View source for Ceuta

{{Short description|Spanish autonomous city on the north-west coast of Africa}}
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{{Redirect|Sabtah|the biblical figure|List of minor Hebrew Bible figures, L–Z#Sabtah{{!}}Sabtah (biblical figure)}}
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{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Ceuta
| other_name        = {{lang|ary|سَبْتَة}}
| settlement_type    = [[Autonomous city of Spain|Autonomous city]]
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| image_skyline      = {{Multiple image
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  | total_width = 280 
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  | image1 = Vista de Ceuta y la península de Almina desde el mirador de Isabel II.jpg
  | caption1 = View of Ceuta
  | image2 = Ceuta fortifications.jpg
  | caption2 = [[Royal Walls of Ceuta|Royal Walls]]
  | image3 = Fachada del ayuntamiento (parte antigua).jpg
  | caption3 = Palace of the [[Assembly of Ceuta|Assembly]]
 }}
| image_flag         = Flag Ceuta.svg
| flag_size          = 125px
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| image_shield       = Coat of Arms of Ceuta.svg
| shield_size        = 83px
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| image_map          = Localización de Ceuta.svg
| map_caption        = Location of Ceuta in Spain
| coordinates        = {{Coord|35|53|18|N|5|18|56|W|region:ES|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint      = 
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| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{Flag|Spain}}
| established_title  = First settled<!-- Settled -->
| established_date   = 1st millennium{{nbsp}}BC
| established_title2 = Ceded to Spain
| established_date2  = 4 August 1578
| established_title3 = Autonomy status
| established_date3  = 14 March 1995
| established_title1 = End of Muslim rule
| established_date1  = 14 August 1415
| founder            = [[Ancient Carthage|Carthaginians]]
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| seat_type          = 
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| p1                 = 
| p2                 = 
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = Autonomous city
| governing_body     = Council of Government
| leader_party       = [[People's Party (Spain)|PP]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor-President of Ceuta|Mayor-President]]
| leader_name        = [[Juan Jesús Vivas]]
| leader_title1      = Mayor/President
| leader_name1       = 
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| area_footnotes     = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 18.5
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| area_land_km2      = 18.5
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| area_metro_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| area_rank          = [[Ranked lists of Spanish autonomous communities|18th]]
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| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 10
| elevation_ft       = 
| elevation_max_footnotes = <!-- Monte Anyera -->
| elevation_max_m    = 349
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| population_as_of   = 2024
| population_footnotes = <ref name=population2024>{{cite web |url=https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=67988 |title=Annual population census 2021-2024 |language=en |website=[[National Statistics Institute (Spain)]] |date=2024-12-19 |access-date=2025-01-29 }}</ref>
| population_total   = 83,179
| population_rank    = [[Ranked lists of Spanish autonomous communities|19th]]
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
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| population_density_rank = [[Ranked lists of Spanish autonomous communities|2nd]]
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| population_demonyms = Ceutan <br /> {{lang|es|ceutí}} ([[Spanish language|es]]) <br /> {{lang|es|caballa}} ("[[Atlantic mackerel]]", colloquial)<ref name="ElFaro">{{cite news |title=Caballas |url=https://elfarodeceuta.es/caballas-4/ |access-date=22 February 2022 |work=El Faro de Ceuta |date=15 May 2011 |language=es-EA}}</ref><ref name="DRAE">{{cite book |title=caballa {{!}} Diccionario de la lengua española |date=2021 |publisher=RAE-ASALE |edition=23.5 |url=https://dle.rae.es/caballa#T3UPRUS |access-date=22 February 2022 |language=es}}</ref>
| population_note    = 
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| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web | url=https://ine.es/prensa/cre_2022.pdf | title=Contabilidad Regional de España|website=www.ine.es}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Total
| demographics2_info1 = €1.888 billion (2023)
| demographics2_title2 = Per capita
| demographics2_info2 = €22,751 (2023)
| timezone1          = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1        = +01:00
| timezone1_DST      = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = +02:00
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| postal_code_type   = [[ISO 3166|ISO 3166 code]]
| postal_code        = ES-CE
| postal2_code_type  = Postal code
| postal2_code       = 51001–51005
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| blank_name_sec1    = [[Official language]]
| blank_info_sec1    = [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| blank1_name_sec1   = Parliament
| blank1_info_sec1   = [[Assembly of Ceuta]]
| blank2_name_sec1   = [[Congress of Deputies (Spain)|Congress]]
| blank2_info_sec1   = 1 deputy (out of 350)
| blank3_name_sec1   = [[Spanish Senate|Senate]]
| blank3_info_sec1   = 2 senators (out of 264)
| blank4_name_sec2   = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2022)
| blank4_info_sec2   = 0.860<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/ESP/?levels=1+4&years=2022&interpolation=0&extrapolation=0|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2025-01-28}}</ref><br/>{{color|darkgreen|very high}} · [[List of Spanish autonomous communities by Human Development Index|19th]]
| website            = {{URL|https://www.ceuta.es/ceuta/|www.Ceuta.es}}<!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| module             = 
| footnotes          = 
| blank_name_sec2    = Currency
| blank_info_sec2    = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]]) ([[ISO 4217|EUR]])
}}
'''Ceuta''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|sj|uː|t|ə}}, {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|s|eɪ|uː|t|ə}},<ref>{{cite LPD|3}}</ref><ref>{{cite EPD|18}}</ref> {{IPA|es-ES|ˈθewta, ˈsewta|lang|Pronunciation of Ceuta in Spanish.ogg}}; {{langx|ary|سَبْتَة|Sabtah}}) is an [[Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities|autonomous city]] of [[Spain]] on the [[North Africa]]n coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. Ceuta is one of the [[special member state territories and the European Union|special member state territories of the European Union]]. It was a regular [[municipalities in Spain|municipality]] belonging to the [[province of Cádiz]] prior to the passing of its [[Statute of Autonomy]] in March 1995,<ref>{{Citation |last=Jefatura del Estado |title=Ley Orgánica 1/1995, de 13 de marzo, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Ceuta |date=1995-03-14 |url=https://www.boe.es/eli/es/lo/1995/03/13/1 |issue=Ley Orgánica 1/1995 |pages=8055–8061 |access-date=2023-08-19}}</ref> as provided by the Spanish Constitution, henceforth becoming an autonomous city.

Ceuta, like [[Melilla]] and the [[Canary Islands]], was classified as a [[free port]] before Spain joined the [[European Union]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ferrer-Gallardo|first=Xavier|title=The Spanish–Moroccan border complex: Processes of geopolitical, functional and symbolic rebordering|journal=Political Geography|volume=27|issue=3|pages=301–321|doi=10.1016/j.polgeo.2007.12.004|year=2008}}</ref> Its population is predominantly [[Christian]] and [[Islam in Spain|Muslim]], with a small minority of [[Sephardic Jews]] and [[Sindhi Hindus]], from Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite book|chapter=La comunidad hindú ceutí y u integración en la cultura occidental|first1=María|last1=Gervilla Zapata|first2=Sony|last2=Vashdev Lalwani|url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/4050095.pdf|year=2011|title=Actas del I Congreso Internacional sobre Migraciones en Andalucía|location=Granada|publisher=Instituto de Migraciones|isbn=978-84-921390-3-3|page=1865}}</ref>

[[Spanish language|Spanish]] is the official language, while [[Moroccan Darija|Darija Arabic]] is also widely spoken.

