Ceuta is one of Spain's two autonomous cities on the North African coast, together with Melilla. It occupies a narrow peninsula on the African shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, facing the Rock of Gibraltar and Algeciras, and borders only Morocco by land, which claims sovereignty over it. It is a singular place: a European city by administration, currency and language, but African by location, with one foot in the Atlantic and one in the Mediterranean.
A history of crossings
Because of its position on the Strait, Ceuta was disputed by every Mediterranean people: Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Visigoths and then the Arabs, who set out from here in 711 to conquer the Iberian peninsula. On 21 August 1415 it was taken by the Portuguese under King John I, with the young Prince Henry the Navigator: it was the first European conquest in Africa and the start of Portugal's overseas expansion (see the history of Portugal). When Portugal regained its independence from Spain in 1640, Ceuta chose to remain loyal to the Spanish king, and the Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 confirmed its transfer to Spain. The city's coat of arms is still the Portuguese one. Since 1995 Ceuta has been an autonomous city (see administrative divisions).
Four cultures
Ceuta has about 84,000 inhabitants, called ceutíes or, affectionately, caballas. A majority of European, Catholic origin lives alongside a large Muslim community, which also speaks colloquial Arabic (dariya), and small Jewish and Hindu communities. Each has its places of worship: the cathedral of the Assumption and the sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de África, the city's patron; the Sidi Embarek and Muley el Mehdi mosques; the Bet El synagogue; and the Hindu temple near Plaza de los Reyes.
What to see
- The Murallas Reales (Royal Walls), an imposing complex of walls and a navigable moat cutting the peninsula from sea to sea, among the best-preserved early modern fortifications.
- Monte Hacho, the headland closing the peninsula, with its military fortress, the hermitage of San Antonio and views over the Strait and the Spanish coast.
- The Parque Marítimo del Mediterráneo, a seafront complex of pools and gardens designed by Canarian artist César Manrique.
- The centre, with Plaza de África, the Museo de Ceuta and the modernist buildings of Paseo del Revellín.
- The beaches, some twenty kilometres of coast between the cooler Atlantic side and the calmer Mediterranean side.
Festivals and climate
The city's day is 2 September, anniversary of the Portuguese conquest. In August the Feria culminates on the 5th with the feast of the Virgen de África; in June come St Anthony, with a pilgrimage to Monte Hacho, and St John's night with bonfires on the beaches. The climate is Mediterranean and mild all year, with hot summers cooled by the Levante and Poniente winds that blow through the Strait.
Getting there
Ceuta is reached mainly by ferry from Algeciras, a crossing of about an hour, or by helicopter from Algeciras and Málaga. No special customs checks are needed to enter Ceuta from Spain, but the city lies outside the EU customs union and you need a passport to continue into Morocco. Below you will find the map and the municipality profile.