I is for Isla de Alborán. The Isla de Alborán is frequently mentioned in news reports relating to the interception of migrant boats trying to reach Spain, so where and what is it?
The Isla de Alborán is a small islet in the Alborán Sea, about 50 kilometres north of the Moroccan coast and 90 kilometres south of the province of Almería. It has been a Spanish possession since 1540, liberated from the Tunisian pirate ‘Al Borani’ in the Battle of Alborán.
It is now home to a small Spanish Naval garrison and an automated lighthouse. It is flat, about 15 metres above sea level and covers an area of 71,200 square metres.
Strangely, Morocco has never laid claim to the island, as has been the case with other islands and, of course, the mainland enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.