copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-09-06): The territories in question are actually on the Northern Moroccan coastline, specifically the cities of Melilla and Ceuta as well as a collection of smaller islands. Unbeknownst to many, deeply integrated in the Moroccan landscape, there are enclaves of Spanish language, architecture and culture. [...] The origins and reason for Spanish ownership of Ceuta and Melilla can be traced back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Indeed, Melilla fell as a Berber town to Spain in 1497, and Ceuta was assigned to Spain by the Portuguese in the Treaty of Lisbon in 1580. For 500 years, and even after Morocco obtained independence in 1956, these two cities have stayed under Spanish control. [...] Like Gibraltar for the UK, Melilla and Ceuta are strategic real estate for Spain on the Mediterranean Sea, highly sought after for their fruitful trading position. However, Spain has rejected the comparison with Gibraltar, arguing that Melilla and Ceuta are naturally and ethnically Spanish, whereas the inhabitants of Gibraltar are ‘imported aliens’.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-12-11): Many, such as the English and the Moroccans, have tried to take Ceuta since then. When Morocco became independent in 1956, after 400 years as both a Spanish and a French protectorate, Spain refused to relinquish its two Northern African coastal towns, Ceuta and Melilla. Ceuta remains Spanish, but after thousands of years, the Cape continues to be a disputed territory. [...] Ceuta’s city centre is clean and well-groomed. The architecture is classical, and the avenues wide, as to be expected in a provincial capital. The city belonged to the province of Cádiz until 1995, when both Ceuta and Melilla became autonomous Spanish territories. For this reason, they enjoy more favourable taxation systems than the mainland. Ceuta is categorized as a tax-free zone, evident in all the Tax-free stores on the main shopping streets. [...] Morocco’s Jebel Musa and Belyounech, photographed from the Spanish independent territory of Ceuta. Photo © Karethe Linaae
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-13): Apart from these, there are two other islands usually considered within the plazas de soberanía.[citation needed] The disputed Perejil Island (Isla Perejil), a small uninhabited islet close to Ceuta, is considered by Spain to be a part of Ceuta and not a territory in its own right.[12] Alboran Island (Isla de Alborán), another small island in the western Mediterranean, about 50 kilometres (31.05 miles) from the African coast and 90 kilometres (55.92 miles) from Europe, is administered as part of the municipality of Almería on the Iberian Peninsula. [...] - ^ Jamie Trinidad: An Evaluation of Morocco's Claims to Spain's Remaining Territories in Africa (Vol 61 International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 861, year 2012) Abstract: Ceuta, Melilla, Vélez de la Gomera, Alhucemas and the Chafarinas Islands are Spanish territories that lie along Morocco's northern coastline. Morocco has claimed the territories since its independence in 1956. The sovereignty of a further territory, the islet of Perejil, remains unresolved after a military confrontation between Morocco and Spain in 2002.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-05-18): Ceuta18 May 2023Ceuta, Melilla profileProvides an overview of the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on Morocco's Mediterranean coast.18 May 2023Africa5 Jun 2021Why two parts of Africa are still in Spanish handsMoroccans accuse Spain of colonialism by retaining control of Ceuta and Melilla.5 Jun 2021Africa3 Jun 2021Critical stage for fight against jihadis in West AfricaThe multinational effort to stave off an encroaching takeover by Islamist militants faces severe challenges.3 Jun 2021Africa20 May 2021The photos that captured Spain's migrant storyA photo of a volunteer comforting a migrant in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta goes viral.20 May 2021Europe19 May 2021'I said goodbye to my family and left with nothing'More than half of the 8,000 migrants who reached a Spanish enclave in Morocco have been sent back.19 May 2021Europe18 May 2021Spanish troops clear migrants from African enclaveSome 8,000 migrants have reached Ceuta on the Spanish-Morrocan border in two days, officials say.18 May 2021Europe18 May 2021Migrants reach Spanish enclave in record numbersAt least 6,000 people arrive in Ceuta from Morocco, many swimming in using rubber rings and rafts.18 May 2021Europe17 May 2021Migrants with inflatable rings arrive in CeutaAbout 100 migrants were detained by Spanish police after swimming from Morocco to the Ceuta enclave.17 May
