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Coordinates:35°53′18″N5°18′56″W/ 35.88833°N 5.31556°W/35.88833; -5.31556
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"Sabtah" redirects here. For the biblical figure, seeSabtah (biblical figure).For other uses, seeCeuta (disambiguation).

Ceuta
سَبْتَة
Autonomous city
View of Ceuta
Royal Walls
Palace of theAssembly
Flag of Ceuta
Flag
Coat of arms of Ceuta
Coat of arms
Anthem:Ceuta, mi ciudad querida[es]
"Ceuta, my beloved city"
Location of Ceuta in Spain
Location of Ceuta in Spain
Coordinates:35°53′18″N5°18′56″W/ 35.88833°N 5.31556°W/35.88833; -5.31556
CountrySpain
First settled1st millenniumBC
End of Muslim rule14 August 1415
Ceded to Spain/Iberian Union4 August 1578
Autonomy status14 March 1995
Founded byCarthaginians
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)
• Rank18th
Elevation
10 m (30 ft)
Highest elevation
349 m (1,145 ft)
Population
(2018)[1]
• Total85,144
• Rank19th
• Density4,600/km2(12,000/sq mi)
• Rank2nd
DemonymsCeutan
ceutí(es)
caballa( "Atlantic mackerel",colloquial)[2][3]
GDP
[4]
• Total€1.907 billion (2022)
• Per capita€23,073 (2022)
Time zoneUTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+02:00(CEST)
ISO 3166 code
ES-CE
Postal code
51001–51005
Official languageSpanish
ParliamentAssembly of Ceuta
Congress1 deputy (out of 350)
Senate2 senators (out of 264)
CurrencyEuro(€) (EUR)
Websitewww.Ceuta.es

Ceuta(UK:/ˈsjuːtə/,US:/ˈseɪuːtə/,[5][6]Spanish:[ˈθewta,ˈsewta]ⓘ;Arabic:سَبْتَة,romanized:Sabtah) is anautonomous cityofSpainon theNorth Africancoast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between theMediterranean Seaand theAtlantic Ocean.Ceuta is one of thespecial member state territories of the European Union,and it is one of severalSpanish territories in Africa,which includeMelillaand theCanary Islands.It was a regularmunicipalitybelonging to theprovince of Cádizprior to the passing of itsStatute of Autonomyin March 1995,[7]as provided by the Spanish Constitution, henceforth becoming an autonomous city.

Ceuta, likeMelillaand theCanary Islands,was classified as afree portbefore Spain joined theEuropean Union.[8]Its population is predominantlyChristianandMuslim,with a small minority ofSephardic JewsandSindhi Hindus,from Pakistan.[9]

Spanishis the official language. Spanish andDarija Arabicare the two main spoken languages.

Names

[edit]

The nameAbylahas been said to have been aPunicname ( "Lofty Mountain"[10]or "Mountain ofGod") forJebel Musa,[11]the southernPillar of Hercules.[12]The name of the mountain was in factHabenna(Punic:𐤀𐤁‬𐤍‬,ʾbn,"Stone" or "Stele") orʾAbin-ḥīq(𐤀𐤁‬𐤍𐤇‬𐤒,ʾbnḥq,"Rock of the Bay" ), about the nearbyBay of Benzú.[13]The name washellenizedvariously asÁpini(Greek:Ἄπινι),[13]Abýla(Ἀβύλα),Abýlē(Ἀβύλη),Ablýx(Ἀβλύξ), andAbilē Stḗlē(Ἀβίλη Στήλη,"Pillar of Abyla" )[12]and inLatinasAbyla Mons( "Mount Abyla" ) orAbyla Columna( "the Pillar of Abyla" ).

The settlement below Jebel Musa was later renamed for the seven hills around the site, collectively referred to as the "Seven Brothers"[14](Greek:Ἑπτάδελφοι,translit.Heptádelphoi;[15]Latin:Septem Fratres).[16]In particular, the Roman stronghold at the site took the name "Fort at the Seven Brothers" (Castellum ad Septem Fratres).[12]This was gradually shortened to Septem[17](ΣέπτονSépton) or, occasionally,Septum[18]orSepta.[19]These clipped forms continued asBerberSebtaandArabicSabtan[14]orSabtah(سبتة‎), which themselves becameCeutainPortuguese(pronounced[ˈseu̯tɐ]) andSpanish(locallypronounced[ˈseu̯ta]).

