadiz province on the Spanish mainland by the Strait of Gibraltar and sharing a 6.4 kilometer land border with M'diq-Fnideq Prefecture in the Kingdom of Morocco. It lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and is one of nine populated Spanish territories in Africa and, along with Melilla, one of two populated territories on mainland Africa. It was part of Cádiz province until 14 March 1995 when the city's Statute of Autonomy was passed.

Ceuta, like Melilla and the Canary Islands, was a free port before Spain joined the European Union.[citation needed] As of 2011, it has a population of 82,376.[1] Its population consists of Christians, Muslims, and small minorities of Sephardic Jews and ethnic Sindhi Hindus.

Spanish is the official language, while Moroccan Darija of the northern Jebli variety[3] is spoken by between 40% and 50% of the population which is of Moroccan origin.[4]

History

The Royal Walls of Ceuta and navigable moats
A street in Ceuta, c. 1905–1910
Calle de Compañía del Mar in Ceuta

Ceuta's location has made it an important commercial trade and military way-point for many cultures, beginning with the Carthaginians in the 5th century BC, who called the city Abyla; initially, this was also its name in Greek and Latin. It was known variously in Ancient Greek as: Ἀβύλη, Ἀβύλα, Ἀβλύξ, or Ἀβίλη στήλη – Abyle, Abila, Ablyx or Abile Stele – "Pillar of Abyle")[5] and in the Latin derivation from Greek as Abyla Mons Columna ("Mount Abyla" or "Column of Abyla"). Together with Gibraltar on the European side, it formed one of the famous "Pillars of Hercules".[5][6] Later, it was renamed for a formation of seven surrounding smaller mountains, collectively referred to as Septem Fratres ('[The] Seven Brothers') by Pomponius Mela, which lent their name to a Roman fortification known as Castellum ad Septem Fratres.[5]

It changed hands again approximately 400 years later, when Vandal tribes ousted the Romans.[citation needed] After being controlled by the Visigoths, it then became an outpost of the Byzantine Empire. Ceuta was an important Christian center since the fourth century (as recent discovered ruins of a Roman basilica show[7]).

In the 7th century the Umayyads tried to conquer the region but were unsuccessful. Byzantine governor, Julian (described as King of the Ghomara) who was a vassal of the Visigothic kings of Iberia changed his allegiance after the king Roderic raped his daughter, and exhorted the Muslims to invade the Iberian Peninsula. Under the leadership of the Berber general Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Muslims used Ceuta as a staging ground for an assault on Visigothic Iberian Peninsula. After Julian's death, the Berbers took direct control of the city, which the indigenous Berber tribes resented. They destroyed Ceuta during the Kharijite rebellion led by Maysara al-Matghari in 740.

Ceuta lay in ruins until it was resettled in the 9th century by Mâjakas, chief of the Majkasa Berber tribe, who started the short-lived Banu Isam dynasty.[8] His great-grandson briefly allied his tribe with the Idrisids, but the Banu Isam rule ended in 931 when he abdicated in favor of Abd ar-Rahman III, the Umayyad Caliph of Cordoba. Ceuta reverted to Moorish Andalusian rule in 927 along with Melilla, and later Tangier, in 951.

Chaos ensued with the fall of the Umayyad caliphate in 1031. Following this Ceuta and the rest of Muslim Iberia were controlled by successive North African dynasties. Starting in 1084, the Almoravid Berbers ruled the region until 1147, when the Almohads conquered the land. Apart from Ibn Hud's rebellion of 1232, they ruled until the Tunisian Hafsids established control. The Hafsids' influence in the west rapidly waned, and Ceuta's inhabitants eventually expelled them in 1249. After this, a period of political instability persisted, under competing interests from the Kingdom of Fez and the Kingdom of Granada. The Kingdom of Fez finally conquered the region in 1387, with assistance from the Crown of Aragon.

In 1415, during the Battle of Ceuta, the city was captured by the Portuguese during the reign of John I of Portugal. The Benemerine sultan besieged the city in 1418 but was defeated. Phillip II (King of Spain 1556–1598) ascended the Portuguese throne in 1580 and Spanish kings of Portugal governed Ceuta for 60 years (Iberian Union). During this time, Ceuta attracted many residents of Spanish origin.[9] Ceuta became the only city of the Portuguese Empire that sided with Spain when Portugal regained its independence in 1640, and war broke out between the two countries.

1572 depiction of Ceuta
Coast of Ceuta
Desnarigado Castle.

On 1 January 1668 by the Treaty of Lisbon, King Afonso VI of Portugal recognized the formal allegiance of Ceuta to Spain and formally ceded Ceuta to King Carlos II of Spain. The city was besieged by Moroccan forces under Moulay Ismail from 1694 to 1727. During the longest siege in the history, the city underwent changes leading to the loss of its Portuguese character. While most of the military operations took place around the city walls (Muralles Reales), there were also small-scale penetrations by Spanish forces at various points on the Moroccan coast, and seizure of shipping in the Strait of Gibraltar. However, the original Portuguese flag and coat of arms of Ceuta remained unchanged, and the modern-day Ceuta flag features the configuration of the Portuguese shield. The flag has the same background as that of the flag of the city of Lisbon.

