Melilla

Melilla is a small city that belongs to Spain but is located on the coast of North Africa. It is close to Morocco and sits near where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Melilla covers an area of just 12.3 square kilometers.

Until 1995, Melilla was part of a larger area of Spain called the province of Málaga. After that date, it became its own special area with its own rules, known as the Statute of Autonomy of Melilla.

Today, Melilla is part of the European Union, but because it is far away from most of Europe, there are special rules for people moving between Melilla and other parts of the EU. Many people live there, coming from different backgrounds including Spanish and Riffian people, as well as smaller groups like Sephardic Jews and Sindhi Hindus. People in Melilla often speak both Spanish and the local Tarifit language.

Name

The name Melilla comes from Spanish and has been used since the 800s. It might be related to an Arabic word. Some think it could mean "honey" because bees were important there long ago. Another idea is that it comes from a Berber word meaning "white." There are a few other ideas about where the name came from too.

History

Antiquity and Middle Ages

Main article: Rusadir

Map of the Melilla fortress by the late 17th-century.

Melilla started as a trading place built by people from Phoenicia and later Punic groups. It was called Rusadir, named after the nearby Cape Three Forks. After the Punic Wars, it became part of the Roman area called Mauretania. The Romans organized it into a region known as Mauretania Tingitana. Writer Pliny described it as a small fort and port. Later, it became a Roman town in the year 46 AD and was sometimes called Flavia. Over time, different groups ruled Melilla, including the Vandals, Byzantines, and Visigoths. After the spread of a new religion in North Africa, Melilla was ruled by many leaders from different places.

Early Modern period

During the 1400s, Melilla, like many nearby cities, became less important. In 1494, leaders from Spain learned that local people wanted to join them. In 1497, Spanish leaders decided to take over Melilla. They did this with little trouble because the city had been fought over many times and was empty. Melilla was first managed together by a Spanish noble family and the Spanish government. Later, the noble family stopped managing the city. In the late 1600s, a leader from a nearby area tried to capture Melilla but failed.

Jewish woman in the Jewish quarter (1909)

Late Modern period

The current size of Melilla was set by agreements made in 1859, 1861, and 1894. In the late 1800s, Melilla became a center for trade along the coast. The population grew slowly. In 1863, Melilla became a place where people could trade freely, which helped the city grow. More people moved there, including families from a nearby area and from Spain. By the late 1800s, Melilla had about 10,000 people.

Autonomy and late 20th, 21st century

In 1995, Melilla became its own autonomous city, separate from other Spanish areas. In 2007, the king and queen of Spain visited Melilla, which excited local people but caused some disagreement with nearby leaders. In 2010, Melilla officially recognized an important holiday from a different religion. In 2018, nearby leaders closed a trade office, affecting trade until it reopened in 2023. In 2021, a statue of a former leader was removed as part of laws about remembering history fairly.

Geography

Melilla is in northwest Africa, close to the Alboran Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea. The city is built in a wide semicircle around a beach and the Port of Melilla. It is on the eastern side of the Cape Tres Forcas peninsula, near Mount Gurugú and close to the Río de Oro stream.

Melilla has a warm climate, like the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco. Because it is near the sea, the summers are not too hot, and there is more rain than in areas farther inland. Temperatures stay comfortable most of the year.

Detailed map of Melilla.

Further information: Conventico Caves

Government and administration

Palace of the Assembly of Melilla

Melilla has its own local government. It has an Assembly with 25 members who are elected every four years by the people. These members are called local deputies but act like city council members. The Assembly chooses a President who also serves as the Mayor and leads the Council of Government. The President is chosen by a majority vote or, if no majority is found, the leader of the most voted list becomes President. The Council of Government runs the city and its members do not need to be part of the Assembly.

Melilla is divided into eight districts, and each district has its own neighborhoods. These districts help organize the city and its services for the people living there.

Economy

Melilla's economy was worth 1.6 billion euros in 2018. This was a small part of Spain's economy. The value for each person was 19,900 euros, which is lower than in most places in Europe.