==Names==
The name '''Abyla''' has been said to have been a [[Punic language|Punic]] name ("Lofty Mountain"{{sfnp|Cauvin & al.|1843}} or "Mountain of [[El (deity)|God]]") for [[Jebel Musa (Morocco)|Jebel Musa]],{{sfnp|Bonney & al.|1907|p=26}} the southern [[Pillars of Hercules|Pillar of Hercules]].{{sfnp|Smith|1854}} The name of the mountain was in fact ''Habenna'' ({{langx|xpu|𐤀𐤁{{popdf}}𐤍{{popdf}}}}, {{lang|xpu-Latn|ʾbn}}, "Stone" or "[[Stele]]") or ''ʾAbin-ḥīq'' ({{lang|xpu|𐤀𐤁{{popdf}}𐤍𐤇{{popdf}}𐤒}}, {{lang|xpu-Latn|ʾbnḥq}}, "Rock of the Bay"), about the nearby [[Benzú|Bay of Benzú]].<ref name=lip>{{harvp|Lipiński|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=SLSzNfdcqfoC&pg=PA422 422–425]}}.</ref> The name was [[hellenization|hellenized]] variously as ''Ápini'' ({{langx|grc|Ἄπινι}}),<ref name=lip/> ''Abýla'' ({{lang|grc|Ἀβύλα}}), ''Abýlē'' ({{lang|grc|Ἀβύλη}}),  ''Ablýx'' ({{lang|grc|Ἀβλύξ}}), and ''Abilē Stḗlē'' ({{lang|grc|Ἀβίλη Στήλη}}, "Pillar of Abyla"){{sfnp|Smith|1854}} and in [[Latin]] as ''{{lang|la|Abyla Mons}}'' ("Mount Abyla") or ''{{lang|la|Abyla 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"{{sfnp|Smedley & al.|1845|p=49}} ({{langx|grc|Ἑπτάδελφοι|Heptádelphoi}};<ref>[[Claudius Ptolemy|Ptolemy]], ''[[Ptolemy's Geography|Geography]]'', IV.i.5.</ref> {{langx|la|Septem Fratres}}).<ref>In, e.g., [[Pomponius Mela]].</ref> In particular, the Roman stronghold at the site took the name "Fort at the Seven Brothers" ({{lang|la|Castellum ad Septem Fratres}}).{{sfnp|Smith|1854}} This was gradually shortened to Septem<ref name="Kaegi">{{Cite book |author=Walter E. Kaegi |title=Muslim Expansion and Byzantine Collapse in North Africa |date=4 November 2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-19677-2 |page=256}}</ref> ({{lang|grc|Σέπτον}} ''Sépton'') or, occasionally, '''Septum'''<ref name="Kitto">{{Cite book |editor1=John Kitto |editor2=William Lindsay Alexander |title=A Cyclopædia of Biblical Literature |volume=2 |date=1864 |page=350}}</ref> or '''Septa'''.{{sfnp|Dyer|1873}} These clipped forms continued as [[Berber language|Berber]] ''Sebta'' and [[Arabic language|Arabic]] ''Sabtan''{{sfnp|Smedley & al.|1845|p=49}} or ''Sabtah'' ({{lang|ar|سبتة{{lrm}}}}), which themselves became {{lang|pt|Ceuta}} in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] ({{IPA|pt|ˈseu̯tɐ|pron}}) and [[Spanish language|Spanish]] (locally {{IPA|es|ˈseu̯ta|pron}}).

==History==
===Ancient===
[[File:Catedral de la Asunción de Ceuta (11).jpg|thumb|left|250px|Phoenician archeological site, dated to the 7th century{{nbsp}}BC, next to the [[Cathedral of Ceuta]]]]
Controlling access between the [[Atlantic Ocean]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]], the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] is an important military and commercial [[chokepoint]]. The [[Phoenicians]] realized the extremely narrow isthmus joining the [[Peninsula of Almina]] to the African mainland made Ceuta eminently defensible and established an outpost there early in the 1st millennium{{nbsp}}BC. The [[ancient Greek geography|Greek geographers]] record it by variations of ''Abyla'', the ancient name of nearby [[Jebel Musa (Morocco)|Jebel Musa]]. Beside [[Calpe]], the other [[Pillars of Hercules|Pillar of Hercules]] now known as the [[Rock of Gibraltar]], the Phoenicians established [[Carteia|Kart]] at what is now [[San Roque, Cádiz|San Roque]], [[Spain]]. Other good anchorages nearby became [[Phoenician colonies|Phoenician]] and then [[Carthaginian Empire|Carthaginian]] ports at what are now [[Tangiers]] and [[Cádiz]].

After [[Ancient Carthage|Carthage]]'s [[Battle of Carthage (c. 149 BC)|destruction]] in the [[Punic Wars]], most of [[northwest Africa]] was left to the [[Roman Republic|Roman]] [[client state]]s of [[Numidia]] and{{mdash}}around Abyla{{mdash}}[[Mauretania]]. [[Punics|Punic culture]] continued to thrive in what the Romans knew as "Septem". After the [[Battle of Thapsus]] in 46&nbsp;BC, [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]] and his heirs began annexing North Africa directly as [[Roman province]]s but, as late as [[Augustus]], most of Septem's [[Berbers|Berber]] residents continued to speak and write in [[Punic language|Punic]].

[[Caligula]] assassinated the Mauretanian king [[Ptolemy of Mauretania|Ptolemy]] in AD{{nbsp}}40 and seized his kingdom, which [[Claudius]] organized in AD&nbsp;42, placing Septem in the [[Roman province|province]] of [[Tingitana]] and raising it to the level of a [[Roman colonia|colony]]. It subsequently was [[Romanization (cultural)|Romanized]] and thrived into the late 3rd century, trading heavily with [[Hispania|Roman Spain]] and becoming well known for its [[salted fish]]. [[Roman road|Roads]] connected it overland with [[Tingis]] (Tangiers) and [[Volubilis]]. Under {{nowrap|[[Theodosius I]]}} in the late 4th century, Septem still had 10,000 inhabitants, nearly all [[Early Christianity|Christian]] [[Roman citizenship|citizens]] speaking [[African Romance]], a local dialect of Latin.<ref>{{citation |first=Theodore |last=Mommsen |title=The Provinces of the Roman Empire |at=s.v. "Africa" }}.</ref>

===Medieval===
[[File:Interior de los Baños Árabes de Ceuta.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The [[Arab Baths (Ceuta)|Arab Baths of Ceuta]], built between the 11th and 13th centuries]]
[[File:Murallas_meriníes_de_Ceuta.jpg|thumb|The [[Marinid Walls of Ceuta|Marinid Walls]], built by order of [[Abu Sa'id Uthman II]] in 1328]]
[[Vandal Kingdom|Vandals]], probably invited by [[Bonifacius|Count Boniface]] as protection against the [[Galla Placidia|empress dowager]], crossed the strait near Tingis around 425 and swiftly overran [[Africa (Roman province)|Roman North Africa]]. Their king, [[Gaiseric]], focused his attention on the rich lands around [[Carthage]]; 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. When [[Justinian I|Justinian]] decided to [[Vandalic War|reconquer the Vandal lands]], his victorious general [[Belisarius]] continued along the coast, making Septem a westernmost outpost of the [[Byzantine Empire]] around 533. Unlike the former ancient Roman administration, however, Eastern Rome did not push far into the [[hinterland]] and made the more defensible Septem their regional capital in place of Tingis.

[[Plague of Justinian|Epidemics]], less capable successors and overstretched supply lines forced a retrenchment and left Septem isolated. It is likely that its [[comes|count]] (''{{lang|la|comes}}'') was obliged to pay homage to the [[Visigoth Kingdom]] in Spain in the early 7th century. There are no reliable contemporary accounts of the end of the [[Islamic conquest of the Maghreb]] around 710. Instead, the rapid [[Muslim conquest of Spain]] produced [[medieval romance|romances]] concerning [[Count Julian]] of Septem and his betrayal of Christendom in revenge for the dishonor that befell his daughter at [[Roderic|King Roderick]]'s court. Allegedly with Julian's encouragement and instructions, the Berber convert and freedman [[Tariq ibn Ziyad]] took his garrison from Tangiers across the strait and overran the Spanish so swiftly that both he and his master [[Musa bin Nusayr]] fell afoul of [[Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik|a jealous caliph]], who stripped them of their wealth and titles.

After the death of Julian, sometimes also described as a king of the [[Ghomara people|Ghomara Berbers]], Berber converts to Islam took direct control of what they called Sebta. It was then destroyed during [[Berber Revolt|their great revolt]] against the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] around 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-lived [[Banu Isam]] dynasty.<ref name="GibbKramers1994">{{citation|first=Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen |last=Gibb |author2=Johannes Hendrik Kramers |author3=Bernard Lewis |author4=Charles Pellat |author5=Joseph Schacht |title=The Encyclopaedia of Islam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BZXrAAAAMAAJ |year=1994 |publisher=E.J. Brill |page=690 }}.</ref> His great-grandson briefly allied his tribe with the [[Idrisid]]s, but Banu Isam rule ended in 931<ref>{{Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition|volume=8|title=Sabta|page=690|last=Ferhat|first=Halima|authorlink=Halima Ferhat}}
</ref> when he abdicated in favor of [[Abd ar-Rahman III]], the Umayyad ruler of [[Córdoba, 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, the [[Almoravid]] Berbers ruled the region until 1147, when the [[Almohad]]s conquered the land. Apart from [[Ibn Hud]]'s rebellion in 1232, they ruled until the Tunisian [[Hafsid]]s 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 [[Marinids]] and [[Emirate of Granada|Granada]] as well as autonomous rule under the native [[Banu al-Azafi]]. The Fez finally conquered the region in 1387, with assistance from [[Crown of Aragon|Aragon]].

