fort at Monte Hacho on the eastern isthmus tip commands a clear view of the Europe Map; Asia Map; Africa Map; North America Map; South America Map of Gibraltar, administered by Great Britain, is the peninsula in the back left. ", Red Cross medics treat African migrants on arrival in Ceuta. ), and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, with a combined area of about 12 square miles (31 square km). "I begged them and pleaded, but they did not leave me alone.". Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain, located on the north coast of Africa. "I was sleeping and the immigration people woke me in my bed to tell me, 'Today you have your pass — and tomorrow you can travel to the [Iberian] peninsula,' " he says, lifting a can of beer on his final night in Ceuta. Ocean. They are Alhucemas, Ceuta, the Chafarinas Islands, Melilla (qq.v. While they wait for that paperwork, migrants are housed in local immigration and asylum centers — huge, prisonlike fortresses nestled in the hills of Ceuta and Melilla and across mainland Spain. The next morning, he disappears into a crowd boarding a ferry for the Spanish mainland, chasing his dream to work in Barcelona. You can also add information on Michelin restaurants, tourist attractions or hotels in Spain or Spain. "You've got 500 desperate Africans face to face with 50 of us guards.

This 3D view shows the Strait of It's very dramatic. Reduan/EPA/Landov

The small Spanish enclave of Ceuta occupies a narrow isthmus of land on the African side of the Strait of Gibraltar.

At times, he had to hold his breath underwater, to avoid being seen by Spanish border guards. Once a migrant enters Spain, he or she has two options: Claim political asylum, or be considered an "economic migrant" — Ba. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. So he waited until nightfall, and jumped into the water and swam — around the chain-link border fence topped with barbed wire.

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In February 2014, at least 15 Africans died trying to swim around the same fence, when border guards fired rubber bullets at them in the water.

This would then explain as to why Spain had limited colonization in Africa, with two general territories being Morocco and the Western Sahara. Both of them are hugely tempting targets for migrants from across Africa who are desperate to reach Europe. One of the first people many migrants encounter is Germinal Castillo, a Red Cross worker who's part of a team of first responders dispatched to Ceuta's beaches and port, where scores of migrants turn up. hide caption.

Sixteen Spanish troops have been indicted in that incident. Dozens more are believed to cross illegally — smuggled in the back of trucks, or hidden in secret compartments under cars or in their trunks. It is 12 km (7.3 miles) It takes 45 minutes from Spain to Africa on a ferry.

I was suffering.". "Because of that I'm very happy.

Moroccans who reach Ceuta illegally are automatically deported, because of a bilateral treaty between Spain and their country. Many have traveled hundreds of miles already, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, but also from conflict zones like Syria or Somalia. Its pink and white Outline map of the Africa continent including the disputed territory of Western Sahara print this map Political Map of Africa. They pulled the money off me and they beat me.

They kiss the ground, but then they have to wait months for visas and work permits. Ceuta is administered as part of Cádiz province, the rest as part of Málaga province.

Many travel across the Mediterranean Sea by inflatable raft or by swimming from Morocco. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... What ocean current accounts for western Europe’s temperate weather? says Mohamed Ba, 21, from Guinea Conakry in West Africa. Spain is asking for more EU help to secure its border and prevent migrants from entering. Political maps are designed to show governmental boundaries of countries, states, and counties, the location of major cities, and they usually include significant bodies of water.

Why did Spain turn to Africa to provide labor for its Americas Colonies? ), and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, with a combined area of about 12 square miles (31 square he says, pointing out a long scar on his arm. Ba is one of the lucky ones. Densely populated Ceuta is seen in this image (NASA, left). I met Ba at one of these facilities, where West African men milled around outside, smoking and drinking beer. What is the distance between Spain and Africa? Map of Ceuta . "I need a job because my people have nothing, and my father is dead," he says, explaining why he left his native Guinea. They're absolutely determined to get across.". "The problem is that they arrive without any documents. Most often it's hypothermia," says Castillo, who treats an average of about 20 migrants a week in winter — and sometimes 10 times that in summer. The small Spanish enclave of Ceuta occupies a narrow isthmus of land on the

Gibraltar, which is the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic African migrants climb the fence that separates Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa in February. It includes country boundaries, major cities, major mountains in shaded relief, ocean depth in blue color gradient, along with many other features.

Europe (Spain) is on the left. This strait allowed for easy access between Spain and Africa, specifically Morocco. Ba swam around the fence near the Tarajal crossing between Morocco and Spain. And many migrants try not to disclose their origin, so Spanish officials can't deport them.

This is one of Africa's two land borders with Europe, at two Spanish cities on the African continent. We Insist: A Timeline Of Protest Music In 2020, Couple Spends Millions To Save Migrants In The Mediterranean, Italy Undertakes Lonely, Expensive Mission To Aid Migrants At Sea, Sweden's Immigrant Influx Unleashes A Backlash. "They're often in a terrible, horrible state. I want to give them food and help them. Africa (Morocco) is on the right. Tens of thousands of African and Arab migrants try to do that each year.