In July 1936, General Francisco Franco took command of the Spanish Army of Africa and rebelled against the Spanish republican government; his military uprising led to the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. Franco transported troops to mainland Spain in an airlift using transport aircraft supplied by Germany and Italy. Ceuta became one of the first casualties of the uprising: General Franco's rebel nationalist forces repressed the citizens of Ceuta, while at the same time the city came under fire from the air and sea forces of the official republican government.[10]

A monument was erected to honor Francisco Franco; the Llano Amarillo, inaugurated on 13 July 1940, still stands. The tall obelisk has been abandoned, but the shield symbols of the Falange and Imperial Eagle remain visible.[11]

When Spain recognized the independence of Spanish Morocco in 1956, Ceuta and the other plazas de soberanía remained under Spanish rule. Spain considered them integral parts of the Spanish state, but Morocco has disputed this point.

Culturally, modern Ceuta is part of the Spanish region of Andalusia. It was attached to the province of Cádiz until 1925, the Spanish coast being only 20 km (12.5 miles) away. It is a cosmopolitan city, with a large ethnic Berber Muslim minority as well as Sephardic Jewish and Hindu minorities.[12]

On 5 November 2007, King Juan Carlos I visited the city, sparking great enthusiasm from the local population and protests from the Moroccan government.[13] It was the first time a Spanish head of state had visited Ceuta in 80 years.

Since 2010, Ceuta (and Melilla) have declared the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha or Feast of the Sacrifice, as an official public holiday. It is the first time a non-Christian religious festival has been officially celebrated in Spain since the Reconquista.[14][15]

Ecclesiastical history

The Catholic Diocese of Ceuta existed from 1417 to 1879. It was a suffragan of the Patriarchate of Lisbon until 1675 and the end of the Iberian Union, when Ceuta chose to remain linked to the king of Spain. Since then it has been a suffragan of the archbishopric of Seville.[16] The Diocese of Tanger was suppressed and incorporated to that of Ceuta in 1570.[17]

In 1851, upon the signature of the concordat between the Holy See and Spain, the diocese of Ceuta was agreed to be suppressed, being combined into the Diocese of Cádiz y Ceuta.[18] Until then in the Diocese of Cádiz y Algeciras, the bishop was usually the apostolic administrator of Ceuta. The agreement was not implemented until 1879.

Geography

Ceuta is dominated by Monte Anyera, a hill along its western frontier with Morocco. The mountain is guarded by a military fort.

Map of Ceuta (Perejil islet is just off the coast, in the upper left of this map)
Perspective view of the Strait of Gibraltar facing eastwards; Spain and Gibraltar on the left; Morocco and Ceuta on the right

Monte Hacho on the Peninsula of Almina overlooking the port is one of the possible locations for the southern pillar of the Pillars of Hercules of Greek legend (the other possibility being Jebel Musa).[19]

Climate

Ceuta has a maritime-influenced Subtropical/Mediterranean climate, similar to nearby Spanish and Moroccan cities such as Tarifa, Algeciras or Tangiers.[20] The average diurnal temperature variation is relatively low; the average annual temperature is 18.8 °C (65.8 °F) with average yearly highs of 21.4 °C (70.5 °F) and lows of 15.7 °C (60.3 °F) though the Ceuta weather station has only been in operation since 2003.[21] Ceuta has relatively mild winters for the latitude, while summers are warm yet milder than in the interior of Southern Spain, due to the moderating effect of the Straits of Gibraltar. Summers are very dry, but yearly precipitation is still at 849 millimetres (33.4 in),[21] which could be considered a humid climate if the summers weren't so arid.

