Ceuta

Ceuta is a Spanish autonomous city, located on the Tingitana peninsula, on the African shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, on the eastern side of it. It is bathed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, while to the west and southwest it borders Morocco. In 2017, the population of Ceuta was 84,959 inhabitants concentrated in an area of 18.5 km² in which citizens of different religions coexist, including Christianity, the Muslim, the Jewish and, to a lesser extent, the Hindu. The urbanized areas are located on the isthmus and in part of the Campo Exterior. The urban center and the oldest neighborhoods are located near the port and on the slopes of Mount Hacho, on a small peninsula known as Almina.

Thanks to its strategic location, the port of Ceuta plays an important role in the passage of the Strait, as well as in communications between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to the rugged terrain and the scarcity of water, energy and raw materials, both the primary sector, with the exception of fishing, and the secondary sector have little weight in the economy. Likewise, the construction sector is very restricted, due to the scarcity of land. However, Ceuta has the status of a free port and a series of tax advantages that favor trade. Its land border separates it from the Moroccan prefecture of Rincón-Castillejos and the province of Fahs-Anyera, both belonging to the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region.

The city of Ceuta was established as an autonomous city in 1995, despite the fact that the Spanish Constitution of 1978 recognizes its right to establish itself as an autonomous community, in its Fifth Transitory Provision. However, at the level of higher education, it has depended on the University of Granada since the 1940s, judicially it is attached to the demarcation of the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia, Ceuta and Melilla, based in Granada, and ecclesiastically it falls within the diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta.

Etymology

The origin of the name of Ceuta can be traced back to the designation given by the Romans to the seven mountains of the region (Septem Fratres). Of Septem > Septɘ > Sebta > Ceuta.

Ancient geographers and historians do not cite the town's place name, but one of them, Pomponio Mela, gave notice of the orographic peculiarities of the West of the Almina with its seven symmetrical mounds classified as Seven Brothers. Due to their phonetic similarity, it is thought that the numeral Septem (Arabized as Sebta) derived the place name of Ceuta.

History

Prehistory and Antiquity

Remains of the Paleoristian Basilica

The first traces of human presence in Ceuta date from 250,000 BC. C. In the VII century B.C. C. Phoenician settlements took place on the promontory of the cathedral and they founded the city with the name of Abyla. Later it was occupied by Phocian Greeks, who renamed it Hepta Adelphoi.

In 319 B.C. C., Carthage took over the city, which would become a Punic domain. In 201 B.C. C., with the surrender of Carthage at the end of the Second Punic War, the city is ceded to the Kingdom of Numidia. In 47 B.C. C., this will pass to Mauritanian domain. In the year 40 AD. C., Caligula annexed the kingdom, which will form part of the Roman Empire, within the province of Mauritania Tingitana, although it was in the year 42, already with Claudio on the imperial throne, when the city passed to the control of the Roman authorities.

Middle Ages

After four centuries of Roman domination, the city fell into the hands of the Vandals in 429, led by their king Gaiseric. In 534, the Byzantine general Belisarius reconquers Septem, in the North African campaigns of the Recuperatio Imperii undertaken by Emperor Justinian. And from the city he organizes the conquest of the coasts of Malacca and the province of Spania. The domination was brief, falling back into Visigothic hands after the Byzantine withdrawal.^{[citation needed]} In the year 675, the Visigothic king Wamba burned 270 enemy ships when he retook the city, and installed an earl loyal to his kingdom.

Merinian walls

In 709 Count Julián of Ceuta changed allegiances to the Umayyad Caliphate. In fact, Arabic sources speak of the count's betrayal as one of the causes of the defeat of the Visigothic kingdom in 711. In 788, it was invaded by the Idrisi emirate. In 931, the Umayyad caliph Abderramán III conquered the city for the Spanish caliphate. Not long after it suffered the division of the Caliphate into Taifa Kingdoms. In 1024 Ceuta remained under the rule of the Malaga taifa. In 1061 Suqut al-Bargawati proclaimed the Independent Lordship (Taifa of Ceuta), but in 1084 the Almoravids, led by Yusuf ibn Tasufin, conquered the city. In 1147 the Almohads occupied it.

In 1227 the martyrdom of Saint Daniel and his companions took place. In the year 1232 the city is captured by the Taifa of Murcia, although its domain was quite short, since in 1233 Ceuta was an independent city. The period of Ceuta's independence was also brief, since in 1236 the Benimerines occupied it, only to be conquered again in 1242, this time by the Hafsids. In 1249 the Azafí dynasty seized power in Ceuta. According to the Treaty of Monteagudo de las Vicarías (1291, between Castilla and Aragón), the city falls within the area of influence of Castilla. In 1305, being part of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, the city entered the game of Castile's Mediterranean politics.