History

[edit]

Ancient

[edit]
Phoenician archeological site, dated to the 7th centuryBC, next to theCathedral of Ceuta

Controlling access between theAtlantic Oceanand theMediterranean Sea,theStrait of Gibraltaris an important military and commercialchokepoint.ThePhoeniciansrealized the extremely narrow isthmus joining thePeninsula of Alminato the African mainland made Ceuta eminently defensible and established an outpost there early in the 1st millenniumBC. TheGreek geographersrecord it by variations ofAbyla,the ancient name of nearbyJebel Musa.BesideCalpe,the otherPillar of Herculesnow known as theRock of Gibraltar,the Phoenicians establishedKartat what is nowSan Roque,Spain.Other good anchorages nearby becamePhoenicianand thenCarthaginianports at what are nowTangiersandCádiz.

AfterCarthage'sdestructionin thePunic Wars,most ofnorthwest Africawas left to theRomanclient statesofNumidiaand—around Abyla—Mauretania.Punic culturecontinued to thrive in what the Romans knew as "Septem". After theBattle of Thapsusin 46 BC,Caesarand his heirs began annexing North Africa directly asRoman provincesbut, as late asAugustus,most of Septem'sBerberresidents continued to speak and write inPunic.

Caligulaassassinated the Mauretanian kingPtolemyin AD40 and seized his kingdom, whichClaudiusorganized in AD 42, placing Septem in theprovinceofTingitanaand raising it to the level of acolony.It subsequently wasRomanizedand thrived into the late 3rd century, trading heavily withRoman Spainand becoming well known for itssalted fish.Roadsconnected it overland withTingis(Tangiers) andVolubilis.UnderTheodosius Iin the late 4th century, Septem still had 10,000 inhabitants, nearly allChristiancitizensspeakingAfrican Romance,a local dialect of Latin.[20]

Medieval

[edit]
TheArab Baths of Ceuta,built between the 11th and 13th centuries
TheMarinid Walls,built byAbu Sa'id Uthman IIin 1328

Vandals,probably invited byCount Bonifaceas protection against theempress dowager,crossed the strait near Tingis around 425 and swiftly overranRoman North Africa.Their king,Gaiseric,focused his attention on the rich lands aroundCarthage;although the Romans eventually accepted his conquests and he continued to raid them anyway, he soon lost control of Tingis and Septem in a series of Berber revolts. WhenJustiniandecided toreconquer the Vandal lands,his victorious generalBelisariuscontinued along the coast, making Septem a westernmost outpost of theByzantine Empirearound 533. Unlike the former ancient Roman administration, however, Eastern Rome did not push far into thehinterlandand made the more defensible Septem their regional capital in place of Tingis.

Epidemics,less capable successors and overstretched supply lines forced a retrenchment and left Septem isolated. It is likely that itscount(comes) was obliged to pay homage to theVisigoth Kingdomin Spain in the early 7th century. There are no reliable contemporary accounts of the end of theIslamic conquest of the Maghrebaround 710. Instead, the rapidMuslim conquest of SpainproducedromancesconcerningCount Julianof Septem and his betrayal of Christendom in revenge for the dishonor that befell his daughter atKing Roderick's court. Allegedly with Julian's encouragement and instructions, the Berber convert and freedmanTariq ibn Ziyadtook his garrison from Tangiers across the strait and overran the Spanish so swiftly that both he and his masterMusa bin Nusayrfell afoul ofa jealous caliph,who stripped them of their wealth and titles.