Melilla has special rules for buying and selling goods. It does not use the same taxes as other parts of Europe but has its own local tax. This helps keep prices lower for things brought in, though sending goods out may have extra taxes.

The main industry in Melilla is fishing. Other important activities include trading with nearby Morocco and receiving support from Spain and Europe. Many people from Morocco visit Melilla every day for work, shopping, or trading.

Melilla has strong connections with Spain through air and sea travel. The city’s port and airport offer regular trips to places like Almería, Málaga, and Madrid. Many people use Melilla as a stop when travelling between Europe and Morocco, which helps the local economy grow.

Water supply

View of the Melilla's desalination plant

Melilla gets most of its water from wells, but the water can be salty and not very clean. To fix this, a water-cleaning factory started building in 2003 and began working in 2007. This factory can make a lot of clean water every day. The people in the city spend more on bottled water than many places in Spain.

Work to improve the factory started in 2020, with help from Europe and Spain.

Architecture

Melilla has some very old and special buildings. One example is the dome of the Chapel of Santiago, built in the 1500s. This dome shows a style of building called Gothic.

In the early 1900s, Melilla got many beautiful buildings in a style called Modernista. This style started in Barcelona and was used for important buildings. The architect who designed many of these buildings was Enrique Nieto.

Demographics

Religion

Melilla is a place where many different cultures and religions live together. You can find Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists all living in this small city.

Judaism

Melilla has an important place in the history of Jews in Spain. It was not affected by the rules that made many Jews leave Spain long ago. Because of this, Melilla still has a group of Jewish people today, though fewer now as many moved to Spain or Israel for work.

Christianity

Most people in Melilla follow Roman Catholicism. Many people go to church, while others do not.

Islam

Some reports say that about half of Melilla's people follow Islam, though the exact numbers are not clear.

Hinduism

There is also a small group of Hindus in Melilla, though their numbers have gone down as people move to other parts of Spain.

Language

In Melilla, people mainly speak Spanish. Many also speak Tarifit, a local language, mainly at home or with family. Some people speak other languages too, depending on where their families come from. The Spanish spoken here is similar to the way people speak in the Cádiz area of Spain.

Border security

The Spanish Armed Forces’ General Command of Melilla protect the city. The Spanish Army has different regiments and units, such as the 52nd Regulares Infantry Regiment, the 1st Tercio Gran Capitán Regiment of the Spanish Legion, and the 10th 'Alcántara' Cavalry Regiment with Leopard 2 main battle tanks and Pizarro infantry fighting vehicles. There are also artillery and engineer regiments.

The Civil Guard guards the fortified land border to stop people from entering without permission.

Melilla is close to Morocco, and people from nearby areas in Morocco use services in Melilla. Some people from certain parts of Morocco can enter Melilla without visas for work. This has caused many people to move to those areas.

The border between Melilla and Morocco has become more protected. There is a tall fence with watchtowers, but sometimes groups of people try to cross it. The border has special fences and barriers to help control movement.

Transportation

Melilla Airport has flights with Air Nostrum to several cities in Spain. These cities include Málaga, Madrid, Barcelona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Granada, Badajoz, Sevilla, and Almería. The city also has ferry services to Málaga, Almería, and Motril.

Three roads connect Melilla to Morocco, but you must go through border checkpoints to travel between the two places.

Sport

Melilla is a popular place for surfing. The city has a football club called UD Melilla. This team plays in one of Spain’s lower leagues, called the Segunda División B. The club started in 1943 and plays at the Estadio Municipal Álvarez Claro. There used to be a special match against another team, AD Ceuta, but that team stopped existing in 2012. The teams traveled through Spain instead of through Morocco to get to games. Another team in the city is Casino del Real CF, which plays in a lower league called the Tercera División. The group that manages football in Melilla is the Melilla Football Federation.

Dispute with Morocco

Notable people

Main page: Category:People from Melilla

Melilla is a small city in Spain near Africa. Many interesting people have lived there. Some of these people have done important work in different areas. You can learn more about the people from Melilla to discover their stories and successes.