Climate data for Ceuta city (1m altitude)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 21.7
(71.1) 		25.5
(77.9) 		27.9
(82.2) 		28.4
(83.1) 		33.7
(92.7) 		35.3
(95.5) 		40.2
(104.4) 		38.9
(102.0) 		34.8
(94.6) 		33.1
(91.6) 		27.2
(81.0) 		25.6
(78.1) 		40.2
(104.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0) 		16.7
(62.1) 		17.8
(64.0) 		19.4
(66.9) 		22.5
(72.5) 		25.8
(78.4) 		28.9
(84.0) 		28.5
(83.3) 		26.1
(79.0) 		22.9
(73.2) 		18.9
(66.0) 		16.7
(62.1) 		21.7
(71.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 13.6
(56.5) 		14.2
(57.6) 		15.0
(59.0) 		16.5
(61.7) 		19.2
(66.6) 		22.3
(72.1) 		25.0
(77.0) 		25.1
(77.2) 		23.0
(73.4) 		20.2
(68.4) 		16.5
(61.7) 		14.4
(57.9) 		18.8
(65.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 11.1
(52.0) 		11.6
(52.9) 		12.2
(54.0) 		13.6
(56.5) 		15.9
(60.6) 		18.8
(65.8) 		21.1
(70.0) 		21.7
(71.1) 		19.9
(67.8) 		17.5
(63.5) 		14.0
(57.2) 		12.2
(54.0) 		15.8
(60.4)
Record low °C (°F) 1.3
(34.3) 		4.4
(39.9) 		7.2
(45.0) 		9.0
(48.2) 		10.5
(50.9) 		13.2
(55.8) 		16.3
(61.3) 		18.0
(64.4) 		15.3
(59.5) 		12.2
(54.0) 		7.4
(45.3) 		6.3
(43.3) 		1.3
(34.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 122
(4.8) 		145
(5.7) 		90
(3.5) 		57
(2.2) 		21
(0.8) 		3
(0.1) 		1
(0.0) 		3
(0.1) 		37
(1.5) 		82
(3.2) 		127
(5.0) 		161
(6.3) 		849
(33.2)
Average precipitation days 7 8 6 5 3 1 0 1 2 5 7 9 54
Average relative humidity (%) 72 75 68 71 66 67 61 70 72 75 73 73 70
Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, WorldWeatherOnline and Weather.com [22][23][24][25]

Politics

Juan Jesús Vivas, Mayor-President of Ceuta since 2001

Since 1995, Ceuta is, along with Melilla, one of the two autonomous cities of Spain.[26]

Ceuta is known officially in Spanish as Ciudad Autónoma de Ceuta (English: Autonomous City of Ceuta), with a rank between a standard Spanish city and an autonomous community. Ceuta is part of the territory of the European Union. The city was a free port before Spain joined the European Union in 1986. Now it has a low-tax system within the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union. As of 2006, its population was 75,861.

Ceuta has held elections every four years since 1979, for its 25-seat assembly. The leader of its government was the Mayor until the Autonomy Statute had the title changed to the Mayor-President. In the most recent election in 2011, the People's Party (PP) won 18 seats, keeping Juan Jesús Vivas as Mayor-President, which he has been since 2001. The remaining seats are held by the regionalist Caballas Coalition (4) and the Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE, 3).[27]

Due to its small population, Ceuta elects only one member of the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish legislature. Since the 2011 election, this post is held by Francisco Márquez de la Rubia of the PP.[28]

Subdivisions

Ceuta is subdivided into 63 barriadas (neighbourhoods), such as Barriada de Berizu, Barriada de P. Alfonso, Barriada del Sarchal, and El Hacho.[29][30][31]

Dispute with Morocco

The Moroccan mountain of Jebel Musa, as viewed from Benzú

The government of Morocco has repeatedly called for Spain to transfer the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla, together with the rest of the Spanish plazas de soberanía on the North African coast, on the grounds of asserting its territorial integrity. Morocco has claimed the territories are colonies.[32] A significant majority of the residents of Ceuta want the region to remain Spanish.[33]

A sign welcoming visitors to Ceuta, showing the flags of Ceuta, Spain and the European Union
House of Dragons

Economy

The official currency of Ceuta is the euro. It is part of a special low tax zone in Spain.[34] Ceuta is one of two Spanish port cities on the northern shore of Africa, along with Melilla. They are historically military strongholds, free ports, oil ports, and also fishing ports.[35] Today the economy of the city depends heavily on its port (now in expansion) and its industrial and retail centres.[34] Ceuta Heliport is now used to connect the city to mainland Spain by air.

Transport

The city receives high numbers of ferries each day from Algeciras in Andalusia in the south of Spain, along with Melilla and the Canary Islands. The closest airport is Sania Ramel Airport in Morocco. There is a bus service throughout the city which does not pass into neighbouring Morocco.

A single road border checkpoint allows for cars to travel between Morocco and Ceuta. The rest of the border is closed and inaccessible.

Demographics

Due to its location, Ceuta is home to a mixed ethnic/religious population. The two main religious groups are Christian and Muslim. In 2006 approximately 50% of the population is Spanish/Christian and approximately 49% Arab-Berber/Muslims.[36] In 2012, the proportion of Ceuta population that identify themselves as Roman Catholic was 68.0%.[37] While the proportion of Ceuta population that identify themselves as Muslim was 28.3%

Spanish is the primary and official language of the enclave. Moroccan Arabic, Berber and French are also widely spoken.[citation needed]

Education

The University of Granada offers undergraduate programs at their campus in Ceuta. Like all areas of Spain, Ceuta is also served by the National University of Distance Education (UNED).

Primary and secondary education is possible only in Spanish however a growing number of schools are entering the Bilingual Education Program.

Religion

Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption

Christianity has been present in Ceuta (called in Roman times Septem[38] or Septum[39]) continuously since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The ruins of a basilica in downtown Ceuta confirm this reality.[40]

Muley El Mehdi mosque

In 1415, on conquering the city from the Muslims, the Portuguese started the construction of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ceuta was established two years later, and was amalgamated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cadiz y Ceuta, in 1851. The present cathedral, from the late 17th century, combines baroque and neoclassical elements.

