The
Isla de Alborán is a small
islandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
in the
Alborán SeaThe Alboran Sea is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between Spain on the north and Morocco and Algeria on the south. The Strait of Gibraltar, which lies at the west end of the Alboran Sea, connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean.Its average depth is and maximum...
, part of the western Mediterranean, about 50 kilometres north of the
MoroccanMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
coast and 90 kilometres south of the province of
AlmeríaAlmería is the capital of the province of Almería, Spain. It is located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea.-History:The name "Almería" stems from Andalusian Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to the "The Mirror of the Sea".The city was founded by caliph Abd ar-Rahman...
,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
. A Spanish possession since 1540, it was taken from the Tunisian pirate Al Borani in the Battle of Alborán. It is home today to a small
Spanish NavyThe Spanish Navy is the maritime arm of the Spanish Military, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path from the Far East to America across the...
garrison and an automated
lighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire and used as an aid to navigation and to pilots at sea....
.
While Morocco claims the Spanish-held
plazas de soberaníaThe plazas de soberanía , formerly referred as "África Septentrional Española" or simply "África Española" are the current Spanish territories in continental North Africa, bordering Morocco.Since the Reconquista, the Spanish army conquered and maintained numerous emplacements in North Africa as a...
enclaves and islands on or within a few kilometers of the Moroccan coast as part of
Greater Moroccoright|thumb|Greater Morocco Map.Greater Morocco is a label historically used by some Moroccan anti-colonial political leaders agitating against French rule, to refer to wider territories historically associated with the Moroccan Sultan, current usage most frequently occurs in a critical context...
, it has never filed a formal claim to Alborán.
Today, the island administratively belongs to the
city councilA city council is the legislative body that governs a city, municipality or local government area.-Australia:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council may vary slightly...
of
AlmeríaAlmería is the capital of the province of Almería, Spain. It is located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea.-History:The name "Almería" stems from Andalusian Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to the "The Mirror of the Sea".The city was founded by caliph Abd ar-Rahman...
and is part of the Almería Pescadería (fish market) district.
- Position:
- Area: About 71,200 m².
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Isla de Alborán' Start a new discussion about 'Isla de Alborán' Answer questions from other users |
The
Isla de Alborán is a small
islandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
in the
Alborán SeaThe Alboran Sea is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between Spain on the north and Morocco and Algeria on the south. The Strait of Gibraltar, which lies at the west end of the Alboran Sea, connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean.Its average depth is and maximum...
, part of the western Mediterranean, about 50 kilometres north of the
MoroccanMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
coast and 90 kilometres south of the province of
AlmeríaAlmería is the capital of the province of Almería, Spain. It is located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea.-History:The name "Almería" stems from Andalusian Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to the "The Mirror of the Sea".The city was founded by caliph Abd ar-Rahman...
,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
. A Spanish possession since 1540, it was taken from the Tunisian pirate Al Borani in the Battle of Alborán. It is home today to a small
Spanish NavyThe Spanish Navy is the maritime arm of the Spanish Military, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path from the Far East to America across the...
garrison and an automated
lighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire and used as an aid to navigation and to pilots at sea....
.
While Morocco claims the Spanish-held
plazas de soberaníaThe plazas de soberanía , formerly referred as "África Septentrional Española" or simply "África Española" are the current Spanish territories in continental North Africa, bordering Morocco.Since the Reconquista, the Spanish army conquered and maintained numerous emplacements in North Africa as a...
enclaves and islands on or within a few kilometers of the Moroccan coast as part of
Greater Moroccoright|thumb|Greater Morocco Map.Greater Morocco is a label historically used by some Moroccan anti-colonial political leaders agitating against French rule, to refer to wider territories historically associated with the Moroccan Sultan, current usage most frequently occurs in a critical context...
, it has never filed a formal claim to Alborán.
Today, the island administratively belongs to the
city councilA city council is the legislative body that governs a city, municipality or local government area.-Australia:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council may vary slightly...
of
AlmeríaAlmería is the capital of the province of Almería, Spain. It is located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea.-History:The name "Almería" stems from Andalusian Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to the "The Mirror of the Sea".The city was founded by caliph Abd ar-Rahman...
and is part of the Almería Pescadería (fish market) district.
General Data
- Position:
- Area: About 71,200 m². Close to the island there is another called Cloud Islet.
- Altitude: The island is a flat platform about 15 m above sea level.
- Curiosities: Owing to its strategic value, in about 1960 a few supposed fishing vessels from the Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
tried to install a stable base on the island. For this reason the Spanish army established a settlement on Alborán for its control and protection.
External links
See also
- Alboran Sea
The Alboran Sea is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between Spain on the north and Morocco and Algeria on the south. The Strait of Gibraltar, which lies at the west end of the Alboran Sea, connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean.Its average depth is and maximum...
- Almería
Almería is the capital of the province of Almería, Spain. It is located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea.-History:The name "Almería" stems from Andalusian Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to the "The Mirror of the Sea".The city was founded by caliph Abd ar-Rahman...