However, in 1309 it was conquered by the Benimerines with Aragonese help. In the following years, the Benimerines had to defend the city against the Kingdom of Granada. In 1310 the azafis take control over the city again. In 1314 the Benimerines recapture it. In 1315 the azafis take control over the city again. In 1327 it is taken by the Benimerines. Around 1384 the kingdom of Granada captured it, however the city was besieged and despite the reinforcements, the Benimerines finally recaptured the city in 1386.

Tiles commemorating the taking of Ceuta by Infante Don Enrique at the Porto-São Bento Station in Porto

In 1415, King John I of Portugal, with his sons Eduardo, Pedro and Enrique "the Navigator", embarked on the first overseas adventure of that European country in the area. On August 21, that year they disembarked on the current beaches of San Amaro, were victorious in the battle of Ceuta and conquered the city, which triggered Enrique's territorial conquest projects. Given the nonsense of several captains to take charge of the city after the conquest, Pedro de Meneses, first count of Vila Real appeared before the king and with a stick called "Aleo" (with which a very popular game of the time was made) promulgated such a hymn: "Señor, with this stick I am enough to defend Ceuta from all its enemies" to the question of Juan I of Portugal if he was strong enough to take charge of such responsibility. Pedro de Meneses was appointed first governor and captain general of the city. The famous Aleo is currently preserved in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Africa and has been passed from hand to hand through all the generals who come to command the square, swearing to defend the city as Pedro de Meneses cited. After a treaty with the Kingdom of Fez, it recognizes Ceuta as Portuguese. The city was recognized as Portuguese by the Treaty of Alcáçovas and the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Modern Age

Ceuta in the second half of the centuryXVI (Civitates Orbis Terrarum)

After the death of King Sebastian I of Portugal in 1578, the Kingdom of Portugal after a succession crisis was incorporated into the Hispanic Monarchy in 1580. In 1640 Ceuta did not follow Portugal in its secession, preferring to remain under the sovereignty of Philip IV, but decided to keep the arms of Portugal on its coat of arms and on its flag. In 1656 the city was granted a Charter of Nature and added the title of Most Loyal to those it already held as Noble and Loyal. In 1668 the Treaty of Lisbon signed between Spain and Portugal recognized Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta.

Once secure in power and taking advantage of the chaos in which the Iberian Peninsula was raging, Mulay Ismail set his sights on evicting the Spanish from the African coast and took San Miguel de Ultramar (La Mamora) and Larache (al- Arais) and tries to seize Ceuta. Between 1694 and 1724 the siege of Ceuta by the sultan of Morocco took place. In 1704, after being surrounded by land, Ceuta resisted the British Royal Navy that took Gibraltar. The Moroccans attack the city by land while an Anglo-Dutch fleet shells and attempts to land on the city. The Moroccans besieged the city in 1732, 1757 and 1790-1791.

Contemporary Age

Plano de Ceuta in the centuryXIX

In 1812 the City Board became the Constitutional City Council. Between 1859 and 1860 the African War took place and an increase in the city limits. In 1912 the prison was abolished and the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco was established in its northern area. On January 21, 1932, an Order was published that determines that for legal and litigation purposes, the Ceuta city council will be understood to be part of the province of Cádiz, but this will not prevent Ceuta from acquiring certain provincial administrations such as Health Boards, entity that until then had all the provincial capitals.

Ceuta at the beginning of the centuryXX.

Civil War

In 1936 the Civil War began. The uprising, carried out by troops led by Juan Yagüe, lieutenant colonel of the Legion, prevailed in Ceuta at dawn on July 17-18, without encountering much resistance. Soldiers loyal to the government and personalities from the Popular Front, such as the mayor, Antonio López Sánchez-Prado, were later shot after being subjected to summary trials. Ceuta was of great importance in the first months of the war, as a crossing point for the Army of North Africa in the occupation of the Iberian Peninsula.

On January 21, 1937, Ceuta was bombarded by Republican aviation, especially the market, with the result of 36 deaths, according to the Francoist report.

In 1956 the independence of Morocco arrived with the end of the Protectorate and Ceuta served as a base for the withdrawal of the forces that were stationed in the emancipated territory. Since its independence, Morocco has claimed sovereignty over the city of Ceuta and Melilla, which Spain has never been willing to negotiate. This conflict has been a point of continuous disagreements in the relationship between the two countries. In 1978 the Spanish Constitution, like other previous ones, recognized it as a component territory of the Spanish nation, integrating it into the new model of territorial organization, with the provision of the possibility of becoming an Autonomous Community. In 1995 the Statute of Autonomy of the city was promulgated. Ceuta, together with Melilla, achieves the status of autonomous city. On November 5, 2007, it was visited by Juan Carlos I and Sofía from Greece. It had been eighty years since a Spanish monarch had officially visited Ceuta.

