In Spain, the plazas of soberanía (“places of sovereignty” in Spanish) are five territories located in North Africa close to the coasts Morocco groins of the Mediterranean. All these territories are under Spanish sovereignty, and are sometimes also indicated by the term of Afríca Septentrional Española (" North Africa espagnole") or simply África Española (" Africa espagnole").

Geography

There exist two Plazas raise (Ceuta and Melilla) and three Plazas undervalue (islands Zaffarines, peninsula of El-Hoceïma and Vélez of Gomera). Sebta and Mellilia (Ceuta there Melilla) having acquired the statute of autonomous cities, they are less and less described like " Plazas of soberanía" ; Plazas undervalue as for them are directly managed by the Spanish Gouvernement. The total population of Plazas is approximately 145 ' 000 inhabitants; as Spanish territories, they belong to the European Union and the currency which circulates there is the Euro.

The small island Parsley and Alborán were later defined like Plazas of soberanía , but the first is only one uninhabited small island, while second is attached administratively to the commune of Almería.

History

The Castille, then in competition with the Portuguese Empire, starts to intervene in North Africa when Henri III of Castille begins colonization from the Canary islands in 1402 via the Norman explorer Jean de Béthencourt.

The cities and coastal villages of Spain, Italy and the Mediterranean islands are at the time under the regular threat of the Barbaresque S North-Africans: Formentera was abandoned for a time by its inhabitants, as well as broad portions of the Spanish and Italian coasts. In 1514, 1515 and 1521, the Balearic Islands are attacked by famous the Othoman Corsaire Khayr AD-DIN Barberousse: the populations captured during the 16th century and 17th century are generally resold like slaves.

In 1481, the papal Bubble Æterni governed place all grounds in the south of the Canaries under Portuguese sovereignty. Only the archipelago, as well as the towns of Sidi Ifni (1476 - 1524) (known at the time under the name of Santa Cruz de Mar Pequeña ), Melilla (captured by Pedro de Estopiñán in 1497), Villa Cisneros (founded in 1502 in current the the Western Sahara), Mazalquivir (1505), Peñón de Vélez of Will gum (1508), Oran (1509 - 1790), Algiers (1510 - 29), Béjaïa ( 1510 - 54), Tripoli (1511 - 51), Tunis (1535 - 69) and Ceuta (yielded by the Portugal in 1668) will remain Spanish territories in Africa.

In 1848, the Spanish troops conquer the islands Chafarinas.

When Spain gives up its protectorate on the the Spanish Sahara and the north of Morocco, and recognizes the independence of this last in 1956, she refuses to restore the plazas soberanía , considering to have affirmed her sovereignty on those well before the creation of protectorate. The plazas make part of the Moroccan territorial claims since then. These territories do not form however part of the non-self-governing Territoires on standby of Décolonisation as defined by UNO.

The small island Parsley ( Isla Perejil ), which does not have any permanent dwelling, was the theater of a confrontation between Spain and Morocco in 2002.

See too

• List of disputed territories
• Race in Africa

References and notes

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