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-05-18): The tiny Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla sit on the northern shores of Morocco's Mediterranean coast. Together they form the European Union's only land borders with Africa. [...] 1688 - Ceuta remains under Spanish control after the union between Portugal and Spain ends. [...] 1956 - Spain retains Ceuta and Melilla after Morocco becomes independent.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-04-10): Ceuta is a Spanish city in North Africa, at the Strait of Gibraltar which divides it from mainland Spain. It is an exclave of Spain, and is all surrounded by Morocco, which believes it should belong to them. Melilla is another such city. The city area is about 20 square kilometers, and there are over 82,000 people living in the city. The city is surrounded by a border fence, which has been built to keep the Moroccans (and other Africans) from moving there unlawfully. Until it became a self-governing city in 1995, it belonged to the Province of Cádiz. It was built by the Phoenicians at a strategic position. [...] Other websites [change | change source]Media related to Ceuta at Wikimedia Commons
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2016-03-12): Ceuta is a small city on the coast of Morocco. Despite seemingly being a part of Morocco, it actually belongs to Spain. Its main characteristics are: duty-free port, military way-point, strong economy, modern facilities, and beneficial tax laws. Its total area is about 17 square kilometres. [...] Ceuta has about 45,000 residents. Close to 60% of the residents are Spanish, with much of the rest being Moroccan while residents of Indian descent comprise about 1% of the population. Most of the Spanish residents adhere to the Roman Catholic faith while most of the Moroccans are Muslim. Both Spanish and Moroccan are widely spoken. However, Spanish is the official language of business and government. [...] Ceuta does not have an airport. There is, however, a regular helicopter service from Ceuta Heliport linking it to Málaga Airport. All other access to and from Ceuta is by ferry or land.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-01-21): Humanities › Geography › Key Figures & Milestones › The Spanish Enclaves of North Africa The Territories of Ceuta and Melilla Lie Within Morocco Print Photo Taken In Spain, Ceuta. Marina Lubinets / EyeEm / Getty Images Geography Key Figures & Milestones Basics Physical Geography Political Geography Population Country Information Maps Urban Geography By Brian Baskerville Brian Baskerville M.A., Geography, California State University - Northridge B.A., Geography, University of California - Davis Brian Baskerville is a geographer at the United States Department of Agriculture. He holds a master's degree in geography. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on January 21, 2020 At the onset of the Industrial Revolution (circa 1750-1850), European countries began scouring the globe looking for resources to power their economies. Africa, because of its geographic location and its abundance of resources, was seen as a key source of wealth for many of these nations. This drive for control of resources led to the "Scramble for Africa" and eventually the Berlin Conference of 1884. At this meeting, the world powers at the time divided up the regions of the continent that had not already been claimed.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-08-24): Ceuta and Melilla are two cities from Spain in African territory. [...] In this case, there is a "foreign rule" but Ceuta and Melilla are not separated "from the administration of the original country of the colonizers". I've seen this map where Gibraltar is considered as "Non-self governing territory" (like Western Sahara from Spain) but Ceuta and Melilla don't appear.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-06-05): Ceuta and Melilla: Spain's enclaves in North Africa [...] - 8th Century: Launchpad for Moorish conquest of Iberian peninsular - 15th Century: Melilla conquered by Spain - 17th Century: Ceuta comes under Spanish rule - 1956: Spain retains Ceuta and Melilla after Morocco becomes independent [...] "Under international law, Morocco doesn't have strong claims to Ceuta and Melilla, which have been Spanish for hundreds of years. There are significant legal and political barriers to any change in status of those territories in favour of Morocco," writes Dr Jamie Trinidad of Cambridge University in the UK.