The continents of Africa and Europe are actually separated by a land border of just 85 metres. (Image: Getty)
At first glance, one might think that the countries of Spain and are separated entirely by sea – the .
In reality, however, these two countries, which belong to separate continents, actually share a land border.
Looking closer at a map of the world, you will soon notice that has two small territories – Ceuta and Melilla – on the northern coast of . In addition to this, Spain also retains smaller enclaves along the coast.
One such enclave is Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, a tiny tidal island.
Its border with Morocco is just 85 metres long, making it the shortest international border in the world.
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It is of great strategic importance to Spain, allowing it to maintain its Mediterranean influence. (Image: Getty)
This piece of land – measuring just 400 metres long by 100 metres wide and covering a 1.9-hectare site – is of great strategic importance to Spain, as it allows the country to maintain its influence in the .
Administered by the Spanish government and with no permanent residents, only Spanish soldiers are stationed there to safeguard its sovereignty.
Vélez de la Gomera is also connected to a smaller islet to the east, La Isleta, by a narrow, rocky strip of land.
Vélez de la Gomera, along with La Isleta, is a premodern overseas possession known as a “plaza de soberanía”.
It was actually a natural island in the Alboran Sea until 1930, when a huge thunderstorm washed large quantities of sand into the short channel between the island and the African continent. The channel turned into a tombolo and the island became a peninsula.
The peninsula’s history is extensive. In 1496, and Spain passed an agreement that effectively established their zones of influence on the North African coast.
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As a result, Spain could occupy territory only east of Peñón de Vélez. This restriction ended with the Iberian Union of Portugal and Spain in 1580 after the Battle of Alcácer Quibir, when Spain started to take direct actions in Morocco.
The Ottomans used it as a base for pirates operating in the Strait of Gibraltar region. The Sa’di sultan, Abdallah al-Ghalib, was alarmed by this activity, fearing that the Ottomans might use the town of Badis as a base from which to conquer Morocco. In 1564, he forced the Moroccans to evacuate the town and the peñón, which he handed to the Spaniards.
In 2012, the territory was briefly assaulted by seven Moroccan activists belonging to the Committee for the Liberation of .
The territory is primarily reached by helicopter via a helipad on the upper sections. A landing area is located on the south end near the peñón’s land entrance.
Among Spain’s other peñóns are the islet of Peñón de Alhucemas – located in the bay of the same name and 700 metres from Morocco’s coast – and the Peñón of Algiers. However, this was captured in 1529, which saw the end of the Spanish presence in the area.