Ceuta. Autonomous Spanish city located on the North African coast , facing the Strait of Gibraltar . The Mediterranean Sea , to the north, and Morocco are the limits of a territory that has a surface area of 19.3 km 2 .
City_of_Ceuta
Summary
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- 1 History
- 2 Territory and Resources
- 3 Population
- 4 Economy
- 5 The City
- 6 Government
- 7 Cultural manifestations
- 8 Source
History
During the Ancient Age , Ceuta was part of the territories dominated by Carthage and later it was included in the Roman Empire , which gave it the name Septa. After the fall of Rome , it remained in the hands of the Byzantine Empire , and already in the Middle Ages , it became part of the Visigoth kingdom at the beginning of the 7th century during the reign of Suintila. As of the year 711 , with the conquest of the Muslims (who took it away from their momentary partner, the Visigothic count Don Julián), Ceuta became a key point for the consecutive Islamic expeditions to the Iberian Peninsula .
Two years after founding the Caliphate of Córdoba , in 931 , Abd al-Rahman III added Ceuta to his North African territories. After the end of the Caliphate of Córdoba , at the beginning of the 11th century , the city came under the orbit of the Almoravid empire power , after the Almohad empire and, in 1306 , it was conquered by the Nasrid King of Granada , Muhammad III . In 1415 , under the monarchy of John I the Great, the kingdom of Portugalit conquered and incorporated the territory, resisting the constant attacks of Muslims both North African and belonging to the kingdom of Granada to try to recover it.
The life of the Portuguese infant Fernando de Portugal (known as the Holy Infant ) was in fact linked to those events that occurred in the first half of the 15th century . Since that time, Ceuta was a decisive enclave in North Africa when it came to serving as logistical support for Portuguese explorations of the African coast. When the Spanish King Felipe II acceded in 1581 to the throne of Portugal , Ceuta was united to the Hispanic Monarchy, in the Council of Portugal .
In 1640 , the year of the beginning of the War of Separation from Portugal , the Ceutí nobility decided to remain faithful, and made it known to the Spanish King Felipe IV . The Lisbon Treaty recognized the definitive Portuguese independence in 1668 , as well as the Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries it was a military prison. In 1847 , the administrative headquarters of all the Spanish settlements on the African coast was established in Ceuta . The borders between Moroccan territory and the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla were officially defined in 1860 by virtue of the Treaty of Wad-Ras , signed after the homonymous battle, milestone of the so-called Moroccan wars . The 17 of July of 1936 , Ceuta embodied one of the first scenes of the military uprising whose failure would mean the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Since its definitive independence in 1956 , and especially during the reign of Hasan II , Morocco claimed its sovereignty over Ceuta (and over Melilla). When that year ended the protectorate that both Spanish and French had exercised over Morocco since 1912 , neither Ceuta nor Melilla entered into the independence agreements of the new kingdom.
The majority of the population of both cities has made a constant claim of their belonging to Spain , with which they consider that there are links of an antiquity that predates the existence of the Moroccan kingdom by centuries. During the transition to Democracy , the 1978 Constitution defined Ceuta as an autonomous city, within the new and decentralized territorial organization. In 1995 , it had its own Statute of Autonomy. In 2001 , the local leader of the Popular Party (PP), Juan Jesús Vivas , took over as mayor-president of Ceuta
Territory and Resources
To the east is the Almina peninsula , dominated by Mount Hacho , 195 m high. The central part is a narrow and elongated isthmus, in whose northern part is the wide bay where the port of Ceuta is. The continental lands to the west, the Campo Exterior, are the foothills of the Sierra Bullones . The climate is Mediterranean, with mild winters and summers not too hot. The rain are most abundant in spring and autumn , falling in summer . Its vegetation is characterized byPines and bushes.
Population
The population is 78,320 inhabitants in 2008 , dedicated largely to the service sector, especially to jobs related to the Army , Commerce , Tourism and Transportation . The administration employs almost a third of the workforce. Jews and Muslims, and to a lesser extent Pakistanis and Hindus , form important communities, and account for approximately 15% of its population. Today Muslims are the largest minority.
Economy
The fishing and fish canning industry together to craft the leather or skins and Tapestries have been their traditional resources. Ceuta has been a free port until 1992 and the base of an important fishing fleet ; It stimulated an intense traffic of ships dedicated to the import of industrial products and the export of minerals, cattle and wood. Agriculture is practically non-existent, so it has to be supplied from Morocco or from the peninsula. The trade and especially tourism have been the core business of the Economy Contemporary passageway being of Spanish and European tourists toMorocco , which has stimulated the service sector.
The city
The city is situated on the isthmus and in part of the Campo Exterior. The traditional neighborhoods of the center are located around the port and towards the slopes of Monte Hacho , they are narrow and densely populated and are home to administrative and commercial activity. The walls that closed off the old town (neighborhood) were demolished in the middle of the 19th century and the city grew towards the Campo Exterior.
government
Traditionally its administration depended on the Andalusian province of Cádiz. The Spanish Constitution of 1978 recognizes Ceuta as an autonomous city. In 1995 the Cortes Generales (Parliament) approved its Statute of Autonomy, which, although it does not grant it legislative capacity (which is why it lacks its own legislative assembly), does allow the Cortes to propose the legislative initiatives it deems appropriate. From that year on, it was finally established as an autonomous city.
Cultural manifestations
Due to its geographical location, Ceuta is a city of union between three cultures: Christian , Jewish and Islamic , which has left its mark on its urban architecture , its gastronomy and its customs . The condition of a military place, with numerous Army enclaves, has also left its mark on this city. Its main monument is the cathedral of ” Our Lady of Africa ” and the remains of the walls. The University of Granada has a campus in the city.
