Ceuta

"Sabtah" redirects here. For the biblical figure, see Sabtah (biblical figure). For other uses, see Ceuta (disambiguation).

Ceuta
Autonomous city
View of Ceuta Desnarigado Castle Palace of the Assembly of Ceuta Ceuta Cathedral Royal Walls of Ceuta Torre de Aranguren Sanctuary of Saint Mary of Africa
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Ceuta in Spain
Interactive map of Ceuta
Coordinates: 35°53′18″N 5°18′56″W
Country	Spain
First settled	1st millennium BC
Portuguese conquest	14 August 1415
Integration into the Hispanic Monarchy	1580
Statute of Autonomy	14 March 1995
Government
• Type	Autonomous city within a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Body	Council of Government
• Mayor-President	Juan Jesús Vivas (PP)
• Legislature	Assembly of Ceuta
Area
• Total	18.5 km2 (7.1 sq mi)
• Land	18.5 km2 (7.1 sq mi)
• Rank	18th
Elevation	10 m (33 ft)
Highest elevation	349 m (1,145 ft)
Population  (2026)
• Total	84,222
• Rank	19th
• Density	4,550/km2 (11,800/sq mi)
• Rank	2nd
Demonyms	Ceutan ceutí (es) caballa ("Atlantic mackerel", colloquial)
GDP
• Total	€1.923 billion (2024)
• Per capita	€23,169 (2024)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	ES-CE
Postal code	51001–51005
Official language	Spanish
Other spoken languages	Ceuta Arabic Sindhi
Congress	1 deputy (out of 350)
Senate	2 senators (out of 264)
Currency	Euro (€) (EUR)
HDI (2022)	0.860 very high · 19th
Website	www.ceuta.es

Ceuta (UK: /ˈsjuːtə/, US: /ˈseɪuːtə/; Spanish: [ˈθewta, ˈsewta] ^ⓘ; Moroccan Arabic: سَبْتَة, romanized: Sabtah) is an autonomous city in Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of the special territories of members of the European Economic Area: it is part of the Schengen area, but with specific provisions such as border checks between Ceuta and European Spain.

Phoenicians founded a settlement on the La Almina Peninsula, which had continuity under Roman and Byzantine rule (Septem Fratres). It was annexed to the early caliphates upon the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb, only to be destroyed during the Berber Revolt. It was rebuilt in the ninth century by Majkasa Ghomaras. For much of the Middle Ages, regional powers north and south of the Strait of Gibraltar vied for control over Ceuta, which was a key contested port in the so-called Battle of the Strait. In 1415, it was annexed to the Kingdom of Portugal. In 1580, it was annexed by the Hispanic Monarchy, and the city chose to remain under Spanish authority after 1640. Ceuta belonged to the Spanish province of Cádiz as a regular municipality until the passage of its Statute of Autonomy in March 1995, when it became an autonomous city.

Along with the Canary Islands, Ceuta was classified as a free port before Spain joined the European Union. Its population is predominantly made up of Spanish Christians and Arab Muslims, with a small minority of Sephardic Jews, and Sindhi Hindus from pre-partition India. Spanish is the official language of Ceuta, while Darija Arabic (in the Ceuta Arabic dialect) is also widely spoken.