Ceuta is an
autonomous city of
Spain located on the
North African side of the
Strait of Gibraltar, on the
Mediterranean, which separates it from the Spanish mainland. The area of Ceuta is approximately .
Ceuta is dominated by a hill called
Monte Hacho, on which there is a fort used by the
Spanish army. Monte Hacho is one of the possible locations for the southern of the
Pillars of Hercules of Greek legend, the other possibility being
Jebel Musa.
The city, together with the other autonomous city of
Melilla and a
number of Mediterranean islands, is claimed by
Morocco.
History
Moat of the Royal Wall of Ceuta.
A beach in Ceuta
Ceuta's strategic location has made it the crucial waypoint of many cultures' trade and military ventures — beginning with the
Carthaginians in the 5th century BC, who called the city
Abyla. It was not until the
Romans took control in about A.D. 42 that the port city (then named
Septem) assumed an almost exclusive military purpose. Approximately 400 years later, the
Vandals ousted the Romans from control, and later it fell to the
Visigoths of
Hispania and the
Byzantines.
In 710, as
Muslim armies approached the city, its Byzantine governor
Julian, count of Ceuta, (also described as "king of the
Ghomara") changed sides and urged them to invade the
Iberian Peninsula. Under the leadership of
Berber general
Tariq ibn Ziyad, Ceuta was used as a prime
staging ground for an assault on
Visigothic Hispania soon after.
After Julian's death the Arabs took direct control of the city; this was resented by the surrounding indigenous Berber tribes, who destroyed it in a
Kharijite rebellion led by
Maysara al-Haqir in 740. It lay in waste until refounded in the 9th century by
Majakas, chief of the
Majkasa Berber tribe, who started the short-lived dynasty of the
Banu Isam. Under his great-grandson they briefly paid allegiance to the
Idrisids. The dynasty finally ended when he abdicated in favour of the
Umayyad Caliph of Cordoba Abd ar-Rahman III in 931, so the city returned to the
Hispanic Andalusian rule like
Melilla in 927 and
Tanger in 951.
Chaos ensued with the fall of the Umayyad caliphate in 1031, but eventually Ceuta, together with the rest of Muslim Spain, was taken over by the
Almoravids in 1084. The Almoravids were succeeded by the
Almohads who conquered Ceuta in 1147 ruling it, apart from
Ibn Hud's rebellion of 1232, until the
Hafsids of Tunisia took it in 1242. The Hafsids' influence in the west rapidly waned, and the city expelled them in 1249. After this, it went through a period of political instability during which the city was disputed between the
Kingdom of Fez and the
Kingdom of Granada.
The City of Ceuta
In 1387, Ceuta was conquered for the last time by the
Kingdom of Fez, with
Aragonese help.
In 1415, during the
Battle of Ceuta, the city was occupied by the
Portuguese during the reign of
John I of Portugal. After the King of Spain
seized the Portuguese throne in 1580, the majority of the population of Ceuta became of Spanish origin. Thus 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.
The formal allegiance of Ceuta to Spain was recognized by the
Treaty of Lisbon by which, on January 1, 1668, King
Afonso VI of Portugal formally ceded Ceuta to
Carlos II of Spain. However, the originally 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's background is also the same as that of the flag of
Lisbon.
When Spain recognized the independence of
Spanish Morocco in 1956, Ceuta and the other
plazas de soberanía remained under Spanish rule as they were considered integral parts of the Spanish state. Culturally, modern Ceuta is considered part of the Spanish region of
Andalusia. Indeed, it was until recently attached to the province of
Cádiz — the Spanish coast being only 20 km away. It is a cosmopolitan city, with a large ethnic
Berber Muslim minority as well as
Sephardic Jewish and
Hindu minorities.
On November 5, 2007, King
Juan Carlos I visited the city, sparking great enthusiasm from the local population and protests from the Moroccan government. It was the first time a Spanish head of state had visited Ceuta in 80 years.
Administration
Map of Ceuta (Perejil islet is just off the coast, to the left of the image)
Ceuta is known officially in
Spanish as
Ciudad Autónoma de Ceuta (lit., Autonomous City of Ceuta), with a rank between a standard Spanish city and an
autonomous community. Before the
Statute of Autonomy, Ceuta was part of
Cádiz province.
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 European Monetary System. As of 2006, its population was 75,861.
Ceuta does not have an airport. There is, however, a regular helicopter service from
Ceuta Heliport linking it to
Málaga Airport. All other access to and from Ceuta is by ferry or land.
Political status
Since 1995, Ceuta is, along with Melilla, one of the two
autonomous cities in Spain.
The government of
Morocco has repeatedly called for Spain to transfer the sovereignty of Ceuta and
Melilla, along with uninhabited islets such as the islands of Alhuceima, Velez and the Perejil islet
Isla Perejil, drawing comparisons with Spain's territorial claim to
Gibraltar. In both cases, the national governments and local populations of the disputed territories reject these claims by a large majority. The Spanish position states that both Ceuta and Melilla are integral parts of the Spanish state, and have been since the 15th century, whereas Gibraltar, being a
British Overseas Territory, is not and never has been part of the
United Kingdom. However, Morocco denies these claims and maintains that the Spanish presence in Ceuta and the other presidios on its coast is a remnant of the colonial past which should be ended.
Ceuta is subdivided into 63
barriadas (neighborhoods), such as Barriada de Berizu, Barriada de P. Alfonso, Barriada del Sarchal, and El Hacho.
Climate
Ecclesiastical history
By the
Concordat of 1851 the
Diocese of Ceuta, a suffragan of the Andalusian
archbishopric of Seville, was suppressed and incorporated into the
Diocese of Cádiz y Ceuta, whose bishop usually was the
apostolic administrator of Ceuta. The agreement, however, was not implemented until 1879.
Economy
Ceuta City
Location of Ceuta, showing the distance to Spain and Gibraltar.
The official currency of Ceuta is the
euro. It is part of a special low tax zone in Spain.
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 and smuggling centers. Today the economy of the city depends heavily on its port (now in expansion) and its industrial and retail centres.
Ceuta Heliport is now used to connect the city to mainland Spain by air.
Along with Melilla, Ceuta is the main link to and from the
plazas de soberanía, especially the
Islas Chafarinas, occupied by Spain during the 19th century.
Transport
The city receives high numbers of ferries each day, most from Spain. Occasionally, cruise ships stop by. Most all dock within a easy walk of downtown shops and restaurants.
Ceuta is a tiny city and the best way to travel may be by bicycle or on foot. There are taxis available. There is a bus service with modern and spacious buses running around the city with stops at the border with Morocco .
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Churches
- Parroquia De Santa Maria De Los Remedios
- Comunidad Israelita De Ceuta
- Parroquia De San Francisco
- Parroquia Santa Maria De Africa — Casa Parroquial
- Vicaria General Del Obispado De Ceuta
- Parroquia Santa Teresa De Jesus De Ceuta
Schools
- Centro de Educación Infantil y Primaria Andrés Manjón
- Centro de Educación Infantil y Primaria Lope De Vega
- Centro de Educación Infantil Globitos
- Instituto de Educación Secundaria Puertas del Campo
- Colegio Sta. María Micaela
- Instituto de Educación Secundaria Almina
- Centro de Educación Infantil y Primaria Maestro José Acosta
- Centro de Educación Infantil y Primaria Santiago Ramón y Cajal
See also
