Peñón de Alhucemas

The Alhucemas Islands is a group of islands and one of the Spanish plazas de soberanía just off the Moroccan coast in the Alboran Sea.OverviewPeñón de Alhucemas, together with the islets of Isla de Mar and Isla de Tierra slightly to the west, form the Alhucemas Islands. They are located 300m off the Moroccan town of Al Hoceima, or Alhucemas (former Villa Sanjurjo), 146km east of Ceuta and 84km west of Melilla. The aggregate land area of the group of three islands is 4.6 ha or 0.046km².Peñón de Alhucemas is a tiny rock island, measuring 220m east-west and up to 84m north-south, with an area 1.5 ha or 0.015km², and a height of 27m. The rock is entirely occupied by a fort, several houses, and a church. It is one of several peñones, or rock-fortresses, on the coast of Northern Africa.Isla de Tierra is a steep, 11m high rocky platform, 114m north of the Moroccan beach, 192m long northeast-southwest, and up to 87m wide, yielding an area of 1.7 ha or 0.017km².Isla de Mar is a flat, 4m high islet, with its western end 93m north of Isla de Tierra, 245m long east-west, up to 70m wide, yielding an area of 1.4 ha or 0.014km². Spanish rule dates back to 1559, when Saadi dynasty ceded several territories to Spain in exchange for Spanish help against Ottoman armies. In 1673, Spain sent a garrison to the island of Peñón de Alhucemas, and has permanently occupied it since then. The islands are also located near the landing place the Spanish and French expeditionary forces used in 1925 during the Rif War. Morocco has contested Spanish sovereignty over the islets since Morocco received its independence in 1956.