evidence: Melilla was advertised as an autonomous Spanish city with a proximity to Morocco that makes working there an exciting opportunity for anyone with an interest in Arabic or North Africa. When you look at a map, this ‘proximity to Morocco’ actually translates to quite literally bordering the African country rather than being on the Iberian peninsula. The origins and reason for Spanish ownership of Ceuta and Melilla can be traced back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Indeed, Melilla fell as a Berber town to Spain in 1497, and Ceuta was assigned to Spain by the Portuguese in the Treaty of Lisbon in 1580. For 500 years, and even after Morocco obtained independence in 1956, these two cities have stayed under Spanish control. [...] Like Gibraltar for the UK, Melilla and Ceuta are strategic real estate for Spain on the Mediterranean Sea, highly sought after for their fruitful trading position. However, Spain has rejected the comparison with Gibraltar, arguing that Melilla and Ceuta are naturally and ethnically Spanish, whereas the inhabitants of Gibraltar are ‘imported aliens’.