===Portuguese===
[[File:Porto April 2019-7.jpg|thumb|right|Representation of [[Henry the Navigator|Prince Henry the Navigator]] during the [[Conquest of Ceuta]] in [[Azulejo|''azulejos'']] at the [[São Bento railway station]]]]
[[File:Septa (Ceuta) ca 1572.jpg|thumb|right|1572 depiction of Ceuta]]
[[File:Ceuta fortifications.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Royal Walls of Ceuta]], built from 962 to the 18th century, and navigable moats]]
On the morning of 21 August 1415, King [[John I of Portugal]] led his sons and their assembled forces in a surprise assault that would come to be known as the [[Conquest 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 Avranches]] was asked to hoist what was to become the [[flag of Ceuta]], which is identical to the [[flag of Lisbon]], but in which the coat of arms derived from that of the [[Kingdom of Portugal]] was added to the center; the original Portuguese flag and [[coat of arms]] of Ceuta remained unchanged, and the modern-day Ceuta flag features the configuration of the [[Flag of Portugal#Portuguese shield|Portuguese shield]].

John's son [[Henry the Navigator]] distinguished 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.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Granada y la expansión portuguesa en el Magreb extremo|first=José Enrique|last=López de Coca Castañer|journal=Historia. Instituciones. Documentos|issn=0210-7716|issue=25|year=1998|page=351|publisher=[[Universidad de Sevilla]]|location=Seville|doi=10.12795/hid.1998.i25.018 |s2cid=252936676 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

From 1415 to 1437, [[Pedro de Meneses, 1st Count of Vila Real|Pedro de Meneses]] became the first governor of Ceuta.

The [[Marinid Sultanate]] started the [[Siege of Ceuta (1419)|1419 siege]] but was defeated by the first governor of Ceuta before reinforcements arrived in the form of [[John, Constable of Portugal]] and his brother [[Henry the Navigator]], who were sent with troops to defend Ceuta.

Under [[John I of Portugal|King John I]]'s son, [[Edward, King of Portugal|Duarte]], the city of Ceuta rapidly became a drain on the Portuguese treasury. [[Trans-Saharan trade]] journeyed instead to [[Tangier]]. It was soon realized that without the city of Tangier, possession of Ceuta was worthless. In 1437, [[Illustrious Generation (Portugal)|Duarte's brothers]] [[Henry the Navigator]] and [[Fernando, the Saint Prince]] persuaded him to launch an attack on the [[Marinid]] sultanate. The resulting [[Battle 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 further [[History of Portugal (1415–1578)|Portuguese expansion]]. The main area of Portuguese expansion, at this time, was the coast of the [[Maghreb]], where there was grain, cattle, sugar, and textiles, as well as fish, hides, wax, and honey.<ref name=Payne>{{cite web| url = http://libro.uca.edu/payne1/payne10.pdf| title = Payne, Stanley G., ''A History of Spain and Portugal'', Vol.1, Chap.10 "The Expansion"}}</ref>

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

The city was recognized as a Portuguese possession by the [[Treaty of Alcáçovas]] (1479) and by the [[Treaty of Tordesillas]] (1494).

In the 1540s the Portuguese began building the [[Royal Walls of Ceuta]] as they are today including [[bastion]]s, a navigable moat and a drawbridge. Some of these bastions are still standing, like the bastions of Coraza Alta, Bandera and Mallorquines.<ref name=fortified-places>{{cite web|title=Ceuta|url=http://www.fortified-places.com/ceuta/|website=fortified-places.com|access-date=17 September 2015|archive-date=17 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017195340/http://www.fortified-places.com/ceuta/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Luís de Camões]] lived in Ceuta between 1549 and 1551, losing his right eye in battle, which influenced his work of poetry ''[[Os Lusíadas]]''.

===Union between Portugal and Spain===
In 1578 King [[Sebastian of Portugal]] died at the [[Battle of Alcácer Quibir]] (known as the Battle of Three Kings) in what is today northern Morocco, without descendants, triggering the [[1580 Portuguese succession crisis]]. His grand-uncle, the elderly [[Henry, King of Portugal|Cardinal Henry]], succeeded him as King, but also had no descendants, having taken [[holy orders]]. When the cardinal-king died after two years later, three grandchildren of King [[Manuel I of Portugal]] claimed the throne:
*[[Infanta Catarina, Duchess of Braganza]]
*[[António, Prior of Crato]] 
*[[Philip II of Spain]], uncle of former King Sebastian of Portugal

Philip prevailed and was crowned King [[Philip I of Portugal]] in 1581, [[Iberian Union|uniting the two crowns and overseas empires]].<ref name="Kamen177">{{Cite book|last=Kamen|first=Henry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wyWourPR5S8C&pg=PA177|title=Philip of Spain|date=1997|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-07800-8|page=177}}</ref>

During the Union with Spain, 1580 to 1640, Ceuta attracted many residents of Spanish origin<ref name=Griffinh>{{cite book | author=Griffin, H | year=2010 | title=Ceuta Mini Guide | url=http://www.miragebooks.co.uk/ceuta | publisher=Mirage | isbn=978-0-9543335-3-9 | access-date=18 January 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305205916/http://www.miragebooks.co.uk/ceuta | archive-date=5 March 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and became the only city of the [[Portuguese Empire]] that sided with Spain when Portugal regained its independence in the [[Portuguese Restoration War]] of 1640.

===Spanish===
[[File:Fort of El Desnarigado.jpg|thumb|Fort of the Desnarigado, built in the 19th century, houses a museum.]]
[[File:Casa de los Dragones, Ceuta, España, 2015-12-10, DD 52.JPG|thumb|upright|Eclectic [[Casa de los Dragones|House of the Dragons]], built in 1905]]
[[File:Ceuta Turn of the century.jpg|thumb|A street in Ceuta, {{Circa|1905}}–1910]]
[[File:Plano-de-la-Ciudad-de-Ceuta-1943.jpg|thumb|Map of Ceuta in the 1940s]]
On 1 January 1668, King [[Afonso VI of Portugal]] recognised the formal allegiance of Ceuta to Spain and ceded Ceuta to King [[Carlos II of Spain]] by the [[Treaty of Lisbon (1668)|Treaty of Lisbon]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=((Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia)) |title=Ceuta |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Ceuta |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=24 December 2022}}</ref>

The city was attacked by Moroccan forces under [[Moulay Ismail]] during the [[Siege of Ceuta (1694–1727)]]. During the longest siege in history, the city underwent changes leading to the loss of its Portuguese character.{{Clarification needed|reason=What?|date=June 2023}} While most of the military operations took place around the [[Royal 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 the [[Napoleonic Wars|Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815)]], Spain allowed Britain to occupy Ceuta. Occupation began in 1810, with Ceuta being returned at the conclusion of the wars.<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle= Ceuta | volume= 05 | page = 777; see last eight lines}}</ref> Disagreements regarding the border of Ceuta resulted in the [[Hispano-Moroccan War (1859–60)]], which ended at the [[Battle of Tétouan|Battle of Tetuán]].

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 [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] and [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]]. 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.<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.miragebooks.co.uk/ceuta-guide/ceuta-history.html |title=History of Ceuta |access-date=1 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305205904/http://www.miragebooks.co.uk/ceuta-guide/ceuta-history.html |archive-date=5 March 2012 }}</ref>

The [[Monumento del Llano Amarillo|Llano Amarillo]] monument was erected to honor [[Francisco Franco]]; it was inaugurated on 13 July 1940. The tall obelisk has since been abandoned, but the shield symbols of the [[Falangism|Falange]] and Imperial Eagle remain visible.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_13051.shtml |title=Franco monument now part of a rubbish dump in Ceuta |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121207133923/http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_13051.shtml |archive-date=7 December 2012 }}</ref>

Following the 1947 [[Partition of India]], a substantial number of [[Sindhi Hindus]] from current-day Pakistan settled in Ceuta, adding to a small Hindu community that had existed in Ceuta since 1893, connected to Gibraltar's.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.pluralismoyconvivencia.es/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Minor%C3%ADas-religiosas-en-Ceuta-y-en-Melilla.pdf|title=Encuentros. Diversidad religiosa en Ceuta y Melilla|first1=Rafael|last1=Briones|first2=Sol|last2=Tarrés|first3=Óscar|last3=Salguero|publisher=Editorial Pluralismo y Convivencia|isbn=978-84-9888-523-1|page=84|year=2013}}</ref>

