Morocco claims Ceuta, along with the Spanish autonomous city of Melilla and a number of Mediterranean islands.
Ceuta (Arabic Sebta), the African port nearest to Europe, situated at the eastern entrance to the Straits of Gibraltar, is an enclave under Spanish sovereignty (plaza de soberanía) on the Moroccan coast, 75km/47mi east of Tangier and 38km/24mi north of Tetuan. It has an area of only 19.4 sq.km/7.5sq.mi Also under Spanish sovereignty is the peninsula of El Hacho, which extends 8km/5mi northeast into the Mediterranean, flanked by long beaches and terminating in Punta Almina (lighthouse). The old town of Ceuta is built on the isthmus, only 350m/380yd across, leading to the point. The town and the peninsula form part of the Spanish province of Cádiz. There are passport and customs controls on the frontier with Morocco. Some 85% of the inhabitants are Spanish citizens; only 8% are Muslims. Ceuta has the air of an Andalusian town and shows very little North African influence. It consists of two parts: the walled old town, with a citadel (17th-18th century), and the new town, laid out on a regular grid plan, with taller buildings. The development of the new town began only in 1912, when northern Morocco became a Spanish protectorate and Ceuta acquired a hinterland which it had not previously possessed and enjoyed a great economic boom. After Morocco became independent in 1956 the town went into a decline and the population fell from 120,000 to 65,000. In recent years, thanks to the development of tourism and the popularity of excursions from Spain, there has been a slight rise in population. The port is still of importance as a fishing center, with fish processing industries and small shipyards, and a ferry port. In spite of tax concessions and its status as a free port the town has lost much of its industry and has long been overshadowed by Tangier. With its strategic situation, however, Ceuta is still an important military town.
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