After the death of Julian, sometimes also described as a king of theGhomara Berbers,Berber converts to Islam took direct control of what they called Sebta. It was then destroyed duringtheir great revoltagainst theUmayyad Caliphatearound 740. Sebta subsequently remained a small village of Muslims and Christians surrounded by ruins until its resettlement in the 9th century by Mâjakas, chief of the Majkasa Berber tribe, who started the short-livedBanu Isamdynasty.[21]His great-grandson briefly allied his tribe with theIdrisids,but Banu Isam rule ended in 931[22]when he abdicated in favor ofAbd ar-Rahman III,the Umayyad ruler ofCórdoba, Spain.

Chaos ensued with the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031. Following this, Ceuta and Muslim Iberia were controlled by successive North African dynasties. Starting in 1084, theAlmoravidBerbers ruled the region until 1147, when theAlmohadsconquered the land. Apart fromIbn Hud's rebellion in 1232, they ruled until the TunisianHafsidsestablished 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 theMarinidsandGranadaas well as autonomous rule under the nativeBanu al-Azafi.The Fez finally conquered the region in 1387, with assistance fromAragon.

Portuguese

[edit]
Representation ofPrince Henry the Navigatorduring theConquest of Ceutainazulejosat theSão Bento railway station
1572 depiction of Ceuta
TheRoyal Walls of Ceuta,built from 962 to the 18th century, and navigable moats

On the morning of 21 August 1415, KingJohn I of Portugalled his sons and their assembled forces in a surprise assault that would come to be known as theConquest of Ceuta.The battle was almost anticlimactic, because the 45,000 men who traveled on 200 Portuguese ships caught the defenders of Ceuta off guard and suffered only eight casualties. By nightfall the town was captured. On the morning of 22 August, Ceuta was in Portuguese hands.Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avrancheswas asked to hoist what was to become theflag of Ceuta,which is identical to theflag of Lisbon,but in which the coat of arms derived from that of theKingdom of Portugalwas added to the center; the original Portuguese flag andcoat of armsof Ceuta remained unchanged, and the modern-day Ceuta flag features the configuration of thePortuguese shield.

John's sonHenry the Navigatordistinguished himself in the battle, being wounded during the conquest. The looting of the city proved to be less profitable than expected for John I, so he decided to keep the city to pursue further enterprises in the area.[23]

From 1415 to 1437,Pedro de Menesesbecame the first governor of Ceuta.

TheMarinid Sultanatestarted the1419 siegebut was defeated by the first governor of Ceuta before reinforcements arrived in the form ofJohn, Constable of Portugaland his brotherHenry the Navigator,who were sent with troops to defend Ceuta.

UnderKing John I's son,Duarte,the colony at Ceuta rapidly became a drain on the Portuguese treasury.Trans-Saharan tradejourneyed instead toTangier.It was soon realized that without the city of Tangier, possession of Ceuta was worthless. In 1437,Duarte's brothersHenry the NavigatorandFernando, the Saint Princepersuaded him to launch an attack on theMarinidsultanate. The resultingBattle of Tangier (1437),led by Henry, was a debacle. In the resulting treaty, Henry promised to deliver Ceuta back to the Marinids in return for allowing the Portuguese army to depart unmolested, which he reneged on.

Possession of Ceuta indirectly led to furtherPortuguese expansion.The main area of Portuguese expansion, at this time, was the coast of theMaghreb,where there was grain, cattle, sugar, and textiles, as well as fish, hides, wax, and honey.[24]

Ceuta had to endure alone for 43 years, until the position of the city was consolidated with the taking ofKsar es-Seghir(1458),Arzilaand Tangier (1471) by the Portuguese.

The city was recognized as a Portuguese possession by theTreaty of Alcáçovas(1479) and by theTreaty of Tordesillas(1494).

In the 1540s the Portuguese began building theRoyal Walls of Ceutaas they are today includingbastions,a navigable moat and a drawbridge. Some of these bastions are still standing, like the bastions of Coraza Alta, Bandera and Mallorquines.[25]

Luís de Camõeslived in Ceuta between 1549 and 1551, losing his right eye in battle, which influenced his work of poetryOs Lusíadas.

