View source for Plazas de soberanía

{{Short description|Spanish territories along the northern African coast}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}

{{Infobox settlement
| name               = {{lang|es|Plazas de soberanía}}
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| image_skyline      = Mapa del sur de España neutral.png
| imagesize          = 350px
| image_caption      = The {{lang|es|plazas de soberanía}}, plus [[Ceuta]] (with [[Perejil Island]]{{efn|{{lang|es|Isla de Perejil}} {{in lang|es}}}}) and [[Melilla]] on the mainland, and [[Alboran Island]]{{efn|{{lang|es|Isla de Alborán}} {{in lang|es}}}} (with [[:es:Islote de La Nube|Nube Islet]]{{efn|{{lang|es|Islote de La Nube}} {{in lang|es}}}}) approx. 50 km north of the African coast
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| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{Flag|Spain}}
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
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| government_type    = {{ubli|''De facto'' [[unincorporated area]]<ref name="elcano">{{cite web |last1=del Valle |first1=Alejandro |title=Ceuta, Melilla, Chafarinas, Vélez y Alhucemas: tomar la iniciativa (ARI) |url=http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/rielcano_es/contenido?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/elcano/elcano_es/zonas_es/mediterraneo+y+mundo+arabe/ari163-2011 |website=Real Instituto Elcano |access-date=25 March 2020 |language=es |date=20 December 2011}}</ref> under the administration of the [[Ministry of Defence (Spain)|Ministry of Defence]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mariñas Otero |first1=Eugenio |title=Las Plazas Menores de soberanía española en África |url=https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/MILT/article/download/MILT9898220141A/3364/0 |access-date=25 March 2020 |work=MILITARIA. Revista de Cultura Militar. |issue=12 |publisher=UCM |date=1998 |location=Madrid |language=es}}</ref>}}
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| area_total_km2     = 0.40
| timezone           = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset         = +01:00
| timezone_DST       = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST     = +02:00
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}}

The '''{{lang|es|plazas de soberanía}}''' ({{IPA|es|ˈplaθas ðe soβeɾaˈni.a}}), meaning "strongholds of sovereignty",<ref>{{Cite web|title=plaza #3 |url=https://dle.rae.es/plaza<!--Not supported by source:|last1=Asale|first1=Rae-|last2=Rae-->|website=Diccionario de la lengua española |edition=tricentenary|language=es|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> are a series of [[Spain|Spanish]] territories scattered along the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] coast bordering [[Morocco]], or that are closer to [[Africa]] than [[Europe]]. This term is used for those territories that have been a part of Spain since the formation of the modern country (1492–1556), as opposed to African territories acquired by Spain during the 19th and early 20th centuries in the [[Scramble for Africa]].

Historically, a distinction was made between the so-called "major places of sovereignty", comprising the [[Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities|autonomous cities]] of [[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]], and the "minor places of sovereignty", referring to a number of uninhabited islands and a small peninsula along the coast. Now the term refers mainly to the latter. Ceuta in particular was also historically part of the so-called "'''African Algarve'''" ({{langx|es|Algarbe Africano}}, {{langx|pt|Algarve Africano}}) within the [[Kingdom of the Algarves]], a [[Titles of the Spanish Crown|title]] which the Spanish monarchs still hold [[Pretender|in pretense]].

Morocco has claimed those territories (except the island of Alborán, further away from Africa) since its independence in 1956.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23279813 |jstor=23279813 |first=Jamie |last=Trinidad |title=An Evaluation of Morocco's Claims to Spain's Remaining Territories in Africa |volume=61 |issue=4 |journal=International and Comparative Law Quarterly |year=2012 |pages=961–975 |doi=10.1017/S0020589312000371 |quote=Ceuta, Melilla, Vélez de la Gomera, Alhucemas and the Chafarinas Islands are Spanish territories that lie along Morocco's northern coastline. Morocco has claimed the territories since its independence in 1956. The sovereignty of a further territory, the islet of Perejil, remains unresolved after a military confrontation between Morocco and Spain in 2002.|url-access=subscription }}</ref> A rise in nationalist sentiment in Morocco can be attributed to this ongoing tension,<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Mitchell |first=Harriett |date=1955 |title=The Development of Nationalism in French Morocco |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/272660 |journal=Phylon  |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=427–434 |doi=10.2307/272660 |jstor=272660 |issn=0885-6818|url-access=subscription }}</ref> as well as an appeal to the decolonial objective in the [[Charter of the United Nations]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Saddiki |first=Said |date=2010 |title=Ceuta and Melilla Fences: a EU multidimensional border? |url=https://cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2010/Saddiki.pdf |journal=Center of International Studies of Rabat}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Alhucemas penon 1925.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Aerial view of the Peñón de Alhucemas c. 1925]]

Under the rule of the Roman Empire, from 218 BCE to 472 CE, Spain (then [[Hispania]]), included a major part of the Moroccan coast as a province, then called [[Mauretania Tingitana]]. This territory includes modern-day Ceuta and Melilla.