When Spain recognized the independence of [[Spanish Morocco]] in 1956, Ceuta and the other {{lang|es|[[plazas de soberanía]]|italic=yes}} 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 1995, the Spanish coast being only 20&nbsp;km (12.5 miles) away. It is a cosmopolitan city, with a large ethnic [[Arab-Berber]]{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} Muslim minority as well as [[Sephardic]] Jewish and [[Hindu]] minorities.<ref>
{{cite news |url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Resistir/monte/Renegado/elpepuesp/20090322elpepinac_9/Tes |title=Resistir en el monte del Renegado |work=[[El País]] |date=22 March 2009 |access-date=17 June 2009|last1=Bárbulo |first1=Tomás }}</ref>

On 5 November 2007, King [[Juan Carlos I]] visited the city, sparking great enthusiasm from the local population and protests from the Moroccan government.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.periodistadigital.com/infordeus.php/2007/11/06/p125486 |title=Ceuta y Melilla son España, dice Juan Carlos I; Sebta y Melilia son nuestras, responde Mohamed VI |publisher=Blogs.periodistadigital.com |date=22 February 1999 |access-date=17 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718140213/http://blogs.periodistadigital.com/infordeus.php/2007/11/06/p125486 |archive-date=18 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was the first time a Spanish head of state had visited Ceuta in 80 years.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2007/12/moro-d06.html |title=Royal visit revives tensions between Spain and Morocco |work=[[World Socialist Web Site]] |date=6 December 2007 |access-date=6 January 2022 |last1=Morgan |first1=Marcus |last2=Bond |first2=Paul |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325014211/https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2007/12/moro-d06.html |archive-date=25 March 2013}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2024}}

Since 2010, Ceuta (and Melilla) have declared the [[Muslim holiday]] of [[Eid al-Adha]], or Feast of the Sacrifice, an official public holiday. It is the first time a non-Christian [[religious festival]] has been officially celebrated in Spanish ruled territory since the [[Reconquista]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spainforvisitors.com/module-News-display-sid-310.htm |title=Muslim Holiday in Ceuta and Melilla |publisher=Spainforvisitors.com |access-date=3 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929161344/http://spainforvisitors.com/module-News-display-sid-310.htm |archive-date=29 September 2011 }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2024}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qppstudio.net/bankholidays2010/spain.htm |title=Public Holidays and Bank Holidays for Spain |publisher=Qppstudio.net |access-date=3 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930174912/http://www.qppstudio.net/bankholidays2010/spain.htm |archive-date=30 September 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = horizontal
| image1            = Ceuta en.png
| width1            = 320
| caption1          = Map of Ceuta (the [[Perejil Island]], part of Ceuta, is just off the coast, in the upper left of this map)
| image2            = Strait of Gibraltar perspective.jpg
| width2            = 280
| caption2          = Perspective view of the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] facing eastwards; Spain and [[Gibraltar]] on the left; Morocco and Ceuta on the right. The vertical dimension is exaggerated by a factor of 3.
| image3            = Ceuta2022OSM.png
| width3            = 350
| caption3          = A highly detailed map of Ceuta
}}

Ceuta is separated by {{convert|17|km|sp=us|abbr=on|0}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abcviajes.com/turismo/ceuta_cuatro_mundos_por_descubrir.php|title=Turismo. Ceuta, cuatro mundos por descubrir|website=abcViajes|access-date=1 February 2020}}</ref> from the [[province of Cádiz]] on the Spanish mainland by the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] and it shares a {{convert|6.4|km|sp=us|abbr=on|0}} land [[Morocco–Spain border|border]] with [[M'diq-Fnideq Prefecture]] in the [[Morocco|Kingdom of Morocco]]. It has an area of {{convert|18.5|km2|sqmi acre|sp=us|abbr=on|0}}. It is dominated by Monte Anyera, a hill along its western frontier with Morocco, which is guarded by a Spanish [[Spanish army|military]] fort. [[Monte Hacho]] on the [[Peninsula of Almina]] overlooking the [[Port of Ceuta|port]] is one of the possible locations of the southern pillar of the [[Pillars of Hercules]] of Greek legend (the other possibility being [[Jebel Musa (Morocco)|Jebel Musa]]).<ref name="TarverSlape2016">{{cite book |editor=H. Micheal Tarver |editor2=Emily Slape|title=The Spanish Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1LCJDAAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA160|volume=I|date=25 July 2016|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-61069-422-3|page=160}}</ref>

===Important Bird Area===
The Ceuta Peninsula has been recognised as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] because the site is part of a migratory bottleneck, or choke point, at the western end of the Mediterranean for large numbers of [[bird of prey|raptors]], [[stork]]s and other birds flying between Europe and Africa. These include [[European honey buzzard]]s, [[black kite]]s, [[short-toed snake eagle]]s, [[Egyptian vulture]]s, [[griffon vulture]]s, [[black stork]]s, [[white stork]]s and [[Audouin's gull]]s.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ceuta-iba-spain|title= Ceuta|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021|website= BirdLife Data Zone|publisher= BirdLife International|access-date= 13 February 2021}}</ref>

===Climate===
Ceuta has a maritime-influenced [[Mediterranean climate]], similar to nearby Spanish and Moroccan cities such as [[Tarifa]], [[Algeciras]] or [[Tangiers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=2306&cityname=Ceuta%2C+Ciudad+Aut%F3noma+de+Ceuta%2C+Spain&units= |title=Ceuta, Spain – Climate Summary |website=weatherbase |access-date=8 December 2014}}</ref> The average [[diurnal temperature variation]] is relatively low; the average annual temperature is {{convert|18.8|C|F|sp=us|abbr=on}} with average yearly highs of {{convert|21.4|C|F|sp=us|abbr=on}} and lows of {{convert|15.7|C|F|sp=us|abbr=on}} though the Ceuta weather station has only been in operation since 2003.<ref name="Standard climate values for Ceuta">{{cite web |url=http://www.aemet.es/es/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos?l=5000C&k=ceu |title=Valores climatológicos normales. Ceuta |language=es |trans-title=Normal climate values. Ceuta |publisher=Agencia Estatal de Meteorología |website=AEMET |access-date=11 August 2015}}</ref> 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 {{convert|849|mm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}},<ref name="Standard climate values for Ceuta"/> which could be considered a humid climate if the summers were not so arid.

{{Weather box
|location = Ceuta, 2003-2010
|metric first = yes	
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 23.4
|Feb record high C = 25.5
|Mar record high C = 27.9
|Apr record high C = 28.4
|May record high C = 33.7
|Jun record high C = 35.3
|Jul record high C = 40.2
|Aug record high C = 38.9
|Sep record high C = 34.8
|Oct record high C = 33.1
|Nov record high C = 27.2
|Dec record high C = 25.6
|year record high C = 40.2
|Jan high C = 15.8
|Feb high C = 15.9
|Mar high C = 17.4
|Apr high C = 19.1
|May high C = 21.9
|Jun high C = 25.7
|Jul high C = 28.9
|Aug high C = 28.5
|Sep high C = 25.8
|Oct high C = 22.8
|Nov high C = 18.8
|Dec high C = 16.4
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 13.4
|Feb mean C = 13.7
|Mar mean C = 14.8
|Apr mean C = 16.4 
|May mean C = 18.8
|Jun mean C = 22.3  
|Jul mean C = 24.9 
|Aug mean C = 25.0
|Sep mean C = 22.8 
|Oct mean C = 20.2
|Nov mean C = 16.4
|Dec mean C = 14.3
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 11.0
|Feb low C = 11.4
|Mar low C = 12.2
|Apr low C = 13.6
|May low C = 15.7
|Jun low C = 18.8
|Jul low C = 20.9
|Aug low C = 21.5
|Sep low C = 19.8
|Oct low C = 17.5
|Nov low C = 14.0
|Dec low C = 12.1
|year low C = 
|Jan record low C = 1.3
|Feb record low C = 4.4
|Mar record low C = 7.2
|Apr record low C = 9.0
|May record low C = 10.5
|Jun record low C = 7.2
|Jul record low C = 16.3
|Aug record low C = 18.0
|Sep record low C = 15.3
|Oct record low C = 12.2
|Nov record low C = 7.4
|Dec record low C = 6.3
|year record low C = 1.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm =	122
|Feb precipitation mm =	145
|Mar precipitation mm =	90
|Apr precipitation mm =	57
|May precipitation mm =	21
|Jun precipitation mm =	3
|Jul precipitation mm =	1
|Aug precipitation mm =	3
|Sep precipitation mm =	37
|Oct precipitation mm =	82
|Nov precipitation mm =	127
|Dec precipitation mm =	161
|year precipitation mm =	
|unit precipitation days = 1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 8
|Feb precipitation days = 9
|Mar precipitation days = 6
|Apr precipitation days = 6
|May precipitation days = 4
|Jun precipitation days = 1
|Jul precipitation days = 0
|Aug precipitation days = 0
|Sep precipitation days = 2
|Oct precipitation days = 7
|Nov precipitation days = 7
|Dec precipitation days = 10
|year precipitation days = 
|Jan humidity =72
|Feb humidity =75
|Mar humidity =68
|Apr humidity =71
|May humidity =66
|Jun humidity =67
|Jul humidity =61
|Aug humidity =70
|Sep humidity =72
|Oct humidity =75
|Nov humidity =73
|Dec humidity =73
|year humidity =
|source 1 = [[Agencia Estatal de Meteorología]]<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.aemet.es/es/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/efemerides_extremos*?w=0&k=ceu&l=5000C&datos=det&x=5000C&m=13&v=todos |title=Valores extremos. Ceuta – Selector |publisher=Agencia Estatal de Meteorología |website=AEMET |language=es |trans-title=Extreme values. Ceuta{{Snd}} Selector |access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref>
}}

== Government and administration ==
[[File:Palacio de la Asamblea de Ceuta.jpg|thumb|The Palacio de la Asamblea de Ceuta is the seat of the [[Assembly of Ceuta]].]]