Iberian Union

[edit]

In 1578 KingSebastian of Portugaldied at theBattle of Alcácer Quibir(known as the Battle of Three Kings) in what is today northern Morocco, without descendants, triggering the1580 Portuguese succession crisis.His granduncle, the elderlyCardinal Henry,succeeded him as King, but Henry also had no descendants, having takenholy orders.When the cardinal-king died two years after Sebastian's death, three grandchildren of KingManuel I of Portugalclaimed the throne:

Philip prevailed and was crowned KingPhilip I of Portugalin 1581, uniting the two crowns and overseas empires in what is historically referred to as theIberian Union.[26]

During the Iberian Union, 1580 to 1640, Ceuta attracted many settlers of Spanish origin[27]and became the only city of thePortuguese Empirethat sided with Spain when Portugal regained its independence in thePortuguese Restoration Warof 1640.

Spanish

[edit]
Fort of the Desnarigado, built in the 19th century, houses a museum.
EclecticHouse of the Dragons,built in 1905
A street in Ceuta,c. 1905–1910

On 1 January 1668, KingAfonso VI of Portugalrecognised the formal allegiance of Ceuta to Spain and ceded Ceuta to KingCarlos II of Spainby theTreaty of Lisbon.[28]

The city was attacked by Moroccan forces underMoulay Ismailduring theSiege of Ceuta (1694–1727).During the longest siege in history, the city underwent changes leading to the loss of its Portuguese character.[clarification needed]While most of the military operations took place around theRoyal Walls of Ceuta,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.

During theNapoleonic Wars (1803–1815),Spain allowed Britain to occupy Ceuta. Occupation began in 1810, with Ceuta being returned at the conclusion of the wars.[29]Disagreements regarding the border of Ceuta resulted in theHispano-Moroccan War (1859–60),which ended at theBattle of Tetuán.

In July 1936, GeneralFrancisco Francotook command of theSpanish Army of Africaand rebelled against the Spanish republican government; his military uprising led to theSpanish Civil Warof 1936–1939. Franco transported troops to mainland Spain in an airlift using transport aircraft supplied byGermanyandItaly.Ceuta became one of the first battlegrounds of the uprising: General Franco's rebel nationalist forces seized Ceuta, while at the same time the city came under fire from the air and sea forces of the official republican government.[30]

TheLlano Amarillomonument was erected to honorFrancisco Franco;it was inaugurated on 13 July 1940. The tall obelisk has since been abandoned, but the shield symbols of theFalangeand Imperial Eagle remain visible.[31]

Following the 1947Partition of India,a substantial number ofSindhi Hindusfrom current-day Pakistan settled in Ceuta, adding to a small Hindu community that had existed in Ceuta since 1893, connected to Gibraltar's.[32]

When Spain recognized the independence ofSpanish Moroccoin 1956, Ceuta and the otherplazas de soberaníaremained 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 ofAndalusia.It was attached to theprovince of Cádizuntil 1995, the Spanish coast being only 20 km (12.5 miles) away. It is a cosmopolitan city, with a large ethnicArab-Berber[citation needed]Muslim minority as well asSephardicJewish andHinduminorities.[33]

On 5 November 2007, KingJuan Carlos Ivisited the city, sparking great enthusiasm from the local population and protests from the Moroccan government.[34]It was the first time a Spanish head of state had visited Ceuta in 80 years.[35][better source needed]

Since 2010, Ceuta (and Melilla) have declared theMuslim holidayofEid al-Adha,or Feast of the Sacrifice, an official public holiday. It is the first time a non-Christianreligious festivalhas been officially celebrated in Spanish ruled territory since theReconquista.[36][better source needed][37]

Geography

[edit]
Map of Ceuta (thePerejil Island,part of Ceuta, is just off the coast, in the upper left of this map)
Perspective view of theStrait of Gibraltarfacing eastwards; Spain andGibraltaron the left; Morocco and Ceuta on the right. The vertical dimension is exaggerated by a factor of 3.
A highly detailed map of Ceuta

