Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, Sea fort and peninsula near Melilla, Spain
Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera is a fortified peninsula on the Moroccan Mediterranean coast stretching 400 meters from northwest to southeast and reaching up to 100 meters wide in places. The rocky headland rises up to 87 meters above sea level and carries the remains of an old fortification with walls and bastions on its southern side.
Spanish troops under Pedro Navarro captured the fortress in 1508 to halt pirate attacks on western Mediterranean trade routes. Berber fighters recaptured the fort in 1522 and held it until 1564, when Spanish units took it again and remained stationed there ever since.
The fort bears its name in honor of García de Toledo and recalls the era when Spanish naval forces defended the North African coast. Today a small garrison lives in the old fortress barracks and maintains the military tradition.
The peninsula is a military installation and therefore not accessible to civilians. Those wishing to learn more about the place can view it from the Moroccan mainland or consult aerial photographs and historical documents in libraries.
A narrow sand strip of only 85 meters connects the fortress to the Moroccan mainland and forms one of the shortest land borders in the world. Storms and currents constantly reshape the beach so the connection sometimes breaks during high tide.
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