Since 1995, Ceuta is, along with [[Melilla]], one of the two [[Autonomous community#autonomous cities|autonomous cities]] of Spain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/Admin/lo1-1995.html|title=Ley Orgánica 1/1995, de 13 de marzo, Estatuto de Autonomía de Ceuta|publisher=Noticias.juridicas.com|language=es|access-date=17 June 2009}}</ref>

Ceuta is known officially in Spanish as {{lang|es|Ciudad Autónoma de Ceuta}} (English: ''Autonomous City of Ceuta''), with a rank between a standard [[municipalities in Spain|municipality]] and an [[autonomous communities of Spain|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]].

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 of [[Mayor-President]]. {{as of|2011}}, the [[People's Party (Spain)|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 (Spain)|Socialist Workers' Party]] (PSOE, 3).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://resultados.elpais.com/elecciones/2011/municipales/18/ |title=Resultados Electorales en Ceuta: Elecciones Municipales 2011 en EL PAÍS |publisher=EDICIONES EL PAÍS S.L. |date=2011 |language=es |access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref>

Owing to its small population, Ceuta elects only one member of the [[Congress of Deputies (Spain)|Congress of Deputies]], the lower house of the ''[[Cortes Generales]]'' (the Spanish Parliament). {{As of|November 2019|pre=the}} election, this post is held by María Teresa López of [[Vox (political party)|Vox]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/11/286616/ceuta-far-right-vox-spanish-elections/|title=Ceuta Votes for Far-Right Vox Party in Spanish General Elections|website=Morocco World News|language=en|date=11 November 2019|access-date=28 January 2020}}</ref>

Ceuta is subdivided into 63 {{lang|es|barriadas}} ("neighborhoods"), such as Barriada de Berizu, Barriada de P. Alfonso, Barriada del Sarchal, and El Hacho.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elpueblodeceuta.es/200708/20070819/200708195101.html |title=El servicio de Policia de Barriadas podria funcionar a partir del 15 de septiembre |language=es |trans-title=The Police Service of Barriadas could work from September 15 |website=El Pueblo de Ceuta |access-date=17 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720140539/http://www.elpueblodeceuta.es/200708/20070819/200708195101.html |archive-date=20 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.planetware.com/i/map/MAR/ceuta-map.jpg |title=Map of Ceuta |website=planetware}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://codigo-postal.info/ceuta/ceuta?page=7 |title=Códigos postales de Ceuta en Ceuta |publisher=Codigo-postal.info |access-date=17 June 2009 |archive-date=28 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328070137/http://www.codigo-postal.info/ceuta/ceuta?page=7 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ceuta maintains its own police force.

== Defence and Civil Guard ==

The defence of the exclave is the responsibility of the [[Spanish Armed Forces]]' General Command of Ceuta (COMGECEU).<ref name="Contenido - Army">{{Cite web|title=Comandancia General de Ceuta|url=https://ejercito.defensa.gob.es/en/unidades/Ceuta/comge_ceuta/Organizacion/index.html|access-date=2023-01-14|website=Spanish Ministry of Defence | language=es}}</ref> The [[Spanish Army]]'s combat components of the command include:

* [[Regulares|54th ''Regulares'' Infantry Regiment]] based in ''González Tablas'' barracks;
* [[Tercio "Duque de Alba" No. 2 of the Legion|2nd Tercio ''Duke of Alba'' Regiment]] of the [[Spanish Legion]] based in the Seraglio-Recarga cantonment;
* 3rd "Montesa" Cavalry Regiment (RC-3) located in the ''Colonel Galindo'' barracks and equipped with [[Leopard 2|Leopard 2 main battle tanks]] and [[ASCOD|Pizarro infantry fighting vehicles]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-07-19|title=Los ceutíes conocen las unidades acorazadas de 'Montesa nº3'|url=https://elfarodeceuta.es/jornada-puertas-abiertas-ceuties-unidades-acorazadas-montesa/|access-date=2023-01-14|website=El Faro de Ceuta|language=es}}</ref>
* 30th Mixed Artillery Regiment, one group equipped with [[Santa Bárbara Sistemas 155/52|155/52mm towed howitzers]] and the other with [[Mistral (missile)|Mistral short-range SAMs]] and [[Oerlikon GDF|35/90 SKYDOR/35/90 GDF-007 anti-aircraft guns]] fulfilling an air defence role;<ref>{{Cite web|title=Regimiento De Artilleria Mixto Nº30|url=https://ejercito.defensa.gob.es/en/unidades/Ceuta/ramix30/Historial/index.html|access-date=2023-01-14|website=Spanish Ministry of Defence | language=es}}{{pb}}{{Cite web|title=Contenido - Army|url=https://ejercito.defensa.gob.es/en/unidades/Ceuta/ramix30/Organizacion/index.html|access-date=2023-01-14|website=Spanish Ministry of Defence | language=es}}</ref> and
* 7th Engineer Regiment

The command also includes its headquarters battalion as well as logistics elements.<ref name="Contenido - Army"/>

In 2023, the [[Spanish Navy]] replaced the ''Aresa''-class patrol boat ''P-114'' in the territory with the ''Rodman''-class patrol boat ''Isla de León''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=El nuevo patrullero de la Armada Española que vigilará Ceuta y el Estrecho de Gibraltar|url=https://www.outono.net/elentir/2023/02/01/el-nuevo-patrullero-de-la-armada-espanola-que-vigilara-ceuta-y-el-estrecho-de-gibraltar/|website=Defensa Aviacion}}{{pb}}{{Cite web|title=Patrol Boat P-114|url=https://armada.defensa.gob.es/ArmadaPortal/page/Portal/ArmadaEspannola/buquessuperficie/prefLang-en/08patrulleros--07patrulleros-vigilancia-costera--02patrullero-vigilancia-costera-p-114|date=2020|website=Armada Española|access-date=28 August 2023|archive-date=26 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226071423/https://armada.defensa.gob.es/ArmadaPortal/page/Portal/ArmadaEspannola/buquessuperficie/prefLang-en/08patrulleros--07patrulleros-vigilancia-costera--02patrullero-vigilancia-costera-p-114|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>

Ceuta itself is only {{cvt|113|km}} distant from the main Spanish naval base at [[Naval Station Rota|Rota]] on the Spanish mainland. The [[Spanish Air Force]]'s [[Morón Air Base]] is also within {{cvt|135|km}} proximity.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The [[Civil Guard (Spain)|Civil Guard]] is responsible for border security and protects both the territory's [[Ceuta border fence|fortified land border]] as well as its maritime approaches against frequent, and sometimes significant, migrant incursions.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-05-18|title=Ceuta: Spain sends troops as 8,000 migrants enter enclave|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57156320|access-date=2023-01-14}}{{pb}}{{Cite web|last=Guerraoui|first=Saad|date=2021-06-12|title=Spanish report warns of Morocco's 'hybrid strategies' to annex Ceuta, Melilla|url=https://middle-east-online.com/en/spanish-report-warns-morocco%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%2598hybrid-strategies%25E2%2580%2599-annex-ceuta-melilla|access-date=2023-01-14|website=Middle East Online|language=en}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Jebel musa from benzu.jpg|thumb|The Moroccan mountain of [[Jebel Musa, Morocco|Jebel Musa]], as viewed from [[Benzú]]. It is also known as the 'Dead Woman' because of its silhouette.]]