Geography

View from the viewpoint of Isabel II

The media usually refer to both Ceuta and Melilla as Spanish enclaves in North Africa. However, it is an erroneous designation, since they have a maritime frontage, territorial waters, and, as recognized by international law, an outlet to the international sea. They could be called imperfect enclaves or maritime enclaves. From another perspective, they are fragmented territories or loose territories with respect to the central core of the country, in this case peninsular Spain. In Spanish there is no term to refer to this specific reality, but in English there is; It is peni-enclave which literally means almost an enclave, in the same way that peninsula etymologically means almost an island. The territory of Ceuta is sometimes referred to as the Ceuta peninsula. Ceuta's geographical location is equivalent to that of Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia, Eastern Thrace in Turkey, or French Guiana in South America.

Northwest: Strait of Gibraltar	North: Strait of Gibraltar	Northeast: Mediterranean Sea
West: Morocco		This: Mediterranean Sea
Southwest: Morocco	South: Mediterranean Sea	Sureste: Mediterranean Sea

Perimeter Map

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Interactive map — Ceuta and its municipality

Relief

The morphology of the Ceuta terrain is due to the alpine folding, which divided this land up to the great platform of the Sahara. Its main orographic feature is Mount Hacho, formed by an anticline. The rest is made up of an isthmus that joins the Hacho with the African continent and an islet known as Santa Catalina Island. The isthmus is made up of metamorphic terrain with a complex geological composition, with five different areas and whose main element is the Anyera mountain range, which runs parallel to the coast, which in the vicinity of the city is called Mujer Muerta. The territory of Ceuta has seven outstanding hills or elevations (which are the origin of the name of the city: Septem Fratres – Septa – Ceuta) among which Mount Anyera stands out with 349 m of altitude, which is the highest point of this autonomy. Traditionally considered as the dividing line between the waters of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, Ceuta is surrounded by the sea that forms two bays, the northern one facing the Iberian Peninsula and the southern one facing Morocco.

The impermeable slate schists that make up the terrain of the Ceuta peninsula make it difficult to create pockets of water in the subsoil. Despite this, the existence of sources has been verified throughout history, although all in the Campo Exterior: de la Teja, stream of Bombas, source of Lightning, etc.

Among the mountains or elevations of Ceuta are Monte Hacho, Monte de la Tortuga, Isabel II, Anyera and Aranguren.

In Ceuta there are two bodies of fresh water: the Infierno reservoir and the El Renegado reservoir.

Beaches

In the autonomous city there are several beach areas: La Ribera, El Chorrillo, Benítez, La Potabilizadora or El Desnarigado, El Sarchal, San Amaro, El Calamocarro, Benzú, Santa Catalina, Punta Blanca, Almadraba, and El Trampolín.

The cavalry is one of the symbols of Ceuta, the ceutites are known as mackerel. A hypocorstic (a caring people), very common in some Spanish cities of the area (La Línea de la Concepción, Algeciras, Estepona)

Climate

The climate is subtropical/Mediterranean, characterized by mild temperatures (especially in winter) and irregular rainfall. However, it is colored by two important factors: the relief and the sea that surrounds it. The relief, represented by the Jebel-Musa, acts as a screen against the humidity-laden Atlantic winds, and the maritime influence makes temperatures mild both in summer and winter. The annual average is 18.8 °C. Summer is quite warm; with average maximum temperatures close to 30 °C in July and August, while the minimums occur in January/February, being infrequent for them to drop below 10 degrees, since the normal average minimums in winter are between 11-13 °C. The minimum temperature recorded in Ceuta was 1.3 °C on January 27, 2005. The temperature difference between the waters that separate the Strait and the moisture-laden winds from the Atlantic cause abundant rainfall, with a total of more than 600 liters per square meter. The rainfall regime is very irregular, with a maximum in winter and great aridity extended between the months of May and September. The relative humidity is also high, 70.3% annual average.

Average climate parameters of Ceuta, Spain
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	21.7	25.5	27.9	28.4	33.7	35.3	40.2	38.9	34.8	33.1	27.2	25.6	40.2
Average temperature (°C)	16.1	16.7	17.8	19.4	22.5	25.8	28.9	28.5	26.1	22.9	18.9	16.7	21.7
Average temperature (°C)	13.6	14.2	15.0	16.5	19.2	22.3	25.0	25.1	23.0	20.2	16.5	14.4	18.8
Temp. medium (°C)	11.1	11.6	12.2	13.6	15.9	18.8	21.1	21.7	19.9	17.5	14.0	12.2	15.8
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	1.3	4.4	7.2	9.0	10.5	13.2	16.3	18.0	15.3	12.2	7.4	6.3	1.3
Total precipitation (mm)	122	145	90	57	21	3	1	3	37	82	127	161	849
Precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	7	8	6	5	3	1	0	1	2	5	7	9	54
Days of snowfall (≥ 1 mm)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Relative humidity (%)	72	75	68	71	66	67	61	70	72	75	73	73	70.3
Source: State Agency for Meteorology and Weather.com

Flora and fauna

Galactites elegans

The vegetation has suffered the inconveniences derived from the defensive needs of the population, which made it necessary to keep the Outer Field clear. During many stages of its history, systematic felling was carried out in the vicinity of the walled enclosure. The demand for developable and agricultural land also caused the loss of plant spaces, from that time there are chestnut trees planted more than 400 years ago (Castaño de Ceuta).