African migrants

As in Melilla, Ceuta is attracted by migrants from Africa who try to use it as an entry to Europe. As a result the enclave is surrounded by double fences that are 6 meter high. Nevertheless hundreds of migrants congregate near the fences waiting for a chance to cross them. Regularly the fences are stormed by migrants trying to claim asylum once they enter Ceuta. [41]

Notable people from Ceuta

Twin towns and sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Spain

Ceuta is twinned with:


For other uses, see Melilla (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Melila.

Melilla
Berber: Mřič
Autonomous city
Port of Melilla
Port of Melilla
Flag of Melilla
Flag
Coat-of-arms of Melilla
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
«Praeferre Patriam Liberis Parentem Decet» (Latin)
("It is seemly for a parent to put his fatherland before his children")
«Non Plus Ultra» (Latin)
("Nothing more beyond")
Map of Melilla
Location of Melilla
Coordinates: 35°18′N 2°57′W / 35.300°N 2.950°W / 35.300; -2.950{{#coordinates:}}: cannot have more than one primary tag per page
CountrySpain
CapitalMelilla
Government
 • Mayor-PresidentJuan José Imbroda (PP)
Area
 • Total12.3 km2 (4.7 sq mi)
 • Rank19th
Population
 (2011)
 • Total78,476[42]
 • Rank19th
 • % of Spain
0.16%
Demonym(s)Melillan
melillense (es)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166-2
ES-ML
Official languagesSpanish
Statute of Autonomy14 March 1995
ParliamentCortes Generales
Congress1 deputy (of 350)
Senate2 senators (of 264)
Websitewww.melilla.es

Melilla (/məˈliːjə/ mə-LEE-yə; Spanish: [meˈliʎa], locally [meˈliʝa]; [Mřič] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help); Arabic: Template:Arabi, Maliliyyah) is a Spanish autonomous city located on the north coast of Africa, sharing a border with Morocco with an area of 12.3 square kilometres (4.7 sq mi). Melilla, along with Ceuta, is one of two permanently inhabited Spanish cities in mainland Africa. It was part of Málaga province until 14 March 1995 when the city's Statute of Autonomy was passed.

Melilla, like Ceuta, was a free port before Spain joined the European Union.[citation needed] As of 2011, it had a population of 78,476 made up of ethnic Spaniards, ethnic Riffian Berbers, and a small number of Sephardic Jews and Sindhi Hindus. Both Spanish and Riffian-Berber are the two most widely spoken languages, with Spanish as the only official language.

Melilla is officially subject to a territorial claim along with the city of Ceuta.

History

The current Berber name of Melilla is Mřič or Mlilt which means the "white one". Melilla was an ancient Berber village and a Phoenician and later Punic trade establishment under the name of Rusadir (Rusaddir for the Romans and Russadeiron (Ancient Greek: Ῥυσσάδειρον) for the Greeks). Later it became a part of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana. Rusaddir is mentioned by Ptolemy (IV, 1) and Pliny (V, 18) who call it "oppidum et portus", also by Mela (I, 33), under the corrupted form Rusicada and by the Itinerarium Antonini.[43] Rusaddir was supposed to have once been the seat of a bishop, but there is no record of any bishop of the supposed see,[43] which is not included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees.[44] As centuries passed, it went through Vandal, Byzantine and Hispano-Visigothic hands. The political history is similar to that of towns in the region of the Moroccan Rif and southern Spain. Local rule passed through Amazigh, Phoenician, Punic, Roman, Umayyad, Idrisid, Almoravid, Almohad, Marinid, and then Wattasid rulers. During the Middle Ages it was the Berber city of Mlila. It was part of the Kingdom of Fez when the Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon requested Juan Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, 3rd Duke of Medina Sidonia, to take the city.

In the Conquest of Melilla, the duke sent Pedro Estopiñán, who conquered the city virtually without a fight in 1497,[45] a few years after Castile had taken control of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, the last remnant of Al-Andalus, in 1492. Melilla was immediately threatened with reconquest and was besieged during 1694–1696 and 1774–1775. One Spanish officer reflected, "an hour in Melilla, from the point of view of merit, was worth more than thirty years of service to Spain."[46]

The current limits of the Spanish territory around the fortress were fixed by treaties with Morocco in 1859, 1860, 1861, and 1894. In the late 19th century, as Spanish influence expanded, Melilla became the only authorized center of trade on the Rif coast between Tetuan and the Algerian frontier. The value of trade increased, goat skins, eggs and beeswax being the principal exports, and cotton goods, tea, sugar, and candles being the chief imports.

Illustration of the death of Spanish General Juan García y Margallo during the First Melillan campaign in 1893

In 1893, the Rif Berbers launched the First Melillan campaign and 25,000 Spanish soldiers had to be dispatched against them. The conflict was also known as the Margallo War, after the Governor of Melilla and Spanish General Juan García y Margallo, who was killed in the battle.