Ceuta is separated by 17 km (11 mi)[38]from theprovince of Cádizon the Spanish mainland by theStrait of Gibraltarand it shares a 6.4 km (4 mi) landborderwithM'diq-Fnideq Prefecturein theKingdom of Morocco.It has an area of 18.5 km2(7 sq mi; 4,571 acres). It is dominated by Monte Anyera, a hill along its western frontier with Morocco, which is guarded by a Spanishmilitaryfort.Monte Hachoon thePeninsula of Alminaoverlooking theportis one of the possible locations of the southern pillar of thePillars of Herculesof Greek legend (the other possibility beingJebel Musa).[39]

Important Bird Area

[edit]

The Ceuta Peninsula has been recognised as anImportant Bird Area(IBA) byBirdLife Internationalbecause the site is part of a migratory bottleneck, or choke point, at the western end of the Mediterranean for large numbers ofraptors,storksand other birds flying between Europe and Africa. These includeEuropean honey buzzards,black kites,short-toed snake eagles,Egyptian vultures,griffon vultures,black storks,white storksandAudouin's gulls.[40]

Climate

[edit]

Ceuta has a maritime-influencedMediterranean climate,similar to nearby Spanish and Moroccan cities such asTarifa,AlgecirasorTangiers.[41]The averagediurnal temperature variationis 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.[42]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 mm (33.4 in),[42]which could be considered a humid climate if the summers were not so arid.

Climate data for Ceuta, 2003-2010
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) 15.8
(60.4) 		15.9
(60.6) 		17.4
(63.3) 		19.1
(66.4) 		21.9
(71.4) 		25.7
(78.3) 		28.9
(84.0) 		28.5
(83.3) 		25.8
(78.4) 		22.8
(73.0) 		18.8
(65.8) 		16.4
(61.5) 		21.4
(70.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 13.4
(56.1) 		13.7
(56.7) 		14.8
(58.6) 		16.4
(61.5) 		18.8
(65.8) 		22.3
(72.1) 		24.9
(76.8) 		25.0
(77.0) 		22.8
(73.0) 		20.2
(68.4) 		16.4
(61.5) 		14.3
(57.7) 		18.6
(65.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 11.0
(51.8) 		11.4
(52.5) 		12.2
(54.0) 		13.6
(56.5) 		15.7
(60.3) 		18.8
(65.8) 		20.9
(69.6) 		21.5
(70.7) 		19.8
(67.6) 		17.5
(63.5) 		14.0
(57.2) 		12.1
(53.8) 		15.7
(60.3)
Record low °C (°F) 1.3
(34.3) 		4.4
(39.9) 		7.2
(45.0) 		9.0
(48.2) 		10.5
(50.9) 		7.2
(45.0) 		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)
Averageprecipitationmm (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(≥ 1 mm) 8 9 6 6 4 1 0 0 2 7 7 10 60
Averagerelative humidity(%) 72 75 68 71 66 67 61 70 72 75 73 73 70
Source:Agencia Estatal de Meteorología[43]

Government and administration

[edit]
The Palacio de la Asamblea de Ceuta is the seat of theAssembly of Ceuta.

Since 1995, Ceuta is, along withMelilla,one of the twoautonomous citiesof Spain.[44]

Ceuta is known officially in Spanish asCiudad Autónoma de Ceuta(English:Autonomous City of Ceuta), with a rank between a standardmunicipalityand anautonomous community.Ceuta is part of the territory of theEuropean Union.The city was afree portbefore Spain joined the European Union in 1986. Now it has a low-tax system within theEconomic and Monetary Union of the European Union.

Since 1979, Ceuta has held elections to its 25-seat assembly every four years. The leader of its government was the Mayor until the Autonomy Statute provided for the new title ofMayor-President.As of 2011,thePeople's Party(PP) won 18 seats, keepingJuan Jesús Vivasas Mayor-President, which he has been since 2001. The remaining seats are held by the regionalistCaballas Coalition(4) and theSocialist Workers' Party(PSOE, 3).[45]

Owing to its small population, Ceuta elects only one member of theCongress of Deputies,the lower house of theCortes Generales(the Spanish Parliament). As of the November 2019election, this post is held by María Teresa López ofVox.[46]

Ceuta is subdivided into 63barriadas( "neighborhoods" ), such as Barriada de Berizu, Barriada de P. Alfonso, Barriada del Sarchal, and El Hacho.[47][48][49]

Ceuta maintains its own police force.

