"in an uninhabited area of the Sahara Desert without food or water supplies. Melilla border fence The Melilla border fence forms part of the Morocco–Spain border in the city of Melilla, one of two Spanish cities in north Africa. Constructed by Spain, its stated purpose is to stop illegal immigration and smuggling. Morocco has objected to the construction of the barrier, since it does not recognise Spanish sovereignty in Melilla. Melilla's border and its equivalent in Ceuta, also bordering Morocco, are the only two land borders between the European Union and an African country. In September 2005 some thousands of"
"in Melilla, Ceuta is attractive to migrants who try to use it as an entry to Europe. As a result the enclave is surrounded by double fences that are 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. Ceuta is twinned with: Ceuta Ceuta ( or ) is an Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa, separated by from Cadiz province on the Spanish mainland by the Strait of Gibraltar and sharing a land border with"
"subsequent constitution of Ceuta and Melilla in autonomous communities. Statute of Autonomy of Melilla The Statute of Autonomy of Melilla () is the basic institutional norm of the autonomous city of Melilla, in Spain. It is an organic law approved on 13 March 1995 and published in the Official State Gazette (""Boletín Oficial del Estado"") the following day, together with the equivalent of the city of Ceuta. It established Melilla as an autonomous city, because before it was a municipality belonging to the province of Málaga. It was the result of a 17-year process that originated from the Fifth Transitory"
"continues to encourage legal movement into the country. Zimbabwe was unconvinced, and the barrier remains a source of tension. The Ceuta border fence was erected in 1993 at the Morocco–Spain border at Ceuta, a city on the North African coast that is Spanish territory in order to block the entrance of illegal immigrants to Spain. The Melilla border fence stands at the Morocco–Spain border at Melilla, a city on the North African coast that is Spanish territory, in order to block the entrance of illegal immigrants to Spain. The Moroccan Wall is an approximately long structure, mostly a sand wall"
"are historically military strongholds and fishing ports with the status of free ports. They are outside the European VAT and customs union systems, and have a special low-tax regime. The economy of Ceuta is still centred on its port and on developing industrial and retail sectors. Melilla’s economy is dominated by fishing and by cross-border trade with Morocco. The cities have the status of autonomous cities and are each governed by a Mayor-President and an elected assembly (Council of Government). Both have left-wing regionalist parties: in the 2015 elections to the respective 25-seat Councils, the Caballas Coalition in Ceuta won"
"countries, mainly Brazil. Five people were jailed as a result. A study is 2016 estimated there were around 3,000 prostitutes working on the islands, mainly in the tourist areas and the cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas. Prostitution occurs in the Ceti (Temporary Reception Center) in Ceuta. The prostitutes are mainly Nigerian women. Local NGO ""Melilla Acoge"", which provides medical and other assistance to prostitutes, report that there are about 1,000 Moroccan prostitutes in Melilla. Some cross over the border into Melilla in the mornings and leave at midday, other cross over the border in the afternoon"
"African country. The number of undocumented migrants hoping to reach the EU via Melilla or Ceuta grew in 2014. Between January and September 2015, only 100 people out of 3700 hopefuls have managed to cross the Melilla border fence, down from 2100 people from 19,000 attempts the previous year. In October 2015, 165 people were rescued from fourteen attempts to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to reach Ceuta. In a report published on 17 November 2015, Amnesty International called on Spain to cease cooperation with Morocco on immigration matters because of alleged human rights abuses on the Melilla and Ceuta"
"of the fiftieth anniversary of the Spanish Legion. The last visit of a Head of State of Spain to Ceuta and Melilla was by king Alfonso XIII, who was last seen in 1927, and President of the Second Republic, Niceto Alcala Zamora, on 4 November 1933. The king of Spain was scheduled to visit to the autonomous city of Melilla in 1997 on the occasion of the five hundredth anniversary of the founding of the city, but the pressure of the Moroccan authorities led to the cancellation of the visit. On November 5, the King and the Queen of Spain"
"are very dry, but yearly precipitation is still at , which could be considered a humid climate if the summers were not so arid. Since 1995, Ceuta is, along with Melilla, one of the two autonomous cities of Spain. 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"
"is not recognized by the majority of states who see the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation as unlawful. In Spain, there exist two so-called ""autonomous cities"", Ceuta and Melilla, which are located on the North African coast surrounded by Morocco and have been under Spanish jurisdiction since the 15th century. Spain is a highly decentralized state organized in autonomous communities. These two cities hold their special status because they are not large enough to be considered regions on their own. Nonetheless, they function as autonomous communities with a high degree of self-administration and law-making powers. In Ukraine, the"
"Statute of Autonomy of Melilla The Statute of Autonomy of Melilla () is the basic institutional norm of the autonomous city of Melilla, in Spain. It is an organic law approved on 13 March 1995 and published in the Official State Gazette (""Boletín Oficial del Estado"") the following day, together with the equivalent of the city of Ceuta. It established Melilla as an autonomous city, because before it was a municipality belonging to the province of Málaga. It was the result of a 17-year process that originated from the Fifth Transitory Provision of the Constitution of 1978 that allowed the"
