Ceuta
Ceuta (UK: /ˈsjuːtə/, US: /ˈseɪuːtə/,[5][6] Spanish: [ˈsewta, θewta]; Arabic: سَبْتَة, romanized: Sabtah) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast.
"Sabtah" redirects here. For the biblical figure, see Sabtah (biblical figure). For other uses, see Ceuta (disambiguation).
Ceuta
سَبْتَة
1st millennium BC
14 August 1415
4 August 1578
14 March 1995
Autonomous city
Council of Government
18.5 km2 (7.1 sq mi)
18.5 km2 (7.1 sq mi)
10 m (30 ft)
349 m (1,145 ft)
85,144
4,600/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
Ceutan
ceutí (es)
caballa ("Atlantic mackerel", colloquial)[2][3]
€1.907 billion (2022)
€23,073 (2022)
1 deputy (out of 350)
2 senators (out of 264)
Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of the special member state territories of the European Union, and it is one of several Spanish territories in Africa, which include Melilla and the Canary Islands. It was a regular municipality belonging to the province of Cádiz prior to the passing of its Statute of Autonomy in March 1995,[7] as provided by the Spanish Constitution, henceforth becoming an autonomous city.
Ceuta, like Melilla and the Canary Islands, was classified as a free port before Spain joined the European Union.[8] Its population is predominantly Christian and Muslim, with a small minority of Sephardic Jews and Sindhi Hindus, from Pakistan.[9]
Spanish is the official language. Spanish and Darija Arabic are the two main spoken languages.
Names[edit]
The name Abyla has been said to have been a Punic name ("Lofty Mountain"[10] or "Mountain of God") for Jebel Musa,[11] the southern Pillar of Hercules.[12] The name of the mountain was in fact Habenna (Punic: 𐤀𐤁𐤍, ʾbn, "Stone" or "Stele") or ʾAbin-ḥīq (𐤀𐤁𐤍𐤇𐤒, ʾbnḥq, "Rock of the Bay"), about the nearby Bay of Benzú.[13] The name was hellenized variously as Ápini (Greek: Ἄπινι),[13] Abýla (Ἀβύλα), Abýlē (Ἀβύλη), Ablýx (Ἀβλύξ), and Abilē Stḗlē (Ἀβίλη Στήλη, "Pillar of Abyla")[12] and in Latin as Abyla Mons ("Mount Abyla") or Abyla Columna ("the Pillar of Abyla").
The settlement below Jebel Musa was later renamed for the seven hills around the site, collectively referred to as the "Seven Brothers"[14] (Greek: Ἑπτάδελφοι, translit. Heptádelphoi;[15] Latin: Septem Fratres).[16] In particular, the Roman stronghold at the site took the name "Fort at the Seven Brothers" (Castellum ad Septem Fratres).[12] This was gradually shortened to Septem[17] (Σέπτον Sépton) or, occasionally, Septum[18] or Septa.[19] These clipped forms continued as Berber Sebta and Arabic Sabtan[14] or Sabtah (سبتة), which themselves became Ceuta in Portuguese (pronounced [ˈsewtɐ]) and Spanish (locally pronounced [ˈsewta]).
The defence of the enclave is the responsibility of the Spanish Armed Forces' General Command of Ceuta (COMGECEU).[50] The Spanish Army's combat components of the command include:
The command also includes its headquarters battalion as well as logistics elements.[50]
In 2023, the Spanish Navy replaced the Aresa-class patrol boat P-114 in the territory with the Rodman-class patrol boat Isla de León.[53]
Ceuta itself is only 113 km (70 mi) distant from the main Spanish naval base at Rota on the Spanish mainland. The Spanish Air Force's Morón Air Base is also within 135 km (84 mi) proximity.
The Civil Guard is responsible for border security and protects both the territory's fortified land border as well as its maritime approaches against frequent, and sometimes significant, migrant incursions.[54]
Education[edit]
The University of Granada offers undergraduate programmes at their campus in Ceuta. Like all areas of Spain, Ceuta is also served by the National University of Distance Education (UNED).
While primary and secondary education are generally offered in Spanish only, a growing number of schools are entering the Bilingual Education Programme.