Isla de Tierra
| Isla de Tierra | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Mediterranean Sea | |
| Archipelago | Alhucemas Islands | |
| Geographical location | 35 ° 12 '54 .9 " N , 3 ° 54' 8.9" W | |
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| length | 187 m | |
| width | 136 m | |
| surface | 1.7 ha | |
| Highest elevation | 11 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
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The Isla de Tierra , together with the Isla de Mar and the island of Peñón de Alhucemas, form the archipelago of the Alhucemas Islands .
geography
Isla de Tierra is uninhabited and there are no buildings on it. It is located about 50 meters from the coast of Morocco . Sfiha beach is a popular attraction for the Moroccan population. The highest point on the island is 11 meters above sea level.
history
The island was ceded to the Kingdom of Spain along with other islands off the north coast of Morocco in the 16th century and is now part of the Plazas de Soberanía, which is directly under the central government in Madrid .
At the beginning of September 2012, a group of up to 100 refugees from the countries south of the Sahara reached the island by swimming or in small boats. The Guardia Civil deployed moved 16 women and children to Melilla on September 3 . The following day, in cooperation with the Moroccan authorities, the remaining people were returned to the mainland on the basis of the 1992 readmission agreement between Morocco and Spain.
nature
Due to the isolation of the island, a breeding colony of the coral gull ( Ichtyaetus audouinii ), which is only native to the Mediterranean area, has formed again on Isla de Tierra .