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About
Ceuta (UK: , US: , Spanish: [ˈθewta, ˈsewta] ; Moroccan Arabic: سَبْتَة, romanized: Sabtah) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of the special territories of members of the European Economic Area.
Phoenicians founded a settlement in the peninsula of Almina, which had continuity under Roman and Byzantine rule (Septem Fratres). It was annexed to the early Arab Caliphates upon the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb, only to be destroyed during the Berber Revolt. It was rebuilt in the ninth century by Majkasa Ghomaras. For much of the Middle Ages, regional powers north and south of the Strait of Gibraltar vied for control over Ceuta, which was a key contested port in the so-called Battle of the Strait. In 1415, it was annexed to the Kingdom of Portugal, and subsequently, after 1580, to the Hispanic Monarchy, with the city choosing to stay in the latter after 1640. Ceuta was a regular municipality belonging to the Spanish province of Cádiz prior to the passing of its Statute of Autonomy in March 1995, as provided by the Spanish Constitution, henceforth becoming an autonomous city.
Following the Decolonization of Africa, Ceuta and the Spanish city of Melilla became the only European-held territories left in mainland Africa. Along with the Canary Islands, Ceuta was classified as a free port before Spain joined the European Union. Its population is predominantly Christian and Muslim, with a small minority of Sephardic Jews and Sindhi Hindus, from Pakistan. Spanish is the official language of Ceuta, while Darija Arabic is also widely spoken.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.