During the [[Reconquista]] and mainly following the conquest of [[Granada]] in 1492, forces of the [[Crown of Castile|Castilian]] and [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portuguese]] kingdoms conquered and maintained numerous posts in North Africa for trade and as a defence against [[Barbary pirates|Barbary piracy]].

In August 1415, the Portuguese conquered the city of Ceuta. In 1481, the [[papal bull]] ''[[Aeterni regis]]'' had granted all land south of the [[Canary Islands]] to Portugal. Only this archipelago and the possessions of [[Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña]] (1476–1524), Melilla ([[Conquest of Melilla|conquered]] by Pedro de Estopiñán in 1497), [[Villa Cisneros]] (founded in 1502 in current [[Western Sahara]]), [[Mazalquivir]] (1505), [[Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera]] (1508), [[Oran]] (1509–1708; 1732–1792), [[Algiers]] (1510–1529), [[Béjaïa|Bugia]] (1510–1554), [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] (1511–1551), and [[Tunis]] (1535–1569) remained as Spanish territory in Africa. Finally, following the independence of Portugal after the end of the Spanish-led [[Iberian Union]], [[Ceuta]] was ceded by Portugal to Spain in 1668.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Rui A. M. |last=da Silva |url=http://portugal-livre.00freehost.com/tfontbleu.html |title=Treaties Galore |publisher=Olivença - Portugal Livre}}</ref>

In 1848, Spanish troops conquered the Islas Chafarinas. In the late 19th century, after the so-called [[Scramble for Africa]], European nations had taken over colonial control of most of the African continent. The justification for the ownership of the protectorates by Spain was guided by a colonial ideology, claiming to be on a civilizing mission. Spain had already lost much of its colonial influence in Latin America, at a time where colonial influence was seen as a marker of strength in Europe.<ref name=":03">{{Cite journal |last=Chandler |first=James A. |date=1975 |title=Spain and Her Moroccan Protectorate 1898 - 1927 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/260149 |journal=Journal of Contemporary History |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=301–322 |doi=10.1177/002200947501000205 |jstor=260149 |issn=0022-0094|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stenner |first=David |date=2019-01-02 |title=Mediterranean crossroads: Spanish-Moroccan relations in past and present |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13629387.2018.1459089 |journal=The Journal of North African Studies |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=7–16 |doi=10.1080/13629387.2018.1459089 |issn=1362-9387}}</ref>

The [[Hispano–Moroccan War (1859–1860)|Hispano-Moroccan War]] of 1860 resulted in a renewed interest by Spain in holding the territories, especially Ceuta.<ref name=":03"/> The war left Morocco in financial disrepair, and the subsequent [[Treaty of Wad Ras]] was signed between Spain and Morocco with this disadvantage.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ayache |first=Germain |date=1958 |title=Aspects De La Crise Financière Au Maroc Après L'expédition Espagnole De 1860 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40949058 |journal=Revue Historique |volume=220 |issue=2 |pages=271–310 |jstor=40949058 |issn=0035-3264}}</ref> In the aftermath of the conflict, Spain declared Ceuta and Melilla to be perpetual territories, as well as establishing in the treaty the recognition of sovereignty by Morocco over the [[Chafarinas Islands]].

The [[Treaty of Fez]] (signed on 30 March 1912) made most of Morocco a protectorate of France, while Spain assumed the role of protecting power over the northern part, called [[Spanish Morocco]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=April 1913 |title=Treaty Between France and Spain Regarding Morocco |journal=The American Journal of International Law |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=81–99 |jstor=2212275 |doi=10.2307/2212275|s2cid=246007581 }}</ref> When Spain relinquished its protectorate and recognized Morocco's independence in 1956, it did not give up these minor territories, as Spain had held them well before the establishment of its protectorate. The move to "nationalize" the ''plazas'' has been guided by a nationalist sentiment from the Spanish government, to legitimize the sovereignty over the territories. Ceuta and Melilla have become the target of a campaign to justify the ownership based on the geographical heritage of the [[Classical antiquity|Classical Antiquity]] era.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=García |first=Alicia Fernández |date=2019-03-06 |title=El nacionalismo español en las calles de Ceuta y Melilla |url=https://crisol.parisnanterre.fr/index.php/crisol/article/view/111 |journal=Crisol |language=fr |issue=5 |issn=2678-1190}}</ref> 

