EN
Ceuta and Melilla, are the last European territories which are left on the African mainland. They are largely unknown to Europeans, other than to Spaniards for whom they present a legacy from the country's military past. Once of the strategic significance owing to their close location to the Strait of Gibraltar, the two towns have gained new importance over the last 10 years as major migration gateways to Europe from the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as centres for contraband. Ceuta and Melilla (unvaryingly twinned as diplomatic issues) together with a series of rocks and small islands, are claimed by Morocco despite being Spanish possessions for centuries. In the article is described Morocco-Spanish border, the conflict on the island of Leila/Perejil, Morocco-Spanish relations on the background details of the king of Spain Jose Carlos in Ceuta and Melilla, and the problem of immigration from African countries.