The characteristic species of the area was the cork oak, a species that the forest engineer Máximo Laguna inventoried on July 31, 1860 in 419 hectares and 365,360 feet, leaving only 15 ha today that are visible in Benzú and the Mendicuti ravine, but the process of degradation by human action has made it the pine and eucalyptus that constitute the secondary forests, the product of successive repopulations; Of the original original forest there is also still a valuable redoubt of Andalusian oaks (Moorish gall oak from the fountain of dogs). It should be noted that in the vicinity of the hermitage of San Antonio (Mount Hacho) the first repopulation with pine trees took place.

The poplar was the most common tree in the 18th and XIX, being replaced in the present by acacia, dragon trees and American species, planted in the first quarter of the century XX, such as Ficus benjamina. Species such as the fan palm or the prickly pear and others typical of the Mediterranean scrub, so characteristic throughout the region, complete the plant landscape of Ceuta.

Regarding the fauna, the classical sources mention the existence of elephants and big cats which, along with gazelles as well as jackals and Barbary macaques (both still present in the vicinity), constituted the most characteristic zoological community. Today all this fauna has completely disappeared, with other species still present such as the porcupine, fox, or wild boar and small amphibians and reptiles such as the black tortoise, the North African salamander, the Moorish toad, the North African green frog, the skink Riffian, the Atlas tridactyl skink, the Atlas ocellated lizard or the Tangier blind shingles. Its skies are frequented by hundreds of birds, which cross it on their periodic migrations.

The marine environment, although also affected by the action of man, exhibits a great wealth and diversity of flora and fauna species verified both in the scientific field, as well as in the daily life of its market and markets.

Both its mountains and its seabed have a special protection figure for the conservation of biodiversity in the European Union, being included in the Natura 2000 Network.

Demographics

Ceuta has 85,144 inhabitants as of January 1, 2018. The Spanish population includes those of Arab, Hindu, and Jewish origin. The Hindu population considers their arrival in Ceuta in 1910, linked to the trade in the free zone, as occurs in the Canary Islands, Melilla or Gibraltar. There are Jewish communities throughout North Africa since their expulsion from Spain in 1492, existing in the Nearby Tetouan a Jewish cemetery in which Sephardic Jews have been buried since their expulsion until the years of the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco. From the north of Morocco and its relationship with Ceuta comes the Maghrebi or Muslim population of Ceuta.

Graphic of demographic evolution of Ceuta between 1877 and 2018

Population of Law (1900-1991) or resident population (2001) according to population censuses of the INE. Population according to the 2017 municipal plan of the INE.

• Gentle: ceutí. Colloquially, the ceutites are called "caballas", a name derived from the fish called mackerel or green.

The official and common language of all Ceuta is Spanish, especially the Andalusian variety, although the original language of their ancestors is also widely used by each community as a symbol of cultural identity. Thus, the Hindu community mainly uses Hindi in the older population and English in the young. The Hebrew community uses haquetía, a North African dialect of Ladino or Judeo-Spanish. The Muslim population mainly speaks a variety of Dariya (دارجة) widespread in northern Morocco in a local variety of an exclusively oral character. Regarding its officialization, there is a debate about whether or not it is convenient to overcome school failure. Berber or Tamazight is barely perceptible, reaching only 0.2 percent.

Only Spanish enjoys official recognition, but the rest of the languages are exalted every February 21 on International Mother Language Day.

Administration and politics

Town Hall of Ceuta

Pre-autonomic framework

Ceuta and Melilla had been municipalities in Cádiz and Málaga, respectively, since the provincial division of Javier de Burgos, with slight periods in which they were separated from them (dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, second Spanish republic). In the previous negotiations on the future Andalusian autonomous community, the suitability of Ceuta and Melilla forming part of the new Andalusian autonomous framework was questioned by the representatives of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party. UCD and some Andalusian regionalists were against separating them. The PSA did not have a clear position. At the same time, the people from Ceuta, the people from Melilla and the Ucedistas and Socialists from the cities were against segregation. The reasons put forward by the socialist party were two:

On the one hand, Morocco had recently occupied Western Sahara, it was feared that Ceuta and Melilla would soon be attacked by that same country. Consequently, the new autonomous community would be destabilized. The other reason was the consideration of Ceuta and Melilla as two bastions of the right in which it was impossible for the PSOE to win elections. This compromised the victory of the socialists in the future Andalusian government. Finally, Ceuta and Melilla were excluded from the new Andalusian autonomous framework. None of the issues raised by the socialists was fulfilled: there was no Moroccan attack on Ceuta and Melilla and the socialist party won the immediate elections in both cities against the representatives of the right.

In 1981 the municipalities of Ceuta and Melilla requested compliance with the fifth transitory provision of the Spanish constitution, which declares that:

The cities of Ceuta and Melilla may be constituted in Autonomous Communities if so decided by their respective municipalities by agreement adopted by the absolute majority of its members and thus authorized by the General Courts, by an Organic Law, in the terms provided for in article 144.