"dispute with Spain in 2002 over the tiny island of Perejil revived the issue of the sovereignty of Melilla and Ceuta. These small enclaves on the Mediterranean coast are surrounded by Morocco and have been administered by Spain for centuries. Morocco has been given the status of major non-NATO ally by the US government. Morocco was the first country in the world to recognise US sovereignty (in 1777). Morocco is included in the European Union's European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which aims at bringing the EU and its neighbours closer. Due to the conflict over Western Sahara, the status of the"
"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. 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"
"SNS. In the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla the corresponding health services are provided by the National Institute of Health Management, INGESA. Under Chapter III of the 1978 Spanish Constitution, all Spanish citizens are beneficiaries of public health services. Concretely, it establishes that: Further, the Organic Law 4/2000 (""Ley Orgánica 4/2000"") establishes the rights and liberties of foreigners resident in Spain. Its effect on the healthcare provision can be seen in the following articles: Article 10 of the Law of Cohesion establishes that the financing of the Spanish health system is the responsibility of the autonomous communities in conformity"
"border opening. Porteadoras Porteadoras is a name that refers to bale workers in the autonomous Spanish city enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta, located on the north coast of Africa. Due to a second duty called Biutz anything physically carried across the borders into Morocco is duty-free. This created a cottage industry of sorts for people in the district to carry good across the border for merchants. Every year, more than €1.4 billion ($1.8 billion) worth of goods are carried by Porteadoras into Morocco across the borders of Melilla and Ceuta. It is typically a ""job of last resort"", performed mostly"
"having been part of Málaga province. Ceuta, like Melilla and the Canary Islands, was a free port before Spain joined the European Union. As of 2011, it has a population of 82,376. Its population consists of Christians, Muslims and small minorities of Sephardic Jews and ethnic Sindhi Hindus. Spanish is the official language, while Darija Arabic is also spoken by 40–50% of the population, which is of Moroccan origin. The name Abyla has been said to have been a Punic name (""Lofty Mountain"" or ""Mountain of God"") for Jebel Musa, the southern Pillar of Hercules. In fact, it seems that"
"coast. They are part of the EU but they are excluded from the common agricultural and fisheries policies. They are also outside the customs union and VAT area, but no customs are levied on goods exported from the Union into either Ceuta and Melilla, and certain goods originating in Ceuta and Melilla are exempt from customs charges. While nominally part of the Schengen Area (Schengen visas are valid), Spain performs identity checks on all sea and air passengers leaving the enclaves for elsewhere in the Schengen Area. The Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey—which form the Channel Islands—are Crown"
"people attending every year. Other festivals include: La Tomatina tomato festival in Buñol, Valencia, the carnivals in the Canary Islands, the Falles in Valencia or the Holy Week in Andalusia and Castile and León. Spain Spain ( ), officially the Kingdom of Spain (), is a country mostly located on the Iberian Peninsula in Europe. Its territory also includes two archipelagoes: the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla make Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country (Morocco)."
"the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, Spanish exclaves located on the northern coast of Africa, could be constituted as ""autonomous communities"" if the absolute majority of the members of their city councils would agree on such a motion, and with the approval of the Spanish Parliament, which would exercise its prerogatives to grant autonomy to other entities besides provinces. In terms of the scope of competences, the first additional disposition recognized the historical rights of the ""chartered"" territories, namely the Basque-speaking provinces, which were to be updated in accordance with the constitution. This recognition would allow them to establish a"
"exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are still an obstacle between the two neighbouring countries. In October 2006 a diplomatic controversy was sparked between Morocco and Spain when Morocco had denied entry from Ceuta of a Spanish aid package consisting of 150 patrol vehicles to fight illegal immigration. This was later resolved by delivering the goods 50 km off Tangier's coast. The Western Sahara conflict has always been on the agenda. Morocco has long been seeking a formal European recognition of its claimed rights over the disputed territory. Morocco–European Union relations Morocco is a neighbouring and associated country of the European"
"investigation of the 2004 bombings in Madrid and this relationship continues. Moroccan soldiers have served under Spanish command in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and Moroccan gendarmes have joined Spanish patrols to combat illegal immigration in the Strait of Gibraltar. On 31 July-1 August 2018 Morocco indefinitely closed the Beni Ansar Customs near Melilla. Morocco–Spain relations In recent times, Morocco–Spain relations have been friendly though intermittently discordant. Spain occupied two territorial enclaves on Africa's Mediterranean coast (Ceuta and Melilla) that are also claimed by Morocco and sometimes cause bilateral tensions. Other territorial disputes and the Western Sahara issue"
"90 kilometres (55.92 miles) from Europe, is attached to the municipality of Almería on the Iberian Peninsula. The ""plazas de soberanía"" are small islands and peninsulas off the coast of Morocco (the only peninsula, Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, was an island until a 1934 storm formed a sand bridge with the mainland). They are guarded by military garrisons and administered directly by the Spanish central government. Like Ceuta and Melilla, they are a part of Spain, therefore also part of the European Union, and their currency is the euro. Morocco claims sovereignty over the Spanish North African territories,"