The official currency of Ceuta is the [[euro]]. It is part of a special low tax zone in Spain.<ref name="Ceuta.es">{{cite web |url=http://www.ceuta.es/servlet/ContentServer?idioma=es_es&mD=true&pagename=CeutaTur%2FInformacionViajero%2FInformacionViajeroDetalle&cid=1113994915129&mC=true&idP=1111055969345&idA=1113994915129 |title=Economic Data of Ceuta, de ceutna digital |publisher=Ceuta.es |access-date=17 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410134201/http://www.ceuta.es/servlet/ContentServer?idioma=es_es&mD=true&pagename=CeutaTur%2FInformacionViajero%2FInformacionViajeroDetalle&cid=1113994915129&mC=true&idP=1111055969345&idA=1113994915129 |archive-date=10 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Ceuta is one of two Spanish port cities on the northern shore of Africa, along with [[Melilla]]. They are historically military strongholds, [[free port]]s, oil ports, and also fishing ports.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xuBgaSzsYVgC&q=ceuta+economy |pages=6–7 |title=IBRU, Boundary and Territory Briefing. Ceuta and the Spanish Sovereign Territories: Spanish and Moroccan |access-date=17 June 2009 |isbn=9781897643068 |last1=O'Reilly |first1=Gerry |last2=O'Reilly |first2=J. G. |year=1994 }}</ref> Today the economy of the city depends heavily on its port (now in expansion) and its industrial and retail centres.<ref name="Ceuta.es"/> [[Ceuta Heliport]] is now used to connect the city to mainland Spain by air. [[Lidl]], [[Decathlon (retailer)|Decathlon]] and [[El Corte Inglés]] have branches in Ceuta. There is also a [[casino]].
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, as [[porteadoras]]. The [[Moroccan dirham]] is used in such trade, even though prices are marked in euros.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thelocal.es/20171006/morocco-mule-women-in-back-breaking-trade-from-spain-enclave|title=Morocco 'mule women' in back-breaking trade from Spain enclave|date=6 October 2017|access-date=11 May 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.worldfinance.com/markets/separate-from-the-rest|title=The economics of exclaves|date=24 April 2018|access-date=11 May 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/moroccan-women-used-as-mules-to-avoid-tariffs/av-43736166|title=Moroccan women used as 'mules' to avoid tariffs {{!}} DW {{!}} 11 May 2018|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|website=DW.COM|language=en|access-date=11 May 2018}}</ref>

===Transport===
The city's [[Port of Ceuta]] is connected to the [[Port of Algeciras]] across the Strait of Gibraltar by multiple daily sailings of ferries.

A single road border checkpoint to the south of Ceuta near Fnideq allows for cars and pedestrians to travel between Morocco and Spain. An additional border crossing for pedestrians exists between Benzú and [[Belyounech]] on 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===
The following hospitals are located within Ceuta:<ref>Google Maps</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hospitalsworldguide.com/hospitals-in-spain/s-hospitals-in-ceuta/|title=Hospitals in Ceuta|website=Hospitals Worldguide|access-date=8 July 2020}}</ref>
* University Hospital of Ceuta, established in 2010, 252 beds<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.areasanitariaceuta.es/atencion-especializada/hospital-universitario-de-ceuta/|title=Hospital Universitario de Ceuta|access-date=8 July 2020}}</ref>
* Primary Care Emergency Services Jose Lafont
* Ceuta Medical Centre
* Spanish Military Hospital (500 beds in 1929, 2020 listed as a clinic)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HVXXAAAAMAAJ|title=Port Directory of Principal Foreign Ports|year=1929}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://military-medicine.com/almanac/115-spain-kingdom-of.html|title=Military Medicine in Spain|website=Military Medicine|access-date=8 July 2020}}</ref>

==Demographics==
[[File:Ceuta population pyramid.svg|thumb|Ceuta population pyramid in 2022]]
{{Historical populations|1842|3056|1857|7114|1877|10683|1887|12835|1900|13843|1910|24249|1920|35453|1930|50293|1940|65982|1950|58909|1960|64728|1970|62607|1981|65264|1991|73208|2001|71505|2011|83517|2021|84071|source=[[National Statistics Institute (Spain)|National Statistics Institute]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Changes in the municipalities in the population census since 1842|url=https://www.ine.es/intercensal/inicio.do|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Spain)|National Statistics Institute]]|language=es}}</ref>|align=right|cols=1}}As of 2024, its population was 83,299.<ref>{{cite web |date= |title=Cifras oficiales de población de los municipios españoles en aplicación de la Ley de Bases del Régimen Local (Art. 17) |url=https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Tabla.htm?L=1&t=2908& |url-status=live |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=ine.es}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Roa |first=J. M. | year=2006 | title=Scholastic achievement and the diglossic situation in a sample of primary-school students in Ceuta | journal=Revista Electrónica de Investigación Educativa |volume=8 |number=1 | url=http://redie.uabc.mx/index.php/redie/article/download/124/216}}</ref> As of a 2018 estimate, around 67.8% of the city's population were born in Ceuta.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Redacción|title=El 67,8% de los habitantes actuales de Ceuta han nacido en la ciudad según los datos del INE|url=https://ceutaahora.com//art/574/el-678-de-los-habitantes-actuales-de-ceuta-han-nacido-en-la-ciudad-segun-los-datos-del-ine|access-date=2 September 2021|website=Ceuta Ahora|date=20 December 2018 |language=es}}</ref>

[[Spanish language|Spanish]] is the primary and official language of the enclave.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/spanish.shtml|title=Languages Across Europe – Spanish|date=14 October 2014|website=[[BBC]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405160301/http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/spanish.shtml|archive-date=5 April 2018}}</ref> [[Moroccan Arabic]] (Darija) is widely spoken.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Handbook of Hispanic Sociolinguistics|last=Sayahi|first=Lotfi|publisher=[[Blackwell Publishing]]|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4051-9500-3|editor-last=Díaz-Campos|editor-first=Manuel|location=Chichester, UK|pages=476–477|chapter=Spanish in Contact with Arabic|doi=10.1002/9781444393446.ch22}}</ref> In 2021, the [[Council of Europe]] demanded that Spain formally recognize the language by 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goff |first=Shaquile |title=Council of Europe Demands Ceuta, Melilla Recognize Arabic, Darija by 2023 |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/08/344129/council-of-europe-demands-ceuta-melilla-recognize-arabic-darija-by-2023 |access-date=26 May 2022 |website=Morocco World News |language=en}}</ref>

===Religion===
[[File:Restos de la Basílica Tardorromana de Ceuta.jpg|thumb|right|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]]
[[File:Catedral de Ceuta, Ceuta, España, 2015-12-10, DD 04.JPG|thumb|right|[[Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption (Ceuta)|Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption]], completed in 1726]]

[[Christianity]] has been present in Ceuta continuously from [[late antiquity]], as evidenced by the ruins of a basilica in downtown Ceuta<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.academia.edu/1378720 |title=Ceuta huellas del cristianismo en Ceuta |first=Fernando |last=Villada |website=academia.edu |access-date=10 September 2017}}</ref> and accounts of the [[Christian martyrdom|martyrdom]] of [[Daniel and companions|St. Daniel Fasanella]] and his [[Franciscan Order|Franciscans]] in 1227 during the [[Almohad Caliphate]].

The town's Grand Mosque had been built over a [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine-era]] church. In 1415, the year of the city's conquest, the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] converted the Grand Mosque into [[Ceuta Cathedral]]. The present form of the cathedral dates to refurbishments undertaken in the late 17th century, combining [[baroque architecture|baroque]] and [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] elements. It was [[Dedication (ritual)|dedicated]] to [[Saint Mary of the Assumption|St{{nbsp}}Mary of the Assumption]] in 1726.

The [[Roman Catholic]] [[Diocese of Ceuta]] was established in 1417. It incorporated the suppressed [[Diocese of Tanger]] in 1570.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14736a.htm|title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Tingis |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1 July 1912 |access-date=8 August 2010}}</ref> The Diocese of Ceuta was a [[suffragan]] of [[Patriarchate of Lisbon|Lisbon]] until 1675, when it became a suffragan of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seville|Seville]].<ref>{{Catholic-hierarchy|diocese|dc206|Diocese of Ceuta|21 January 2015}} [[Wikipedia:SPS|{{sup|[''self-published'']}}]]</ref> In 1851, Ceuta's administration was notionally merged into the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Cadiz y Ceuta|Diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta]] as part of [[concordat of 1851|a concordat]] between Spain and the [[Holy See]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03131b.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Cadiz |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1 November 1908 |access-date=8 August 2010}}</ref> the union was not actually accomplished, however, until 1879.