Due to Moroccan pressure, the autonomy statutes of Ceuta and Melilla were not promulgated until 1995. The article was never applied, since in 1995 it was granted an Autonomy Statute (Organic Law 1 /95, B.O.E. March 14, 1995) that established the city as an autonomous entity not comparable to an autonomous community. Since the entry into force of this statute, the city is known as an autonomous city. The 1995 statute made it possible for the positions in the city not to be duplicated, since the municipal positions became autonomous at the same time. In this way, the president of Ceuta is in turn the mayor, the municipal plenary session is in turn the autonomous chamber (Assembly of Ceuta) and the councilors are also autonomous deputies.

Autonomous framework

In 2005, a project was started to reform the Statute of Autonomy, where, in addition to assuming greater powers, the autonomous city of Ceuta would officially be renamed an autonomous community, completely equating itself with the rest of the Spanish autonomies. However, the reform was not carried out due to the refusal of the Popular Party. The Caballas Coalition, UPYD, IU currently demand the conversion of Ceuta and Melilla into autonomous communities. There is currently another current of thought among Andalusian regionalists who propose the conversion of Ceuta into the ninth Andalusian province, prior approval by the Cortes, endowing the city with a provincial council, converting the Benzú neighborhood into a municipality with a municipal term and endowing it with a town hall, as well as incorporating the islands of Perejil and Alborán into said ninth province. The flag of Andalusia has Hercules in its central shield with the two columns, one of them being the mackerel city. The great link that exists between Ceuta and the rest of the Andalusian territory in the social, historical, cultural, sporting and military spheres are important arguments in favor of this proposal.

Moroccan territorial dispute

Since the 1970s the Government of Morocco has claimed the inclusion in its territory of Melilla and Ceuta, as well as the squares of sovereignty bordering Moroccan territory. The Government of Spain has never established negotiations of any kind, since it considers Ceuta, Melilla and the plazas part of the Spanish national territory. In the same way, the majority of Spaniards also considers that the two cities are Spanish. The status of Ceuta and Melilla has aroused, mainly by the British and Moroccan media, and by the Moroccan government itself, comparisons with Spain's territorial claim to Gibraltar. Both the Spanish government, as well as Ceuta and Melilla, and their inhabitants, reject These comparisons are based on the fact that Melilla and Ceuta are integral parts of Spain since before the existence of the Moroccan kingdom, which is none other than the Sultanate of Morocco in the XVII, while Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, or colony, such status having been established in the Treaty of Utrecht which brought it under the "guardianship" of the United Kingdom without ever having been an integral part of the United Kingdom. Gibraltar, unlike Ceuta, Melilla and the sovereign squares, is on the list of territories to be decolonized. Morocco, however, dismisses these arguments under the nationalist idea of Greater Morocco.

The ISO 3166-1 standard reserves the extension EA as the country code for Ceuta and Melilla. The call code (call sign) used by radio amateurs in these two cities is EA9, and they are each considered "entities" apart.

Assembly

Presidents

Juan Jesús Vivas, mayor-president of Ceuta

Democratic mayors

In 1995, Ceuta became an autonomous city. The successive mayors of the city thus become mayor-president, assuming the functions granted by the city's Statute of Autonomy.

Monuments and places of interest

Real walls and navigable pit

House of the Dragons

• Istmo de Ceuta

• The first line of the Royal Walls: of the Arab period (711-1415) the innermost, suffering subsequent modifications, being the most important part built by the Portuguese and reconstructed by the Spanish in the years 1674 and 1705. Today, the Royal Walls host one of the headquarters of the Museum of the City, specifically in the so-called Revellín de San Ignacio. They are also completed with underground galleries, excavated for the defense of the city and the Puerta de la Ribera and Escudo de Portugal.
• Walls of the Paseo de las Palmeras: north canvas of the old city walls, with Torreón de San Miguel.

Africa Square

In its center is the Monument to the Fallen in the African War, erected to those who fell in the War of 1859-60. Its height is 13.50 meters, in the lower part it has interesting bronze bas-reliefs, made by Susillo. It has a crypt that does not have free access.

In it are located:

• Cathedral: under the avocation of the Assumption of the Virgin, it was built on a mosque of the period of Arab domination (711-1415). During the site of the thirty years he was a blood hospital. The last refurbishment is 1949. The Chapel of the Blessed Virgin stands out with a baroque altarpiece and the frescoes of Miguel Bernardini, in addition to three large canvases and the image of the Virgin Chapel of Portuguese origin (centuryXV). With neoclassical cover of black marble. Inside with three naves, with a big choir on the front.
• Sanctuary and church of Saint Mary of Africa: built in the centuryXVwith subsequent reforms, the most important being that of the centuryXVIII. It contains the very venerated image of the Virgin of Africa, donated by the Infante Enrique the Navigator. Behind it, the monument to Lt. Col. Santiago González-Tablas is located on the Palmeras promenade.
• Palacio de la Asamblea de Ceuta.