In 1908 two companies, under the protection of Bou Hmara, a chieftain then ruling the Rif region, started mining lead and iron some 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from Melilla. A railway to the mines was begun. In October of that year the Bou Hmara's vassals revolted against him and raided the mines, which remained closed until June 1909. By July the workmen were again attacked and several of them killed. Severe fighting between the Spaniards and the tribesmen followed, in the Second Melillan campaign.

In 1910, with the Rif having submitted, the Spaniards restarted the mines and undertook harbor works at Mar Chica, but hostilities broke out again in 1911. In 1921 the Berbers under the leadership of Abd el Krim inflicted a grave defeat on the Spanish (see Battle of Annual), and were not defeated until 1926, when the Spanish Protectorate finally managed to control the area again.

General Francisco Franco used the city as one of his staging grounds for his Nationalist rebellion in 1936, starting the Spanish Civil War. A statue of him – the last statue of Franco in Spain – is still prominently featured.

On 6 November 2007, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia visited the city, which caused a massive demonstration of support. The visit also sparked protests from the Moroccan government.[47] It was the first time a Spanish monarch had visited Melilla in 80 years.

Melilla (and Ceuta) have declared the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha or Feast of the Sacrifice, as an official public holiday from 2010 onward. It is the first time a non-Christian religious festival is officially celebrated in Spain since the Reconquista.[48][49]

Geography

Map of Melilla

Melilla is located in the northwest of the African continent, next to the Alboran Sea and across the sea from the Spanish provinces of Granada and Almería. The city layout is arranged in a wide semicircle around the beach and the Port of Melilla, on the eastern side of the peninsula of Cape Tres Forcas, at the foot of Mount Gurugú and the mouth of the Río de Oro, 1-meter (3 ft) above sea level. The urban nucleus was originally a fortress, Melilla la Vieja, built on a peninsular mound about 30 m (100 ft) in height.

The Moroccan settlement of Beni Ansar lies immediately south of Melilla. The nearest Moroccan city is Nador, and the ports of Melilla and Nador are both within the same bay; nearby is the Bou Areg Lagoon[50]

Political status

Juan José Imbroda, current Mayor-President of Melilla

Local administration

Melilla has held local elections for its 25-seat legislature every four years since 1979. Since its Statute of Autonomy in 1995, the legislature has been called the Assembly and its leader the Mayor-President. In the most recent election in 2011, the People's Party (PP) won 15 seats, maintaining the role of Mayor-President for Juan José Imbroda, who has held the office since 2000. A regional splinter of the PP, the PPL, won 2 seats and governs in coalition. Opposition consists of the regionalist and leftist Coalition for Melilla (CPM, 6 seats) and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE, 2 seats).[51]

Subdivisions

Melilla is subdivided into eight districts (distritos), which are further subdivided into neighborhoods (barrios):

  • 1º
    • Barrio de Medina Sidonia.
    • Barrio del General Larrea.
    • Barrio de Ataque Seco.
  • 2º
    • Barrio Héroes de España.
    • Barrio del General Gómez Jordana.
    • Barrio Príncipe de Asturias.
  • 3º
    • Barrio del Carmen.
  • 4º
    • Barrio Polígono Residencial La Paz.
    • Barrio Hebreo-Tiro Nacional.
  • 5º
    • Barrio de Cristóbal Colón.
    • Barrio de Cabrerizas.
    • Barrio de Batería Jota.
    • Barrio de Hernán Cortes y Las Palmeras.
    • Barrio de Reina Regente.
  • 6º
    • Barrio de Concepción Arenal.
    • Barrio Isaac Peral (Tesorillo).
  • 7º
    • Barrio del General Real.
    • Polígono Industrial SEPES.
    • Polígono Industrial Las Margaritas.
    • Parque Empresarial La Frontera.
  • 8º
    • Barrio de la Libertad.
    • Barrio del Hipódromo.
    • Barrio de Alfonso XIII.
    • Barrio Industrial.
    • Barrio Virgen de la Victoria.
    • Barrio de la Constitución.
    • Barrio de los Pinares.
    • Barrio de la Cañada de Hidum

Dispute with Morocco

See also: Greater Morocco

The government of Morocco has requested from Spain the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla, of Perejil Island, and of some other small territories. The Spanish position is that both Ceuta and Melilla are integral parts of the Spanish state, and have been since the 15th century. Melilla has been under Spanish rule for longer than cities in northern Spain such as Pamplona or Tudela and was conquered roughly in the same period as the last Muslim cities of Southern Spain such as Granada, Malaga, Ronda or Almería. Morocco denies these claims and maintains that the Spanish presence on or near its coast is a remnant of the colonial past which should be ended. The United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories does not include these Spanish territories.[52]

Climate

Melilla has a warm mediterranean climate influenced by its proximity to the sea, rendering much cooler summers and more precipitation than inland areas deeper into Africa. The climate in general has a lot in common with the type being found in southern coastal Spain on the European mainland with relatively small temperature differences between seasons.

