Melilla

Melilla is a Spanish exclave in North Africa, located on the northernmost tip of Maghreb, on the Mediterranean coast. Traditionally considered part of Andalusia for historical reasons, it was administered as part of M?laga province prior to the March 14, 1995 Statute of Autonomy, it was a free port before Spain joined the European Union. The principal industry is fishing; cross-border commerce (legal or smuggled) and Spanish and European grants and wages are the other income sources. As of 1994 it had a population of 63,670. Its population consists of Christians, Muslims, Jews and a small minority of Hindus.

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Since independence from France and Spain, Morroco has always claimed Melilla, along with Ceuta and various small Spanish islands off the coast of Africa (Plazas de soberan?a) and the Canary Islands, drawing comparisons with Spain's territorial claim to Gibraltar. The Spanish government rejects these comparisons (as do the inhabitants of the cities), on the grounds that both Ceuta and Melilla are integral parts of the Spanish state, whereas Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, is not and never has been part of the United Kingdom.

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There is considerable pressure by African refugees to enter Melilla, a part of the European Union. The border is secured by the Melilla border fence, a six-meter-tall double fence with watch towers, yet refugees frequently manage to cross it illegally, avoiding the attempts by Spanish police to take them back to their home countries. Detection wires, tear gas dispensers, radar, and day/night vision cameras are planned to increase security and prevent illegal immigration. In October 2005, over 700 subsaharian migrants tried to enter Spanish territory from the Moroccan border. Many of them were shot in the back by the Moroccan Gendarmerie. Amnesty International and M?decins Sans Fronti?res have accused the Moroccan government of dumping over 500 refugees in the Sahara Desert without food or water supplies.

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ISO 3166-1 reserves EA for Melilla and Ceuta.

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Spanish: Spanish can mean:...

North Africa: North Africa is a region generally considered to include:...

Maghreb: (see also North Africa, Tamazgha, Arab Maghreb Union, Mashreq)...