Defence and Civil Guard

[edit]

The defence of the enclave is the responsibility of theSpanish Armed Forces' General Command of Ceuta (COMGECEU).[50]TheSpanish Army's combat components of the command include:

The command also includes its headquarters battalion as well as logistics elements.[50]

In 2023, theSpanish Navyreplaced theAresa-class patrol boatP-114in the territory with theRodman-class patrol boatIsla de León.[53]

Ceuta itself is only 113 km (70 mi) distant from the main Spanish naval base atRotaon the Spanish mainland. TheSpanish Air Force'sMorón Air Baseis also within 135 km (84 mi) proximity.[citation needed]

TheCivil Guardis responsible for border security and protects both the territory'sfortified land borderas well as its maritime approaches against frequent, and sometimes significant, migrant incursions.[54]

Economy

[edit]
The Moroccan mountain ofJebel Musa,as viewed fromBenzú.It is also known as the 'Dead Woman' because of its silhouette.

The official currency of Ceuta is theeuro.It is part of a special low tax zone in Spain.[55]Ceuta is one of two Spanish port cities on the northern shore of Africa, along withMelilla.They are historically military strongholds,free ports,oil ports, and also fishing ports.[56]Today the economy of the city depends heavily on its port (now in expansion) and its industrial and retail centres.[55]Ceuta Heliportis now used to connect the city to mainland Spain by air.Lidl,DecathlonandEl Corte Ingléshave branches in Ceuta. There is also acasino. Border trade between Ceuta and Morocco is active because of advantage of tax-free status. Thousands of Moroccan women are involved in the cross-border porter trade daily, asporteadoras.TheMoroccan dirhamis used in such trade, even though prices are marked in euros.[57][58][59]

Transport

[edit]

The city'sPort of Ceutareceives high numbers of ferries each day fromAlgecirasinAndalusiain the south of Spain. The closest airport isSania Ramel Airportin Morocco.

A single road border checkpoint to the south of Ceuta near Fnideq allows for cars and pedestrians to travel between Morocco and Ceuta. An additional border crossing for pedestrians exists between Benzú andBelyounechon the northern coast. The rest of the border is closed and inaccessible.

There is a bus service throughout the city, and while it does not pass into neighbouring Morocco, it services both frontier crossings.

Hospitals

[edit]

The following hospitals are located within Ceuta:[60][61]

  • University Hospital of Ceuta, established in 2010, 252 beds[62]
  • Primary Care Emergency Services Jose Lafont
  • Ceuta Medical Centre
  • Spanish Military Hospital (500 beds in 1929, 2020 listed as a clinic)[63][64]

Demographics

[edit]
Ceuta population pyramid in 2022

As of 2018, its population was 85,144.[65] Due to its location, Ceuta is home to a mixed ethnic and religious population. The two main religious groups are Christians and Muslims. As of 2006 approximately 50% of the population was Christian and approximately 48% Muslim.[66]As of a 2018 estimate, around 67.8% of the city's population were born in Ceuta.[67]

Spanishis the primary and official language of the enclave.[68]Moroccan Arabic(Darija) is widely spoken.[69]In 2021, theCouncil of Europedemanded that Spain formally recognize the language by 2023.[70]

Religion

[edit]
Remains of the Late Roman Christian Basilica and Necropolis of Ceuta, dated to the mid-4th century AD or the beginning of the 5th century AD
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption,completed in 1726

Christianityhas been present in Ceuta continuously fromlate antiquity,as evidenced by the ruins of a basilica in downtown Ceuta[71]and accounts of themartyrdomofSt. Daniel Fasanellaand hisFranciscansin 1227 during theAlmohad Caliphate.

The town's Grand Mosque had been built over aByzantine-erachurch. In 1415, the year of the city's conquest, thePortugueseconverted the Grand Mosque intoCeuta Cathedral.The present form of the cathedral dates to refurbishments undertaken in the late 17th century, combiningbaroqueandneoclassicalelements. It wasdedicatedtoStMary of the Assumptionin 1726.