The Spanish protectorate and the ''plazas de soberanía'' are understood to be different, especially since the strongholds remained under Spanish rule after the end of the protectorate.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Robinson |first=G. W. S. |date=1958 |title=Ceuta and Melilla: Spain's Plazas De Soberanía |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/40564211 |journal=Geography |volume=43 |issue=4 |pages=266–269 |jstor=40564211 |issn=0016-7487}}</ref> France similarly sought to remain in control of Morocco after independence, with a continuation of French rule given through the rationale of advancement of Moroccan interests. Morocco is contemporaneously affected by the effects of continued French rule after independence,<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |last=Mitchell |first=Harriett |date=1955 |title=The Development of Nationalism in French Morocco |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/272660 |journal=Phylon |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=427–434 |doi=10.2307/272660 |jstor=272660 |issn=0885-6818|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and the continued stronghold by the Spanish government with Ceuta and Melilla.
[[File:Mapa del Protectorado Español en Marruecos (1924).jpg|thumb|left|200px|Map of Spanish Morocco in 1925]]On 11 July 2002, Morocco stationed six gendarmes on [[Perejil Island]], which was at the time a source of complaint by Spain. The Spanish Armed Forces responded by launching a military operation code-named [[Operation Romeo-Sierra]]. The operation was carried out by Spanish commandos of ''[[Grupo de Operaciones Especiales (Spain)|Grupo de Operaciones Especiales]]''. 
The Spanish Navy and Air Force provided support; the six Moroccan navy cadets did not offer any resistance and were captured and evicted from the island. It has since been evacuated by both countries.<ref name = ElPais>{{Cite news |last1=Ceberia Belaza |first1=Monica |last2=Ignacio Cembrero and Miguel González |date=17 September 2012 |url=http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/09/17/inenglish/1347895561_857013.html |title=The last remains of the empire |work=[[El País|El País in English]] |location=Madrid |access-date=24 September 2012}}</ref>
{{anchor|Geography}}

On 3 January 2020, 42 migrants went to the Chafarinas Islands; the Civil Guard ordered their immediate expulsion without following the legal procedure.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statewatch {{!}} Spain-Morocco: Statement on the hot returns from the Chafarinas on 3 January: "a serious violation of human rights" |url=https://www.statewatch.org/news/2020/january/spain-morocco-statement-on-the-hot-returns-from-the-chafarinas-on-3-january-a-serious-violation-of-human-rights/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=www.statewatch.org}}</ref> The Spanish NGO 'Walking Border' denounced the "hot returns," or expulsions without due process, as violations of international law.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-06 |title=Spanish NGOs accuse Spain of illegal migrant push-back |url=https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/21912/spanish-ngos-accuse-spain-of-illegal-migrant-pushback |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=[[InfoMigrants]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=¿Qué son las devoluciones en caliente? 7 claves para entenderlas |url=https://www.es.amnesty.org/en-que-estamos/blog/historia/articulo/que-son-las-devoluciones-en-caliente-7-claves-para-comprenderlo/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=www.es.amnesty.org |language=es}}</ref> Strict immigration policy over the ''plazas de soberanía'' has made it so that only certain immigrants are welcomed to the strongholds. Stigma surrounding the background of the people crossing the Mediterranean to arrive to the shores of the strongholds have informed the harsh response to this influx of immigrants and refugees.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=de Lucas Martín |first=Javier |date=2015 |title=Muertes en el Mediterráneo: inmigrantes y refugiados, de infrasujetos de derecho a amenazas para la seguridad |url=https://producciocientifica.uv.es/documentos/5eb09eca299952764113c6b0 |journal=Quaderns de la Mediterrània = Cuadernos del Mediterráneo |volume=22 |pages=272–277 |issn=1577-9297}}</ref> The most extreme recent example of "hot returns" is the [[2022 Melilla incident]].