Climate data for Melilla 47 m (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 25.6
(78.1) 		34.2
(93.6) 		29.6
(85.3) 		30.6
(87.1) 		33.0
(91.4) 		37.0
(98.6) 		41.8
(107.2) 		39.2
(102.6) 		36.0
(96.8) 		35.0
(95.0) 		32.6
(90.7) 		30.6
(87.1) 		41.8
(107.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 16.7
(62.1) 		17.0
(62.6) 		18.5
(65.3) 		20.1
(68.2) 		22.5
(72.5) 		25.8
(78.4) 		28.9
(84.0) 		29.4
(84.9) 		27.1
(80.8) 		23.7
(74.7) 		20.3
(68.5) 		17.8
(64.0) 		22.3
(72.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 13.3
(55.9) 		13.8
(56.8) 		15.2
(59.4) 		16.6
(61.9) 		19.1
(66.4) 		22.4
(72.3) 		25.3
(77.5) 		25.9
(78.6) 		23.8
(74.8) 		20.4
(68.7) 		17.0
(62.6) 		14.6
(58.3) 		18.9
(66.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 9.9
(49.8) 		10.6
(51.1) 		11.9
(53.4) 		13.2
(55.8) 		15.7
(60.3) 		19.0
(66.2) 		21.7
(71.1) 		22.4
(72.3) 		20.5
(68.9) 		17.2
(63.0) 		13.7
(56.7) 		11.2
(52.2) 		15.6
(60.1)
Record low °C (°F) 0.4
(32.7) 		2.8
(37.0) 		3.4
(38.1) 		6.0
(42.8) 		9.4
(48.9) 		12.4
(54.3) 		16.0
(60.8) 		14.6
(58.3) 		13.6
(56.5) 		9.4
(48.9) 		5.0
(41.0) 		4.0
(39.2) 		0.4
(32.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 58
(2.3) 		57
(2.2) 		44
(1.7) 		36
(1.4) 		20
(0.8) 		7
(0.3) 		1
(0.0) 		4
(0.2) 		16
(0.6) 		40
(1.6) 		57
(2.2) 		50
(2.0) 		391
(15.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 6 6 5 5 3 1 0 1 2 4 6 6 44
Average relative humidity (%) 72 74 73 69 67 67 66 69 72 75 74 73 71
Mean monthly sunshine hours 184 170 192 220 258 279 289 268 210 194 176 168 2,607
Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología[53]

Economy

The principal industry is fishing. Cross-border commerce (legal or smuggled) and Spanish and European grants and wages are the other income sources.

Melilla is regularly connected to the Iberian peninsula by air and sea traffic and is also economically connected to Morocco: most of its fruits and vegetables are imported across the border. Moroccans in the city's hinterland are attracted to it: 36,000 Moroccans cross the border daily to work, shop, or trade goods.[54] The port of Melilla offers several daily connections to Almeria and Málaga. Melilla Airport offers daily flights to Almería, Málaga and Madrid. Spanish operator Air Europa uses nearby Nador International Airport for their connections to mainland Spain.

Many people traveling between Europe and Morocco use the ferry links to Melilla, both for passengers and for freight. Because of this, the port and related companies form an important economic driver for the city.[54]

City culture and society

Old Town

Melilla's Capilla de Santiago, or James's Chapel, by the city walls, is the only genuine Gothic structure in Africa.

In the first quarter of the 20th century, Melilla became a thriving port benefitting from the recently established Protectorate of Spanish Morocco in the contiguous Rif. The new architectural style of Modernisme was expressed by a new bourgeois class. This style, frequently referred to as the Catalan version of Art Nouveau, was extremely popular in the early part of the 20th century in Spain.

The workshops inspired by the Catalan architect Enrique Nieto continued in the modernist style, even after Modernisme went out of fashion elsewhere. Accordingly, Melilla has the second most important concentration of Modernist works in Spain after Barcelona. Nieto was in charge of designing the main Synagogue, the Central Mosque and various Catholic Churches.[55]

Public Library in Plaza España

Melilla has been praised as an example of multiculturalism, being a small city in which one can find four major religions represented. However, the Christian majority of the past, constituting around 65% of the population at one point, has been shrinking, while the number of Muslims has steadily increased to its present 45% of the population due to immigration from Muslim countries. The Jewish and Hindu community has also been shrinking due to economic emigration to mainland Spain (notably Malaga and Madrid).

Jews, who had lived in Melilla for centuries, have been leaving the city in recent years (from 20% of the population before World War II to less than 5% today). Most of the Jewish population has left to Israel and Venezuela. There is a small, autonomous, and commercially important Hindu community present in Melilla, as well, which numbers about 100 members today.[56]

The amateur radio call sign used for both cities is EA9.[57]

Immigration

The Melilla border fence aims to stop illegal immigration into Spain.