TheRoman CatholicDiocese of Ceutawas established in 1417. It incorporated the suppressedDiocese of Tangerin 1570.[72]The Diocese of Ceuta was asuffraganofLisbonuntil 1675, when it became a suffragan ofSeville.[73]In 1851, Ceuta's administration was notionally merged into theDiocese of Cádiz and Ceutaas part ofa concordatbetween Spain and theHoly See;[74]the union was not actually accomplished, however, until 1879.

SmallJewishandHinduminorities are also present in the city.[75]

2019 census[76]
Roman Catholicism
60.0%
Islam
36.7%
Non-religious
1.9%
Atheist
1.5%

Migration

[edit]
Main article:Ceuta border fence

LikeMelilla,Ceuta attracts African migrants who try to use it as an entry to Europe. As a result, the enclave is surrounded by double fences that are 6 m (20 ft) high, and hundreds of migrants congregate near the fences waiting for a chance to cross them. The fences are regularly stormed by migrants trying to claim asylum once they enter Ceuta.[77]

Education

[edit]

TheUniversity of Granadaoffers undergraduate programmes at their campus in Ceuta. Like all areas of Spain, Ceuta is also served by theNational University of Distance Education (UNED).

While primary and secondary education are generally offered in Spanish only, a growing number of schools are entering the Bilingual Education Programme.[clarification needed]

Notable people from Ceuta

[edit]

up to 1800

[edit]

since 1800

[edit]

Sport

[edit]

Twin towns and sister cities

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

Ceuta istwinnedwith:

Dispute with Morocco

[edit]
See also:Greater Morocco

TheMoroccan governmenthas repeatedly called for Spain to transfer the sovereignty of Ceuta,Melillaand theplazas de soberaníato Morocco, with Spain's refusal to do so serving as a major source of tension inMorocco–Spain relations.In Morocco, Ceuta is frequently referred to as the "occupiedSebtah ", and the Moroccan government has argued that the city, along with other Spanish territories in the region, arecolonies.[87][88]One of the major arguments used by Morocco in their attempts to acquire sovereignty over Ceuta refers to the geographical position of the city, as Ceuta is anexclavesurrounded by Moroccan territory and theMediterranean Seaand has no territorial continuity with the rest of Spain.[89]This argument was originally developed by one of the founders of the MoroccanIstiqlal Party,Alal-El Faasi, who openly advocated for Morocco to invade and occupy Ceuta and other North African territories under Spanish rule.[90]Spain, in line with the majority of nations in the rest of the world, has never recognized Morocco's claim over Ceuta. The official position of theSpanish governmentis that Ceuta is an integral part of Spain, and has been since the 16th century, centuries prior to Morocco's independence from Spain and France in 1956.[91]The majority of Ceuta's population support continued Spanish sovereignty and are opposed to Moroccan control over the territory.[92]

In 1986, Spain joinedNATO.However, Ceuta is not under NATO protection since Article 6 of theNorth Atlantic Treatylimits such coverage to Europe and North America and islands north of theTropic of Cancer.However,French Algeriawas explicitly included in the treaty upon France's entry. Legal experts have claimed that other articles of the treaty could cover Spanish territories in North Africa but this interpretation has not been tested in practice.[93]During the2022 Madrid summit,the issue of the protection of Ceuta was raised by Spain, with NATO Secretary GeneralJens Stoltenbergstating: "On which territories NATO protects and Ceuta and Melilla, NATO is there to protect all Allies against any threats. At the end of the day, it will always be a political decision to invoke Article 5, but rest assured NATO is there to protect and defend all Allies".[94]On 21 December 2020, following statements made by Moroccan Prime MinisterSaadeddine Othmanithat Ceuta is "Moroccan as theSahara",the Spanish government summoned the Moroccan ambassador, Karima Benyaich, to convey that Spain expects all its partners to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its territory in Africa and asked for an explanation for Othmani's words.[95]

See also

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References

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Notes

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Citations

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Bibliography

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toCeuta.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide forCeuta.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ceuta&oldid=1247905992#Hospitals"