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-27): Hundreds of migrants attempt to swim from Morocco to the Spanish territory of Ceuta BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Thousands of migrants have attempted to cross the border from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in the last few days, including hundreds of youth who tried to swim their way around controls, Spanish authorities said Monday. [...] Ceuta and Melilla — two tiny Spanish territories in North Africa bordering the Mediterranean — have long been targeted by migrants and refugees seeking better lives in Europe. Many attempt to climb over barbed wire fences encircling the autonomous cities or reaching the exclaves by sea.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-08-23): Spain’s Socialist Party (PSOE/S&D) of acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said it firmly rejects the recent publication of an official map of Morocco's territory that includes the Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, while the regional president of Melilla has demanded that Madrid lodges a formal protest with Rabat. [...] Although there has been no formal protest from Spain to Morocco, the secretary general of the PSOE of Melilla and spokesperson of the Socialist Group in the Assembly of that autonomous city, Gloria Rojas, stressed that "Melilla and Ceuta are and always will be an indissoluble part of the Spanish nation". [...] Rojas recalled that Pedro Sánchez always defends that both autonomous cities are part of Spain: "he makes it very clear every time he states that Melilla and Ceuta are Spain, full stop (...) they are and always will be, just like Gijón, Toledo or Málaga", the socialist politician stated.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-27): Hundreds of migrants attempt to swim from Morocco to the Spanish territory of Ceuta Thousands of migrants have attempted to cross the border from Morocco to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in the last few days, including hundreds of youths who tried to swim their way around controls, Spanish authorities said Monday. [...] Ceuta and Melilla — two tiny Spanish territories in North Africa bordering the Mediterranean — have long been targeted by migrants and refugees seeking better lives in Europe. Many attempt to climb over barbed wire fences encircling the autonomous cities or reaching the exclaves by sea.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2018-06-15): Spain’s new interior minister has announced that dismantling barbed wire fences that separate the two Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla from Morocco is among his "main priorities". [...] The port town of Ceuta and its larger sister city Melilla sit around 250 miles apart on the Mediterranean coast of Africa, and their Spanish past traces back more than 400 years, Slate report. For centuries, Ceuta and Melilla were vital port cities, offering protection for Spanish ships and acting as trading posts between Europe and Africa. In the 1930s, Spanish troops garrisoned in the two cities played a major role in future dictator Francisco Franco’s uprising against their government.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-16): Moroccan police have prevented hundreds of migrants from crossing into Ceuta after dozens manged earlier on Sunday to cross the first border fence between Morocco and the Spanish enclave. [...] The twin Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are the only land borders between Africa and the European Union and both have experienced occasional mass waves of migrants trying to cross the border to reach the EU. [...] The Moroccan interior ministry said that in August, authorities blocked more than 11,300 attempts to cross into Ceuta and 3,300 to Melilla.