"border barrier along its border with Croatia in 2015 to control illegal migration into the Schengen Area. The European Union and Spain have constructed barriers between Morocco and the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla to prevent illegal immigration and smuggling. Even though both the United Kingdom and Spain are part of the European Union, the border fence separating Gibraltar and Spain is still relevant because Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory, is not part of the Schengen Area so remains outside of the customs union and VAT area. The border crossing is open twenty-four hours a day to facilitate customs"
"to test the waters in regard to Spain's will to defend Ceuta and Melilla. In June 2014, Spain requested that the Moroccan forces enter the Island to expel sub-Saharan migrants. The international incident is recounted in a 2015 film ""La Isla"" which is largely based on the facts of the dispute. Perejil Island Perejil Island (, Berber: ""Tura"" or ""Toṛa"", ) is a small, uninhabited rocky islet located off the coast of Morocco, just 200 metres from the mainland coast. Its sovereignty is disputed between Spain and Morocco. It was the subject of an armed incident between the two countries"
"4 seats with 13% of the vote, and the Coalition for Melilla won 7 seats with 26% of the vote. These two parties collaborate in a ""regionalist front"" in the national parliament to press the claims of the two cities. 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. National and regional identity in Spain Both the perceived nationhood of Spain, and the perceived distinctions between different parts"
"independence of Spanish Morocco in 1956, Ceuta and the other 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 Arab Muslim minority as well as Sephardic Jewish and Hindu minorities. On 5 November 2007, King Juan Carlos I visited the city, sparking great enthusiasm from the local population and protests"
"with accommodating asylum seekers in a manner which was congruent with EU standards on the reception of asylum seekers, particularly standards related to housing. In 2015, very few migrants arrived in Malta compared to previous years, since most of those rescued were taken to Italy. In September, 78 migrants rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta refused to be brought to Malta. They insisted on going to Italy, and were eventually taken there. Melilla and Ceuta, two autonomous Spanish cities on the north coast of Africa bordering Morocco, are the only EU territories to share a land border with an"
"Spain Spain ( ), officially the Kingdom of Spain (), is a country mostly located on the Iberian Peninsula in Europe. Its territory also includes two archipelagoes: the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla make Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country (Morocco). Several small islands in the Alboran Sea are also part of Spanish territory. The country's mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with"
"where responding to rock-throwing with lethal force becomes necessary. In recent years, increasing numbers of undocumented sub-Saharan Africans have passed through Morocco attempting to reach European Union countries, many attempt to enter Spanish soil at two Spanish enclaves, Melilla and Ceuta, located on the African side of the Mediterranean Sea. On several occasions, Moroccan and Spanish border authorities have defended lethal violence against African illegal immigrants near the Melilla border fence and Ceuta border fence by asserting that groups of migrants attempting to storm the border in mass-entry events threw rocks to drive border guards away from the gates. Stone"
"and Morocco regarding Ceuta and Melilla. This system is older and was included in the 1991 accession treaty of Spain to the Schengen Area. In this case there are identity checks for anyone travelling to other parts of the Schengen Area (possible by boat and air only). Such checks are not the rule for other local border traffic zones. Citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia can enter the Schengen Area without a visa. On 30 November 2009, the EU Council of Ministers for Interior and Justice abolished visa requirements for citizens of the Republic of Macedonia,"
"The small Amaro population are descendants of repatriated Afro-Cuban indentured servants. Since the Reconquista, Spain has held numerous emplacements in North Africa. Most of them were promptly lost, but to date, with an approximate population of 143,000 people, the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, which constitute the two ""plazas de soberanía mayores"" (Major Territories under [Spanish] Sovereignty) remained Spanish, and the Chafarinas Islands, the Peñón de Alhucemas and the Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, which constitute the three ""plazas de soberanía menores"" (Minor Territories under [Spanish] Sovereignty), still forming part of Spain. The Canary Islands, a constituent part"
"Morocco–Spain relations In recent times, Morocco–Spain relations have been friendly though intermittently discordant. Spain occupied two territorial enclaves on Africa's Mediterranean coast (Ceuta and Melilla) that are also claimed by Morocco and sometimes cause bilateral tensions. Other territorial disputes and the Western Sahara issue also sometimes cause tension. In October 2001, Morocco recalled its ambassador from Madrid after pro-Saharan groups in Spain conducted a mock referendum on the fate of the region. In the July 2002 Perejil Island crisis, Spanish troops ejected Moroccan soldiers from the uninhabited Perejil Island off the Moroccan coast; Spain asserted that it had controlled the"
"Porteadoras Porteadoras is a name that refers to bale workers in the autonomous Spanish city enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta, located on the north coast of Africa. Due to a second duty called Biutz anything physically carried across the borders into Morocco is duty-free. This created a cottage industry of sorts for people in the district to carry good across the border for merchants. Every year, more than €1.4 billion ($1.8 billion) worth of goods are carried by Porteadoras into Morocco across the borders of Melilla and Ceuta. It is typically a ""job of last resort"", performed mostly by widows,"