Melilla has been a popular destination for refugees and people leaving countries with poor economies in order to enter the European Union. The border is secured by the Melilla border fence, a six-meter-tall double fence with watch towers, yet refugees frequently manage to cross it, avoiding the attempts by Spanish police to take them back to their home countries.[58] Detection wires, tear gas dispensers, radar, and day/night vision cameras are planned to increase security and prevent illegal immigration. In February 2014, over 200 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa scaled a security fence to get into the Melilla migrant reception center. The reception center, built for 480 migrants, was already overcrowded with 1,300 people.[59]

Transportation

ATR 72-600 Air Nostrum
Buque Naviera Armas

Melilla Airport is serviced by Air Nostrum, flying to the Spanish cities of Málaga, Madrid, Barcelona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Granada, Badajoz, Sevilla and Almería. In April 2013, a local enterprise set up Melilla Airlines, flying from the city to Málaga.[60] The city is linked to Málaga, Almería and Motril by ferry.

Three roads connect Melilla and Morocco but require clearance through border checkpoints.

Sport

Kitesurfing at Melilla beach

Melilla is a surfing destination.[61] The city's football club, UD Melilla, play in the third tier of Spanish football, the Segunda División B. The club was founded in 1943 and since 1945 have played at the 12,000-seater Estadio Municipal Álvarez Claro. Until the other club was dissolved in 2012, UD Melilla played the Ceuta-Melilla derby against AD Ceuta. The clubs travelled to each other via the Spanish mainland to avoid entering Morocco.[62] The second-highest ranked club in the city are Casino del Real CF of the fourth-tier Tercera División. Football in the exclave is administered by the Melilla Football Federation.

Twin towns and sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Spain

Melilla is twinned with:[citation needed]