Small [[Judaism|Jewish]] and [[Hinduism|Hindu]] minorities are also present in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2014/10/ceuta-multicultural-city-201410149410385913.html|title=Ceuta: Multicultural city|website=Al Jazeera |access-date=28 April 2020|archive-date=29 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129174034/https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2014/10/ceuta-multicultural-city-201410149410385913.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{| {{table}}
|+ 2019 census<ref name=CIS2019Ceuta>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cis.es/cis/export/sites/default/-Archivos/Marginales/3260_3279/3263/Marginales/es3263mar_Ceuta.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204181940/http://www.cis.es/cis/export/sites/default/-Archivos/Marginales/3260_3279/3263/Marginales/es3263mar_Ceuta.pdf |archive-date=2020-02-04 |url-status=dead |author=''Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas'' (Centre for Sociological Research)|title=Macrobarómetro de octubre 2019, Banco de datos - Document 'Población con derecho a voto en elecciones generales y residente en España, Ciudad Autónoma de Ceuta |date=October 2019|page=20 |accessdate=4 February 2020 |language=Spanish}}</ref>
|-
| [[Roman Catholicism]] || {{percentage bar|60.0}}
|-
| [[Islam]] || {{percentage bar|36.7}}
|-
| Non-religious || {{percentage bar|1.9}}
|-
| Atheist || {{percentage bar|1.5}}
|}

===Migration===
{{Main|Ceuta border fence}}
Like [[Melilla#Immigration|Melilla]], 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 {{convert|6|m|sp=us|abbr=on}} 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hundreds of migrants storm fence to reach Spanish enclave of Ceuta|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39002111|publisher=BBC|date=17 February 2017}}</ref>

==Education==
The [[University of Granada#Campus located in Ceuta|University of Granada]] offers undergraduate programmes at their campus in Ceuta. Like all areas of Spain, Ceuta is also served by the [[National University of Distance Education|National 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.{{Clarify|reason=In what languages?|date=November 2022}}

==Notable people from Ceuta==
=== up to 1800 ===
* [[Qadi Ayyad]] (1083 in Ceuta{{Snd}} 1149) born in Ceuta, then belonging to the [[Almoravids]] was the great imam of that city
* [[Muhammad al-Idrisi]] (1100 in Ceuta{{Snd}} 1165 in Ceuta) was a Muslim geographer, cartographer and Egyptologist. He lived in Palermo at the court of King [[Roger II of Sicily]], known for the {{Lang|la|[[Tabula Rogeriana]]}}.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Idrisi |volume= 14 |last= Beazley |first= Charles Raymond |author-link= Charles Raymond Beazley | pages = 289-290 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Abu al-Abbas as-Sabti]] (1129 in Ceuta{{Snd}} 1204 in Marrakesh) the main [[Wali]] of [[Marrakesh]]
* [[Joseph ben Judah of Ceuta]] ({{Circa|1160}}{{Snd}} 1226) a Jewish physician and poet, and disciple of [[Moses Maimonides]]
* [[Abu al-Abbas al-Azafi]] (1162 in Ceuta{{Snd}} 1236) a religious and legal scholar, member of the Banu al-Azafi who ruled Ceuta
* [[Mohammed ibn Rushayd]] (1259 in Sabta{{Snd}} 1321) a judge, writer and scholar of [[Hadith]] 
* [[Álvaro of Braganza]] (1440&ndash;1504) a president of Council of Castile.
* [[George Camocke]] (1666&ndash;1732) a Royal Navy captain and former admiral for Spain who was exiled to Ceuta to live out the last years of his life.
* Don [[Fernando de Leyba]] (1734 in Ceuta{{Snd}} 1780) a Spanish officer who served as the third governor of [[Upper Louisiana]] from 1778 until his death.
* Brigadier General [[Francisco Antonio García Carrasco]] Díaz (1742 in Ceuta{{Snd}} 1813 in Lima, Peru) a Spanish soldier and [[Royal Governor of Chile]]
* [[Sebastián Kindelán y O'Regan]] (1757 in Ceuta{{Snd}} 1826 in Santiago de Cuba) a colonel in the Spanish Army who served as governor of East Florida 1812/1815, of Santo Domingo 1818/1821 and was provisional governor of Cuba 1822/1823
* [[Isidro de Alaix Fábregas]] Count of Vergara and Viscount of Villarrobledo, (1790 in Ceuta{{Snd}} 1853 in Madrid) a Spanish general of the [[First Carlist War]] who backed [[Isabella II of Spain]]

=== since 1800 ===
* General [[Francisco Llano de la Encomienda]] (1879 in Ceuta{{Snd}} 1963 in Mexico City), a Spanish soldier. During the Spanish Civil War (1936&ndash;1939) he remained loyal to the Second Spanish Republic
* General [[Antonio Escobar Huertas]] (1879 in Ceuta{{Snd}} executed 1940 in Barcelona), a Spanish military officer
* [[África de las Heras]] Gavilán (1909 in Ceuta{{Snd}} 1988 in Moscow), a Spanish Communist, naturalized Soviet citizen, and [[KGB]] spy who went by the code name ''Patria''
* [[Eugenio Martín]] (born 1925 in Ceuta), a Spanish film director and screenwriter <ref>{{Cite web|title=Eugenio Martín|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0554632/|access-date=2023-01-14|website=IMDb|language=en-US}}</ref>{{user-generated inline|date=August 2023}}
* [[Jacob Hassan]], PhD (1936 in Ceuta{{Snd}} 2006 in Madrid), a Spanish [[philologist]] of Sephardic Jewish descent
* [[Manuel Chaves González]] (born 1945 in Ceuta), a Spanish politician of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party. He served as the Third Vice President of the Spanish Government from 2009 to 2011
* [[Ramón Castellano de Torres]] (born 1947 in Ceuta), a Spanish artist, thought by some to be an expressionist painter
* [[Ignacio Velázquez Rivera]] (born 1953), first Mayor-President of [[Melilla]]
* [[Juan Jesús Vivas]] Lara (born 1953 in Ceuta), became the Mayor-President of Ceuta in Spain in 2001 
* [[Pedro Aviles|Pedro Avilés Gutiérrez]] (born 1956 in Ceuta), a Spanish novelist from Madrid.
* [[Eva Isanta|Eva María Isanta Foncuberta]] (born 1971 in Ceuta), a Spanish actress <ref>{{Cite web|title=Eva Isanta|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0410706/|access-date=2023-01-14|website=IMDb|language=en-US}}</ref>{{user-generated inline|date=August 2023}}
* [[Mohamed Taieb Ahmed]] (born 1975 in Ceuta), a Spanish-Moroccan drug lord <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.interviu.es/reportajes/articulos/vuelve-el-nene|title=Vuelve 'El Nene'|date=14 January 2008|website=Interviu|language=es|access-date=20 October 2017|archive-date=11 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911075451/http://www.interviu.es/reportajes/articulos/vuelve-el-nene|url-status=dead}}</ref> responsible for trafficking hashish across the Strait of Gibraltar and into Spain.
* {{Ill|Gonzalo Campos López|lt=Gonzalo Campos López|de}} (born 1991 in Ceuta), a Spanish musical performer working in Germany

===Sport ===
* [[Francisco Lesmes]] (1924–2005) and [[Rafael Lesmes]] (1926–2012), brothers and Spanish footballers.
* [[Pirri|José Martínez Sánchez]] (born 1945 in Ceuta), nicknamed ''Pirri'', a retired Spanish footballer, mainly played for Real Madrid, appearing in 561 competitive games and scoring 172 goals
* [[José Ramón López]] (born 1950), a sprint canoer, silver medallist at the [[1976 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Migueli|Miguel Bernardo Bianquetti]] (born 1951 in Ceuta), known as ''Migueli'', a Spanish retired footballer, 391 caps for [[FC Barcelona]] and 32 for [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]]
* [[Nayim]] (born 1966 in Ceuta), a retired Spanish footballer; he scored a last-minute goal for Real Zaragoza in the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final.
* [[Lorena Miranda]] (born 1991 in Ceuta), a Spanish female water polo player, silver medallist at the [[2012 Summer Olympics]].
* [[Anuar Tuhami]] (born 1995 in Ceuta), a Spanish-Moroccan footballer, played one game for [[Morocco national football team|Morocco]]