== Physical geography ==
[[File:Velez de la Gomera.jpg|thumb|[[Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera]], seen from the Moroccan coast, 2007]]

In addition to Ceuta and Melilla, there are historically several minor ''plazas de soberanía'':<ref>Source unless otherwise specified: {{cite web |url = https://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/gie/gie.shtml |title = Global Island Explorer |website = usgs.gov |access-date = 21 Jan 2024 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

{{table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable sortable col2center"
|-
! Territory{{efn|In order from north to south.}}
! Area (ha)
! Coordinates
|-
| [[Alhucemas Islands]] || 4.3 || {{coord|35|12|54|N|3|53|47|W}}
|-
| {{pad|2em}}[[Isla de Mar]] || 1.4 || {{coord|35|13|3.65|N|3|54|2.69|W}}
|-
| {{pad|2em}}[[Isla de Tierra]] || 1.8 || {{coord|35|12|55.83|N|3|54|8.10|W}}
|-
| {{pad|2em}}[[Peñón de Alhucemas]] || 1.1 || {{coord|35|12|48|N|3|53|21|W}} 
|-
| [[Chafarinas Islands]] || 34.0 || {{coord|35|11|N|2|26|W}}
|-
| {{pad|2em}}[[Isla de Isabel II]] || 10.2 || {{coord|35|10|55.77|N|2|25|46.90|W}}
|-
| {{pad|2em}}[[Isla del Rey, Chafarinas|Isla del Rey]] || 8.6 || {{coord|35|10|51.72|N|2|25|24.96|W}}
|-
| {{pad|2em}}[[Isla del Congreso]] || 15.2 || {{coord|35|10|43.90|N|2|26|28.31|W}}
|-
| [[Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera]] || 1.9<ref>{{cite web |url = http://resources.css.edu/academics/his/middleground/articles/oreillygibraltararticlesfall2015themiddlegroundjournal.org.pdf |title = Remnants, Relics And Shadows Of Empires In The Gibraltar Region |website = css.edu |date = 2015 |access-date = 21 Jan 2024 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> || {{coord|35|10|21.29|N|4|18|2.89|W}}
|}

Apart from these, there are two other islands usually considered within the ''plazas de soberanía''. The disputed Perejil Island, a small uninhabited islet close to Ceuta, is considered by Spain to be a part of Ceuta and not a territory in its own right.<ref name="Tremlett">{{cite news |last=Tremlett |first=Giles |date=13 July 2002 |title=Moroccans seize Parsley Island and leave a bitter taste in Spanish mouths |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jul/13/spain.gilestremlett |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |access-date=19 May 2014|quote=When officers from Spain's civil guard police force arrived on a small patrol boat from the nearby Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta three miles away and to which the islet nominally belongs...}}</ref> [[Alboran Island]] ({{lang|es|Isla de Alborán}}), another small island in the western Mediterranean, approx. 50 kilometres (31.05 miles) from the African coast and 90 kilometres (55.92 miles) from [[continental Europe]], is administered as a part of the municipality of [[Almería]] on the [[Iberian Peninsula]].

==Political geography==
The ''plazas de soberanía'' are small [[Island|islands]] and a [[peninsula]] off the [[coast]] of Morocco (the only peninsula, [[Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera]], was an island until a 1934 [[storm]] formed a [[tombolo|sand bridge]] with the [[mainland]]). They are guarded by military garrisons and administered directly by the [[Government of Spain|Spanish central government]].

Like [[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]], they are all parts of [[Spain]], therefore also parts of the [[European Union]], with their currency being the [[euro]]. In this sense, the EU has contributed significantly to the fencing and security of the borders between the ''plazas'' and the rest of Morocco, with the goal of preventing [[illegal immigration]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Saddiki |first=Said |title=World of Walls: The Structure, Roles and Effectiveness of Separation Barriers |date=2017-10-09 |publisher=Open Book Publishers |isbn=978-1-78374-368-1 |edition=1 |location=Cambridge, UK |language=en |doi=10.11647/obp.0121|doi-access=free }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Div col}}
* [[European enclaves in North Africa before 1830]]
* [[List of islands of Spain]]
* [[List of Spanish colonial wars in Morocco]]
* [[Morocco–Spain border]]
* [[Nadim al-Maghrebi]]
* [[Spanish protectorate in Morocco]]
{{End div col}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Spain topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Administrative divisions of Spain}}
{{Africa}}
{{Outlying territories of European countries}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plazas de soberania}}

[[Category:Plazas de soberanía| ]]
[[Category:Spanish Africa]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of Spain]]
[[Category:Mediterranean]]
[[Category:Enclaves and exclaves]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of Spain]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of Morocco]]