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-08-17): A year ago today, 200 migrants, refugees and asylum seekers from Sub-Saharan Africa attempted to swim to Ceuta, an autonomous city of Spain on the north coast of Africa, from its border with Morocco. Members of the Spanish Civil Guard opened fire with large rubber bullets, tear gas and blanks to stop their advance resulting in or contributing to the death of 14 people. An additional woman has also been reported dead after the incident, though her body has never been found. [...] There is no question that the individuals concerned were expelled from Spanish territory, as they were on the Ceuta side of the border on the Tarajal beach. Regardless of their physical location, the 23 were under Spanish jurisdiction as the Spanish Civil Guards had apprehended them. [...] Spanish Parliament is now considering amendments to the immigration law, which would allow the summary return of people at the Spanish borders in Ceuta and Melilla without any procedural safeguards. The Ministry of Interior has stated that it would approve the use of riot control equipment to carry out such returns if the amendments are passed.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-02-03): As we can see, in the case of the autonomous cities, Ceuta has more than 420 years of Spanish history plus another 84 previous years of Portuguese sovereignty, while Melilla has more than 500 years of Spanish sovereignty. On top of that, these two cities were never effectively controlled and developed by any other country. During the colonization era in North Africa, both Ceuta and Melilla (as well as the rock Vélez de la Gomera) were always organized outside the Spanish protectorate of Morocco, which is why these enclaves were never considered as colonies, being of Spanish sovereignty as much as any other territory in Peninsular Spain. Morocco, on the other hand, became independent from France in 1956. [...] During the 8th century (the time of the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the Muslims) the city was destroyed, being rebuilt a century later. At that time there was already a conflict over the jurisdiction of the city. The caliphs in Spain always claimed it as part of Al-Ándalus, that is, they claimed that Ceuta has always been under peninsular jurisdiction. For example in the X century Ceuta was under the caliphate of Cordoba, in the XI century it was the territory of the Taifa of Málaga, in the XIII it was sovereignty of the Taifa of Murcia and from the XIV onwards it was under the kingdom of Granada.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-28): Ceuta, Spanish exclave, military post, and free port on the coast of Morocco, at the Mediterranean entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. Ceuta is an autonomous city administered by Spain. Ceuta, Melilla (also an exclave), and other tiny islets along the coast of North Africa constitute the territories of Spanish North Africa. The city is on a narrow isthmus that connects Mount Hacho (also held by Spain) to the mainland. (Mount Hacho has been identified as possibly the southern Pillar of Heracles, of the ancient Mediterranean world; Jebel Moussa [Musa] in Morocco is another possibility.) On the summit of Mount Hacho is a fort used by the Spanish military. Successively colonized by Carthaginians, Greeks, and Romans, Ceuta became independent under the Byzantine governor Count Julian. Because of Ceuta’s commercial importance in ivory, gold, and slaves, it was continually disputed until Portugal gained control (1415). The port passed to Spain in 1580 and was assigned to Spain in the Treaty of Lisbon (1688). At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War (1936), Gen. Francisco Franco dispatched an expedition to Spain from Ceuta. In 1995 the Spanish government approved statutes of autonomy for Ceuta, replacing the city council with an assembly similar to those of Spain’s other autonomous communities.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-01): Today, Ceuta is a Spanish exclave, a piece of a country entirely surrounded by another, in this case Morocco. And while it may only be 18 miles from the Spanish mainland, this tiny pocket of Europe in Africa is one of the most unusual places on either continent. [...] Fought over for millennia, Ceuta is officially classed as an autonomous Spanish city. It’s also part of the European Union and is one of two Spanish exclaves on North Africa’s Mediterranean coastline. The other is Melilla, a city also of some 85,000 people, around 250 miles east of Ceuta, that also borders Morocco. [...] It’s a dispute that still runs deep, and in 2023, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez complained to Moroccan authorities when Moroccan maps included both Ceuta and Melilla within the country’s borders. The year before, Spanish media reported Sanchez as stating that "Ceuta and Melilla are Spain, full stop" after Morocco had complained to the United Nations that "Melilla is a prison occupied by Spain."
