CEUTA

Arabic Sebta Spanish plaza (enclave), military post, and free port on the coast of Morocco, at the Mediterranean entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. Though physically contiguous with Morocco, Ceuta is administered by Spain. It is one of the five plazas constituting Spanish North Africa (along with Melilla and three smaller areas). The city is on a narrow isthmus that connects Mount Hacho (one of the Pillars of Hercules) to the mainland. Successively colonized by Carthaginians, Greeks, and Romans, it became independent under the Byzantine governor Count Julian. Because of Ceuta's commercial importance in ivory, gold, and slaves, it was continually disputed until Portugal gained control (1415). The port passed to Spain in 1580 and was assigned to Spain in the Treaty of Lisbon (1688). At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War (1936), General Francisco Franco dispatched an expedition to Spain from Ceuta. In 1995 the Spanish government approved statutes of autonomy for Ceuta, replacing the city council with an assembly similar to those of Spain's other autonomous communities. Five centuries of Spanish Christian occupation have given the place a European rather than Moorish appearance. (Only about a third of the population is Muslim.) Lying south of the isthmus, the port consists of a small bay enclosed by two breakwaters. With the construction of modern port facilities, Ceuta grew as a military, transport, and commercial centre. Fishing and the drying and processing of the catch are important industries, as are brewing, metallurgy, and machine repairs. Tourism has gradually become significant. A teacher-training college, business school, and administrative school are affiliated with the University of Granada. Area 8 square miles (20 square km). Pop. (1994 est.) 68,867.