Melila

Melilla (, Spanish: [meˈliʝa] ; Tarifit: Mřič) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of 12.3 km2 (4.7 sq mi). It was part of the province of Málaga until 14 March 1995, when the Statute of Autonomy of Melilla was passed. Melilla is one of the special territories of the member states of the European Union. Movements to and from the rest of the EU and Melilla are subject to specific rules, provided for inter alia in the Accession Agreement of Spain to the Schengen Convention. As of 2025, Melilla had a population of 87,067. The population is chiefly divided between people of Iberian and Riffian extraction. There are also small numbers of Sephardic Jews and Sindhi Hindus. Melilla features a diglossia between the official Spanish and Tarifit.