evidence: Conquered by Spain in the 15th Century, Ceuta and Melilla are two small territories on the North Coast of Morocco and somewhat of a historical anomaly. The North of Morocco was occupied by Spain for a long time and, as I noticed in Tangier, Tetouan and Chefchaouen, Spanish is still widely spoken. Spain recognised Morocco’s independence in 1956 but the two enclaves remained Spanish, known as Plazas de Soberania. They retained their culture and their Spanish population, however, they are claimed by Morocco, and are a bit of a sore point between the two nations. Today, those territories are somewhat vulnerable to large groups of illegal migrants trying to find their way to Europe. If you are exploring the North of Morocco, I recommend hopping into Spain for a day or two and enjoy something different. [...] Ceuta is also known as Sebta and is home to some 80,000 people. True to the multicultural identity of the North of Morocco, the population is a mix of Catholics, Muslims, Jews and even Hindus… The location of Ceuta has been of economic significance since the 5th Century. Together with Gibraltar on the European side, Ceuta forms one of the famous "Pillars of Hercules". Followed a long period of unstable history and changing occupation until 1415, when Ceuta was captured by the Portuguese. Finally, Portugal ceded the territory to Spain in 1668.