Melilla is a
Spanish autonomous city on the coast of eastern
Morocco, in North
Africa. It is a free port, and the principal industry is
fishing. Cross-border
commerce (legal or smuggled) and Spanish and European grants and wages are the other income sources. Spain has held the city since
1497 despite many attacks by Morocco. The Moroccan
government claims Ceuta, Melilla and some small Spanish islands by the African shore (
Plazas de Soberanía).
As of 1994 the population was 63,670.
ISO 3166-1 reserves EA for Melilla and Ceuta.
See also: Ceuta, Isla Perejil