==Twin towns and sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Spain}}
Ceuta is [[town twinning|twinned]] with:
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Aci Catena]], Italy<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://femp.femp.es/files/566-1113-archivo/LISTADO%20HERMANAMIENTOS%20CON%20EUROPA.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003124430/http://femp.femp.es/files/566-1113-archivo/LISTADO%20HERMANAMIENTOS%20CON%20EUROPA.pdf |archive-date=2017-10-03 |url-status=live|title=Listado de corporaciones locales españolas hermanadas con Europa|publisher=[[Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces]]}}</ref>
* [[Algeciras]], Spain (since 1997)<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.europasur.es/algeciras/Ceuta-Algeciras-lustros-ciudades-hermanadas_0_612838954.html|journal=Europa Sur|date=5 August 2012|first=Carlos|last=Corrales|title=Ceuta y Algeciras, tres lustros como ciudades hermanadas}}</ref>
* [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina
* [[Cádiz]], Spain (since 2007)<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=Diario de Cádiz|url=https://www.diariodecadiz.es/cadiz/Cadiz-familia-numerosa_0_297570545.html|date=19 September 2009|first=Pablo Manuel|last=Durio|title=Cádiz tiene ya una familia más que numerosa}}</ref>
* [[Melilla]], Spain<ref>{{cite news |title=Ceuta, Melilla profile |work=BBC News |date=14 December 2018 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14114627 |access-date=18 October 2020}}</ref>
* [[Santarém, Portugal|Santarém]], Portugal<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.elpueblodeceuta.com/200711/20071127/200711275107.html|title=Vivas visitará el jueves la Casa de Ceuta en Cádiz antes de regresar|first=Luis|last=Parodi|date=27 November 2007|journal=El Pueblo de Ceuta}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Dispute with Morocco==
{{See also|Greater Morocco}}

The [[Cabinet of Morocco|Moroccan government]] has repeatedly called for Spain to transfer the sovereignty of Ceuta, [[Melilla]] and the ''[[plazas de soberanía]]'' to Morocco, with Spain's refusal to do so serving as a major source of tension in [[Morocco–Spain relations]]. In Morocco, Ceuta is frequently referred to as the "[[Military occupation|occupied]] Sebtah", and the Moroccan government has argued that the city, along with other Spanish territories in the region, are [[Colony|colonies]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-57305882 | title=Ceuta and Melilla: Spain's enclaves in North Africa | work=BBC News | date=4 June 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Europe or Africa? A contemporary study of the Spanish North African exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla|publisher=Liverpool University Press|isbn=0-85323-985-1|year=2000|pages=XII–XIII|first=Peter|last=Gold}}</ref> 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 an [[Enclave and exclave|exclave]] surrounded by Moroccan territory and the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and has no territorial continuity with the rest of Spain.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Castan Pinos | first= J. |date=2014 | chapter=The Spanish-Moroccan relationship: combining bonne entente with territorial disputes | editor=K. Stoklosa |title= Living on the border. European Border Regions in Comparison |page= 103 | place=Abingdon | publisher= Routledge}}</ref> This argument was originally developed by one of the founders of the Moroccan [[Istiqlal Party]], Alal-El Faasi, who openly advocated for Morocco to invade and occupy Ceuta and other North African territories under Spanish rule.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Castan Pinos|first= J. |date=2014 | title= La Fortaleza Europea: Schengen, Ceuta y Melilla|place= Ceuta|publisher= Instituto de Estudios Ceutíes|page= 61 |isbn=978-84-92627-67-7}}</ref> 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 the [[Government of Spain|Spanish government]] is 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/jun/12/worlddispatch.gibraltar |title=A rocky relationship  |work=The Guardian|date= 12 June 2003|access-date=17 June 2009 | location=London | first=Giles | last=Tremlett}}</ref> The majority of Ceuta's population support continued Spanish sovereignty and are opposed to Moroccan control over the territory.<ref>{{cite thesis| author= François Papet-Périn | title=La mer d'Alboran ou Le contentieux territorial hispano-marocain sur les deux bornes européennes de Ceuta et Melilla | id= 2 volumes  | degree= doctorat d'histoire contemporaine soutenue | date= 2012 |institution= Paris 1-Sorbonne }}</ref>

In 1986, Spain joined [[NATO]]. However, Ceuta is not under NATO protection since Article 6 of the [[North Atlantic Treaty]] limits such coverage to Europe and North America and islands north of the [[Tropic of Cancer]]. However, [[French Algeria]] was 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.<ref name="Newtral">{{cite web |title=¿Están Ceuta y Melilla bajo el paraguas de la OTAN? |url=https://www.newtral.es/ceuta-melilla-otan-expertos/20211002/ |website=Newtral |access-date=25 February 2022 |language=es |date=2 October 2021 |author=Thess Móstoles}}</ref> During the [[2022 Madrid summit]], the issue of the protection of Ceuta was raised by Spain, with NATO Secretary General [[Jens Stoltenberg]] stating: "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".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg following the meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Heads of State and Government (2022 NATO Summit)|url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_197301.htm|access-date=2023-01-14|website=NATO|language=en | date= 30 June 2022 | author1= Jens Stoltenberg | author1-link=Jens Stoltenberg | type=transcript}}</ref> On 21 December 2020, following statements made by Moroccan Prime Minister [[Saadeddine Othmani]] that Ceuta is "Moroccan as the [[Sahara]]", 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.<ref>{{Cite web|work=elDiario.es|date=21 December 2020|title=España convoca a la embajadora de Marruecos por unas declaraciones de su primer ministro sobre Ceuta y Melilla|url=https://www.eldiario.es/politica/espana-convoca-embajadora-marruecos-declaraciones-ceuta-melilla_1_6523031.html|access-date=22 December 2020|language=es}}{{pb}}{{cite web|date=22 December 2020|title=Moroccan Ambassador to Spain summoned over calls for territorial sovereignty talks|url=https://www.africanews.com/2020/12/22/moroccan-ambassador-to-spain-summoned-over-calls-for-territorial-sovereignty-talks/|access-date=22 December 2020|website=AfricaNews|language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[AD Ceuta FC]], football club
*[[Hotel Tryp Ceuta]]
*[[Porteadoras]] – mule ladies, bale workers
*[[Spanish Morocco]]
*[[European enclaves in North Africa before 1830]]
{{portal|Spain}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{notelist}}
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
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* {{citation |editor-last=Cauvin |editor-first=Joseph |title=Lempriere's Classical Dictionary, Abridged by E.h. Barker |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvQDAAAAQAAJ |editor2=Edmund Henry Barker |display-editors=1 |date=1843 |location=London |publisher=Longman, Brown, Green, & Longmans |contribution=Abila |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvQDAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA3 |ref={{harvid|Cauvin & al.|1843}} }}.
* {{citation |last=Dyer |first=Thomas H. |editor=William Smith |display-editors=0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j3gPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP9 |title=A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography |volume=II |location=London |publisher=John Murray |date=1873 |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j3gPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA965 |page=965 |contribution=Septem Fratres }}.
* {{citation |last=Lipiński |first=Edward |author-link=Edward Lipinski (orientalist) |title=Itineraria Phoenicia |series=''Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta'', No.{{nbsp}}127, ''Studia Phoenicia'', Vol.{{nbsp}}XVIII |publisher=Uitgeverij Peeters |location=Leuven |date=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLSzNfdcqfoC |isbn=9789042913448 }}.
* {{citation |editor-last=Smedley |editor-first=Edward |editor2=Hugh James Rose |editor3=Henry John Rose |display-editors=1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I1I_AQAAMAAJ |title=Encyclopaedia Metropolitana |volume=XXII |location=London |publisher=B. Fellowes & al. |date=1845 |contribution=Mauritania |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I1I_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA48 |pages=48–49 |ref={{harvid|Smedley & al.|1845}} }}.
* {{citation |last=Smith |first=Philip |title=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography |editor=William Smith |display-editors=0 |location=London |publisher=Walton & Maberly |date=1854 |contribution=Abyla |contribution-url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=abyla-geo&highlight=abyla }}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ceuta}}
{{Wikivoyage|Ceuta}}
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Ceuta |short=x}}
*{{in lang|es}} [http://www.ceuta.es/ Official Ceuta government website]
*[https://turismodeceuta.com/ Ceuta tourism website]

{{Ceuta}}
{{Administrative divisions of Spain}}
{{Autonomous Community capitals of Spain}}
{{Portuguese overseas empire}}
{{Outlying territories of European countries|state=collapsed}}
{{Countries and territories of North Africa}}
{{Phoenician cities and colonies navbox|state=autocollapse}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ceuta| ]]
[[Category:Autonomous cities of Spain]]
[[Category:Enclaves and exclaves]]
[[Category:Former Portuguese colonies]]
[[Category:Kingdom of the Algarve]]
[[Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Spain]]
[[Category:Morocco–Spain border crossings]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:Populated places of the Byzantine Empire]]
[[Category:Port cities in Africa]]
[[Category:Special territories of the European Union]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1995]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of Morocco]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of Spain]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 5th century BC]]
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[[Category:Phoenician colonies in Spain]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Spain]]