Plazas de soberanía

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Plazas de soberanía ("places of sovereignty") is the term that has been historically given to the Spanish possessions in North Africa (as opposed to what was previously part of the Spanish protectorate over the north of Morocco).

There are five plazas de soberanía, comprising two plazas mayores ("large places"):

• Ceuta
• Melilla

and three plazas menores ("lesser places"):

• Islas Chafarinas,
• Peñón de Alhucemas,
• Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera,

Apart from those, Isla Perejil, a small uninhabited islet close to Ceuta that was the subject of a confrontation with Morocco in 2002, has been lately defined as an extra Plaza de soberanía. However, it is not a Plaza de soberanía in itself, but rather no-man's land.

The "large places", Ceuta and Melilla, are now autonomous cities (a type of autonomous community) which enjoy more autonomy than regular city councils (they can produce regulations to execute acts, with higher regulation competencies than regular city councils) but fewer than autonomous communities (as they do not have autonomous legislative powers). Therefore, the term "plaza de soberanía" is nowadays hardly used when talking about both cities, since they are partially autonomous.

The "lesser places" are tiny islets off the coast of Morocco which have no civilian population. They are guarded by military garrisons and administered directly by the Spanish Government.

They are part of the European Union as part of Spain. Their currency is the euro. They have a combined population of 145,336. This is roughly divided half and half between Ceuta and Melilla, although Ceuta is marginally the more populous.

When Spain relinquished the protectorate over the North of Morocco and recognized its independence in 1956, it did not give over the "plazas de soberanía" since Spain has held them since the 15th and 16th centuries and were part of Spain, not a part of the protectorate.

All of these places are part of the Greater Morocco claimed by nationalist movements in Morocco.

[edit] See also

• Spanish Morocco
• List of Spanish Colonial Wars in Morocco
• Spanish Sahara