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-01-01): This is because EU countries are obliged to treat goods from these territories the same as goods coming from outside the EU. [...] In these territories, national rules apply: EU country may choose not to apply any VAT, to apply different VAT rates under different conditions than in the rest of its territory or to apply the same VAT rates as in the rest of its territory. [...] 3 Rules only apply for transactions to and from these countries or territories.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2007-08-27): The southern tip of Spain and the northern tip of Africa come close to touching at the Strait of Gibraltar. At the Strait’s narrowest point, only about 13 kilometers (8 miles) separate Spain from Morocco. The small Spanish enclave Ceuta occupies a narrow isthmus of land on the African side of the Strait of Gibraltar; the rest of the surrounding territory is Morocco. The isthmus and the city of Ceuta have been used as a military base since the Roman Empire occupied the area around AD 42; the city today supports a fort garrisoned by the Spanish army. This astronaut photograph illustrates the sharp contrasts in land surfaces in the area. Densely populated Ceuta occupies the center of the image, its maze of pink and white residential and industrial rooftops occasionally broken by patches of green—city parks and athletic fields. North of the city, seawalls enclose a small bay and harbor. On the beach, bright blue patches are large water parks. Green, vegetated slopes surround the Spanish fort that sits at the top of Monte Hacho, at the eastern tip of the isthmus. (The fort commands a clear view of the Strait of Gibraltar, which is visible in a regional view of the area. Several small boats are visible near the coastline to the northwest and south of Ceuta.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-01-09): Ceuta and Melilla: An Unresolved Issue 24The dispute between Morocco and Spain over Spanish-controlled territories in North Africa began at the sunset of the fifteenth century and the beginning of sixteenth century when Spain and Portugal occupied some Moroccan ports. Although Melilla has been under Spanish sovereignty since 1497 and Ceuta since 1668, Moroccans have never recognized Spanish sovereignty over these enclaves and other rocky islands, and always considered them as integral parts of Moroccan territory. [...] 23 R. Rezette, The Spanish Enclaves in Morocco. Paris: Nouvelles Editions Latines, 1976, p. 27. Cited in Gerry O’Reilly, Ceuta and the Spanish Sovereign Territories: Spanish and Moroccan Claims. Durham: International Boundaries Research Unit [Dept. of Geography, University of Durham], 1994, p. 2. [...] 47 Gerry O’Reilly, Ceuta and the Spanish Sovereign Territories: Spanish and Moroccan Claims. Durham: International Boundaries Research Unit [Dept. of Geography, University of Durham], 1994, p. 19.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-10-27): The coastal cities of Ceuta and Melilla are both located within Morocco yet have been Spanish territories since the 17th and 15th centuries, respectively, making them home to the only European land borders on the continent of Africa. [...] Spain highlights that the territories of Ceuta and Melilla, which also include three uninhabited islets (the Alhucemas Islands, the rock of Vélez de la Gomera and the Perejil Island) had preceded the creation of the Protectorates. Instead they date from the time of the Reconquista, the centuries-long series of battles by Christian states (today’s Portugal and Spain) to expel the Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula. [...] By GlobalDataConversely, Morocco argues that Spain’s territories within its kingdom are a remnant of colonialism and should be given back. However, the UN does not include these exclaves in its list of non-self-governing territories, defined as territories "whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government". Both Ceuta and Melilla have a similar semi-autonomous status as that enjoyed by all other regions of mainland Spain.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Spain (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-06-05): Ceuta and Melilla: Spain's enclaves in North Africa - Published [...] 8th Century: Launchpad for Moorish conquest of Iberian peninsular 15th Century: Melilla conquered by Spain 17th Century: Ceuta comes under Spanish rule 1956: Spain retains Ceuta and Melilla after Morocco becomes independent [...] "Under international law, Morocco doesn't have strong claims to Ceuta and Melilla, which have been Spanish for hundreds of years. There are significant legal and political barriers to any change in status of those territories in favour of Morocco," writes Dr Jamie Trinidad of Cambridge University in the UK.
Claim: West Bank is a territory of Israel (West Bank, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-02): The West Bank (Arabic: الضفة الغربية, romanized: aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; Hebrew: הַגָּדָה הַמַּעֲרָבִית, romanized: HaGadáh HaMaʽarávit), so called due to its location relative to the Jordan River, is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) claimed by the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the Levant region of West Asia,[6] it is bordered by Jordan and the Dead Sea to the east and by Israel (via the Green Line) to the south, west, and north.[7] Since 1967, the territory has been occupied by Israel and in 2024 an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice determined that the occupation is illegal under international law.[8] [...] The International Court of Justice ruling of 9 July 2004, however, found that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is territory held by Israel under military occupation, regardless of its status prior to it coming under Israeli occupation, and that the Fourth Geneva convention applies de jure.[66] The international community regards the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) as territories occupied by Israel.[67]