See also

Notes

References

  • Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  1. ^ a b "Decision Spain >> Resources >> Municipalities without testimony >> Ceuta + Melilla". Old.e-decision.org. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  2. ^ Ceuta. Oxford Dictionaries.
  3. ^ https://www.um.es/tonosdigital/znum12/secciones/Estudios%20U-CEUTA.htm
  4. ^ Fernández García, Alicia (2016). "Nacionalismo y representaciones lingüísticas en Ceuta y en Melilla". Revista de Filología Románica. 33 (1). Madrid: Universidad Complutense de Madrid: 23–46. doi:10.5209/RFRM.55230. ISSN 0212-999X.
  5. ^ a b c Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, illustrated by numerous engravings on wood. William Smith, LLD (London:Walton and Maberly, Upper Gower Street and Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row; John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1854), Abyla [1])
  6. ^ A Latin Dictionary. Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by. Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and. Charles Short, LL.D. (Oxford:Clarendon Press, 1879), "Abyla" [2]
  7. ^ Roman basilica article, with related Video
  8. ^ Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb; Johannes Hendrik Kramers; Bernard Lewis; Charles Pellat; Joseph Schacht (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Brill. p. 690. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  9. ^ Griffin, H (2010). Ceuta Mini Guide. Mirage. ISBN 978-0-9543335-3-9.
  10. ^ "History of Ceuta". Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  11. ^ "Franco monument now part of a rubbish dump in Ceuta". Archived from the original on 7 December 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Resistir en el monte del Renegado · ELPAÍS.com". Elpais.com. 22 March 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  13. ^ "Ceuta y Melilla son España, dice Juan Carlos I; Sebta y Melilia son nuestras, responde Mohamed VI". Blogs.periodistadigital.com. 22 February 1999. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  14. ^ "Muslim Holiday in Ceuta and Melilla". Spainforvisitors.com. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  15. ^ "Public Holidays and Bank Holidays for Spain". Qppstudio.net. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  16. ^ "Diocese of Ceuta". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  17. ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia: Tingis". Newadvent.org. 1 July 1912. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  18. ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia: Cadiz". Newadvent.org. 1 November 1908. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  19. ^ The Spanish Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]: A Historical Encyclopedia. Vol. I. ABC-CLIO. 25 July 2016. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-61069-422-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |editors= ignored (|editor= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "Ceuta, Spain Climate Summary". Weatherbase. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  21. ^ a b "Standard climate values for Ceuta". Aemet.es. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  22. ^ "This Trend Might Actually Hurt You". Weather.com. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  23. ^ "Ceuta, Spain Weather Averages | Monthly Average High and Low Temperature | Average Precipitation and Rainfall days". World Weather Online. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  24. ^ "Valores climatológicos normales: Ceuta - Agencia Estatal de Meteorología - AEMET. Gobierno de España" (in Spanish). Aemet.es. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  25. ^ "Ceuta: Ceuta - Valores extremos absolutos - Selector - Agencia Estatal de Meteorología - AEMET. Gobierno de España" (in Spanish). Aemet.es. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  26. ^ "Ley Orgánica 1/1995, de 13 de marzo, Estatuto de Autonomía de Ceuta". Noticias.juridicas.com. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  27. ^ "Resultados Electorales en Ceuta: Elecciones Municipales 2011 en EL PAÍS". Resultados.elpais.com. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  28. ^ http://www.congreso.es/portal/page/portal/Congreso/Congreso/Diputados/DipCircuns/ComAutCeu?_piref73_1333447_73_1333444_1333444.next_page=/wc/fichaDiputado&idDiputado=196
  29. ^ "elpueblodeceuta.es". elpueblodeceuta.es. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ http://www.planetware.com/i/map/MAR/ceuta-map.jpg
  31. ^ "Códigos postales de Ceuta en Ceuta". Codigo-postal.info. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  32. ^ Gold, Peter (2000). Europe or Africa? A contemporary study of the Spanish North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. Liverpool University Press. pp. XII–XIII. ISBN 0-85323-985-1.
  33. ^ * François Papet-Périn, "La mer d'Alboran ou Le contentieux territorial hispano-marocain sur les deux bornes européennes de Ceuta et Melilla". Tome 1, 794 p., tome 2, 308 p., thèse de doctorat d'histoire contemporaine soutenue en 2012 à Paris 1-Sorbonne sous la direction de Pierre Vermeren.
  34. ^ a b "Economic Data of Ceuta, de ceutna digital". Ceuta.es. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  35. ^ pp. 6–7, IBRU, Boundary and Territory Briefing. Ceuta and the Spanish Sovereign Territories: Spanish and Moroccan. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  36. ^ Roa, J. M. (2006). "Scholastic achievement and the diglossic situation in a sample of primary-school students in Ceuta". Revista Electrónica de Investigación Educativa. 8 (1).
  37. ^ Interactivo: Creencias y prácticas religiosas en España
  38. ^ Walter E. Kaegi (4 November 2010). Muslim Expansion and Byzantine Collapse in North Africa. Cambridge University Press. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-521-19677-2.
  39. ^ A Cyclopædia of Biblical Literature. Vol. 2. John Kitto, William Lindsay Alexander. 1864. p. 350.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  40. ^ Christian Ceuta
  41. ^ "Hundreds of migrants storm fence to reach Spanish enclave of Ceuta". BBC.
  42. ^ Decision Spain
  43. ^ a b Sophrone Pétridès, "Rusaddir" in Catholic Encyclopedia (New York 1912)
  44. ^ Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 960
  45. ^ Ayuntamientos de España, Ayuntamiento.es, retrieved 7 March 2012
  46. ^ Rezette, p. 41
  47. ^ Mohamed VI "condena" y "denuncia" la visita "lamentable" de los Reyes de España a Ceuta y Melilla, Elpais.com, 6 November 2007, retrieved 7 March 2012
  48. ^ Muslim Holiday in Ceuta and Melilla, Spainforvisitors.com, retrieved 7 March 2012
  49. ^ Public Holidays and Bank Holidays for Spain, Qppstudio.net, retrieved 7 March 2012
  50. ^ World Port Source about Port Nador, retrieved 10 June 2012
  51. ^ "Resultados Electorales en Melilla: Elecciones Municipales 2011 en EL PAÍS". Resultados.elpais.com. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  52. ^ * François Papet-Périn, "La mer d'Alboran ou Le contentieux territorial hispano-marocain sur les deux bornes européennes de Ceuta et Melilla". Tome 1, 794 p., tome 2, 308 p., thèse de doctorat d'histoire contemporaine soutenue en 2012 à Paris 1-Sorbonne sous la direction de Pierre Vermeren..
  53. ^ "Valores climatológicos normales (1981–2010). Melilla". Agencia Estatal de Meteorología. Retrieved 1 May 2017. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 45 (help)
  54. ^ a b English translation of Volkskrant article: Melilla North-Africa's European dream, 5 August 2010, visited 3 June 2012
  55. ^ "Melilla Modernista". Melilla Turismo. Retrieved 25 March 2013. Nieto was in charge of designing the main Synagogue, the Central Mosque and various Catholic churches
  56. ^ "Melilla: Where Catalan "Modernisme" Meets North Africa". Huffington Post. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  57. ^ Amateur Radio Prefixes, Ac6v.com, retrieved 7 March 2012
  58. ^ "BBC News - Hundreds breach Spain enclave border". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  59. ^ "African migrants storm into Spanish enclave of Melilla". BBC. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  60. ^ "Una nueva compañía aérea comunica Melilla con Málaga tras la marcha de Helitt – Transporte aéreo – Noticias, última hora, vídeos y fotos de Transporte aéreo en lainformacion.com". Noticias.lainformacion.com. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  61. ^ "Melilla - Weather Stations". Magicseaweed.com. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  62. ^ Hawkey, Ian (2009). Feet of the chameleon : the story of African football. London: Portico. ISBN 978-1-906032-71-5.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ceuta and Melilla.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ceuta and Melilla.

See also

Notes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ceuta and Melilla.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ceuta and Melilla.

Notes

References

Attribution:

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ceuta.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ceuta.


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ceuta_and_Melilla&oldid=780845504"