Gran Via

• Basilica Tardorromana with its museum annex. It is dated in the middle of the centuryIVd. C.
• Front of La Almina

La Almina Peninsula

Due to the economic boom that the city experienced since the beginning of the XX century, there are a number of buildings that fall within multi-style, eclectic; Casa de los Dragones, Casa Delgado, art deco that stands out as the greatest exponent of the architect José Blein, with works such as the Building of the old "Junta del Puerto", today "Port Authority of Ceuta" (see museums), or whatever was the old Bus Station, currently a Regionalist Police Station; Military Casino and Trujillo Building.

Trujillo Building

Plaza de la Constitución, with the Monument to Hercules: in an even number, sculptures flanking the mouth of the port and the Statues of the old Garden of San Sebastián: they represent work, graphic arts, industry, commerce, navigation and to Africa.

Hercules separating columns

• Lt. Ruiz Square: open to Real Street. It has a monument in honor of the ceutí hero Jacinto Ruiz and Mendoza, one of the protagonists of the uprising of May 2, 1808 during the War of Independence.
• Church of Our Lady of the Valley (first temple built by the Portuguese).
• Tower of the Heliographer or of the Valley, Arab tower.
• Church of San Francisco.
• Church of Santa Maria de los Remedios.
• Bet-El synagogue.
• Hindu temple.
• Marina, Marine Village and Mediterranean Sea Park: designed by César Manrique. It is filled with sea water and built by gaining ground to this. It is located the Grand Casino of Ceuta.

Mediterranean Sea Park

Grand Casino

• Arab baths: remains found in Ceuta and dating back to the centuryXIII, represent the plant of an atypical Arab bath, in zigzag, with four rooms, parallel two to two, constituted by four complete rooms. All of them have a sensibly rectangular shape, with their larger sides oriented towards north-south. The Islamic world attributed this type of facility, in addition to hygienic and curative virtues, a possible religious significance, as it was the best imaginable means of cleansing body and surrendering to prayer in a state of total purity.
• Abastos Warehouse.
• Lieutenant Ruíz's quarter.

Ravelin Block

With the Ceuta Museum, the Revellín Auditorium: designed by the Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza.

Defenses of La Almina

Mount Hacho

Enlargement

• Old Railway Station.

Islamic fortifications

The Merinid Walls are a set of walls and towers from the XIII century built during the Arab domination. This large enclosure, over the years, was a citadel, a hostel, a refuge for garrisons, foreigners and troops who were forced to spend the night outside the urban area of the medieval city. These walls constitute one of the most important monumental remains of Ceuta's historical past. Of the almost 1,500 meters of primitive construction, today only the western flank remains standing, with about 500 meters, several bastions and two twin towers that frame the so-called Puerta de Fez.

The Tower of the Barranco de Mendicuti, the Tower of the Farmhouse of the Antigua Huerta de Regulares, the Tower of the "cortijo de Fuente la Higuera" and the Tower and Cistern of the Loma de Luengo.

Neo-Medieval forts

Other places

• Old Comandari Bloc
• New Comandari Bloc.
• Sidi Embarek Mosque.
• Muley el-Mehdi Mosque, 1937.
• Christ of Medinaceli: it is an image that is kept in the Church of Saint Ildefonso (Barriada del Príncipe).
• Barriada de Benzú: on the coast of the Strait, it houses typical jewellery.
• Serrallo headquarters
• Annex: Cultural Interest Goods of Ceuta
• Mediterranean Sea Park
• Real Murallas de Ceuta
• House of the Dragons

Services

Health

The city has both public and private health centers

Education

Colleges: Colegio San Agustín Colegio Beatriz de Silva Colegio Severo Ochoa Sta College. Maria Micaela College The Immaculate Cooperative of Teaching and College San Daniel Colegio Público Federico García Lorca Colegio Público Lope de Vega Colegio Público Príncipe Felipe Colegio Público Reina Sofía Colegio Público Rosalía de Castro Colegio Público Santiago Ramón y Cajal Colegio Público Vicente Aleixandre Colegio Público José Ortega y Gasset Colegio Público Juan Carlos I Colegio Público Juan Morejón Colegio Público Maestro José Acosta Colegio Público Mare Nostrum Colegio Público Pablo Ruiz Picasso Colegio Público Ramón María del Valle Inclán Colegio Público Santa Amelia Colegio Público Santiago Ramón y Cajal Colegio Público Ciudad de Ceuta

Institutes: Institute Seven Colinas Instituto Luis de Camoens Abyla Institute Instituto Puertas del Campo Instituto Clara Campoamor Almina Institute Libraries: Military Historical Library Public Library of the State "Aldolfo Suárez" Ceuta Public Library Public Library of the UGR Campus UNED Public Library University: UGR Campus in Ceuta UNED Public Library Adolfo Suárez

Transportation

EuroFerrys Boat in the port

From the peninsula

The city of Ceuta is connected to the rest of Spain only through the port, the Algeciras heliport and the Málaga-Costa del Sol airport. From the first, four different companies leave ferries to the port of Ceuta. The journey lasts approximately 45 minutes and there are between 15 and 20 crossings a day between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. The schedules and departures of the ships can be consulted on the official website of the Ceuta Port Authority or on similar sites. From Malaga and Algeciras, a passenger helicopter service operates to the Ceuta heliport. This service makes four daily journeys in each direction on the Ceuta-Málaga line from 7:15 a.m. to 8:15 p.m., lasting 35 minutes; while the journey between Algeciras-Ceuta takes 7 minutes. Trains and buses depart from both Malaga and Algeciras to various points in Spain, and it is possible to travel to Madrid and Barcelona by high-speed train from the Malaga-María Zambrano Station in Malaga.

From Morocco

From Morocco, the only means of transportation to get to Ceuta is in private vehicles or crossing the border on foot. The closest major Moroccan cities are Tetouan, 40 km away, and Tangier, 68 km away.

From Rabat and Casablanca the drive to Ceuta takes about 4 hours.

Urban transport

Urban transport is served by 9 bus lines, which carry out the following routes:

• Line 1: Bda Circumvalation. San Amaro.
• Line 2: Plaza de la Constitución-Bda. Shot.
• Line 3: Plaza de la Constitución-Bda. la Libertad.
• Line 4: Plaza de la Constitución-Mutua de Ceuta.
• Line 5: Plaza de la Constitución-Bda. Benzú.
• Line 6: Plaza de la Constitución-Bda. Juan Carlos I
• Line 7: Plaza de la Constitución-Frontera del Tarajal.
• Line 8: Plaza de la Constitución-Bda. Prince Alfonso.
• Line 9: Plaza de la Constitución-Recinto Sur.

Economy

Coastal view

In the economy of Ceuta, the enormous weight of the tertiary sector stands out. There is hardly agriculture or livestock, so fishing is the only important activity in the primary sector. The rugged terrain and the scarcity of water, energy and raw materials have prevented further development of the city. Likewise, both the secondary sector and the construction sector are very restricted due to the scarcity of land, despite the fact that the latter sector has experienced notable development in recent years. Ceuta, like Melilla, has the status of a free port. It also has a series of tax advantages, such as discounts on some taxes. VAT is not constituted, and 50% of the capital is returned in direct taxes.

Evolution of outstanding debt

The concept of outstanding debt includes only debts with savings banks and banks related to financial credits, fixed-income securities and loans or credits transferred to third parties, excluding, therefore, commercial debt.

Graphic of evolution of the city council's living debt between 2008 and 2016

Living city council debt in thousands of Euros according to data from the Ministry of Finance and Ad. Public.

The outstanding municipal debt per inhabitant in 2014 amounted to €2,583.77.

Culture

Museums

Municipal Museum

• Museo de la Basílica Tardorromana: around the Basilica Tardorromana de Ceuta, today declared a Cultural Interest Bien and dated in the centuryIV this modern museum stands, which has the conception of Pavilion of Time. Among other pieces you can admire the Roman sarcophagus discovered in the 1970s in the square of the Constitution, as well as different types of burials, pieces of the Madrasa al-Yadida and ceramics of different times. The basilica itself, with its apse and main burial, also has a well preserved medieval jibe (augurated on November 1, 2006).
• Military Museum of the Castle of the Desnarigado: strong with history of the centuries X and XVI. The current is neomedieval style (sylumXIX). It contains collections of objects related to Ceuta's military history.
• The Military Museum of the Legion: contains a collection of objects from the Legionnaires.
• Regular Military Museum: contains a collection of objects from the Regular Corps.
• Military Cavalry Museum: contains a collection of objects from the Cavalry Corps.
• Museum of the Harbour Authority: contains a collection of objects related to the history of the port of Ceuta.
• The Cathedral Museum: the Cathedral has a small museum with its pieces of dolls and rainy layers of the centuries. XVI Al XIX, several unquestionable, singers, bules and sizes.

Exhibition halls

• Military Pavilion of the Revellín Headquarters: building built in 1900, located in the city centre. It hosts the Institute of Ceuta Studies and two temporary exhibition rooms.
• Revellín de San Ignacio: located in a fortification of the centuryXVIII, in the Plaza de Armas of the Monumental Set of the Royal Walls and hosts temporary art exhibitions.
• Revellín del Ángulo de San Pablo: with the exhibition The 7 essences of Ceuta.

Festivities and marked commemorations

Blessed Christ of Good Death in Isabel Cabral Street

• February: carnival, which starts on a Sunday with the traditional 'mejilloná', where you can taste dishes of mussels free of charge and enjoy the actions of the Groups in their different modalities. On Saturday of the following week will be held the Contest of Carnival Groups in the modalities of Quartet, Chirigota and Comparsa. On Sunday just after the grouping contest, it is celebrated 'the dominguito'. During the week after the contest the different groups will sing through the bars of the city, being on Saturday the Grand Cabalgata de costumes, where our carnival ends.
• Holy Week with her sisterhoods and brotherhoods.
• June 13: Day of the Romery of San Antonio de Padua.
• August 5: City Patron Day (Virgen of Africa).
• August 1st: Patron Festivals in honor of Santa Maria of Africa.
• 2 September: Ceuta Day.
• October 10: City Pattern Day (San Daniel).
• 1 November: Day of All Saints and Mochila Day; festive day in which the tradition of visiting the cemetery to deposit flowers in the tombs of the deceased is added the tradition of Mochila Dayin which the ceutites go to the field with fruits of time and dried fruits.
• The Eid al Adha. Also known as 'sacrifice party' or 'lamb party', it is one of the most important parties in the Muslim calendar. Its date varies as it is governed by the lunar calendar. It has official status, recognized since 2010, first time that a non-Catholic religious feast is officially held in Spain since the Reconquest.

Each community celebrates its festivities, such as the Hebrew Hanukkah, the Hindu Diwali, or the Aid-al Kebir, also called Easter of Sacrifice or Feast of the Lamb, this being the only festivity of a non-Christian community that enjoys official recognition since the year 2010 in the work calendar.

Gastronomy

Chicken hearts

Ceuta gastronomy is influenced by Andalusian and Arab cuisine. It stands out mainly for its seafood and its fish, both fresh, which we can find in the large markets of the city, and salted, which are found in the 'volaeras', located on the esplanades of El Chorrillo beach such as, -the pretty one, the "flew"-.

Its coasts dotted with coves and rocks mean that underwater fishing is considered exceptional due to its rich marine flora and fauna.

Moorish skewers are also characteristic and the sandwiches called "camperos" (sandwich made with Moorish bread, to which chicken or beef skewers, fillet chicken, hamburger or pork loin). In addition, you can find the traditional chicken hearts, and prickly pears when it is in season. In recent times, Hindu and Hebrew food has had a great influence.

Sports

Football

The city of Ceuta has had several representative teams throughout its history. The first to stand out was Ceuta Sport, founded in 1932 and which in 1941 changed its name to Sociedad Deportiva Ceuta. It was the most successful club in the Hispano-Moroccan Championship, as well as the first team from Ceuta to participate in the Copa del Rey and to reach the Second Division league, even competing for promotion to the First Division. In 1956 it merged with Atlético Tetuán and formed Club Atlético de Ceuta, which also played several seasons in the Second Division of Spain, on one occasion disputing promotion to the First Division. The team fell to regional categories in the late 1960s.

In 1970, the Agrupación Deportiva Ceuta was created, which competed for a season in the Second Division of Spain, before disappearing in 1992 due to financial problems. In 1996 the Ceuta Sports Association was founded, a team that has never surpassed the Second Division B. In the 2001-02 season they obtained a runner-up in the fourth group of the Second Division B. They played a total of five phases of promotion to the Second Division, facing teams like Racing de Ferrol, Hércules de Alicante, Pontevedra and Girona Fútbol Club among others. In the 2011-2012 season, they suffered an administrative relegation to the Third Division due to financial problems and the inability to meet player payments. The following season, the Ceuta Sports Association decided to merge with Atlético Ceuta, champion of the Ceuta Regional Preference and recently promoted to Third Division, due to the infeasibility of keeping two teams from the same city in the same national category. This fact means the disappearance of the Ceuta Sports Association. In the 2013-14 season, Atlético Ceuta decided to change its name, supposing its disappearance, replacing it with Agrupación Deportiva Ceuta Fútbol Club (AD. Ceuta FC), the current highest representative of the city in terms of football, which competes in Group X of the Third Division. So far he has achieved a 4th and a 5th place, disputing a promotion phase to 2nd B, but was dropped by Laredo.

It is worth noting the eternal rivalry with Algeciras, the team with which he disputes the "Derbi del Estrecho".

Football

One of the city's sports clubs is Unión África Ceuti, which currently participates in the Second Division. It plays its matches at home in the Guillermo Molina Ríos Pavilion, with capacity for 1000 spectators.

The city also has Camoens in the second national division of women's futsal.

Media

Newspapers

Apart from the national newspapers, both general and sports, there are two local newspapers: El Faro and El Pueblo de Ceuta.

Television

All national channels are broadcast, as well as the Andalusian public channel, Canal Sur Televisión. The city has a local chain and a national one. Radio Televisión Española in Ceuta has its local programming, on Radio Nacional de España and Televisión Española. In addition, Televisión Española en Andalucía broadcasts a daily news item on Ceuta.

• Radio Televisión Ceuta
• Radio Televisión Española

Radius

You can tune in to all national stations, which have local editions. The city also has a local radio station:

• Radio Televisión Ceuta

Twin cities

Notable people