Why does Spain have ‘enclaves’ in North Africa?

Spain’s two tiny enclaves on the north coast of Africa have long been a flashpoint in its relationship with Morocco, which the territories border.The only such European territories on African soil, they include the autonomous city enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, as well as Plazas de Soberanía – a group of rocky islands off the Moroccan coast, which include the Chafarinas Islands, Alhucemas Islands and Penon de Velez de la Gomera.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Spanish Ceuta witnesses a deadly ‘game’ for Moroccan migrantslist 2 of 3Why has EU called an emergency meeting on Spain migrant surge?list 3 of 3Migrant deaths in Ceuta rise to 72 after border surge from Moroccoend of listWhile Spain says it owns these enclaves, Morocco does not recognise Spain’s sovereignty over them and has been demanding their return since independence from France in 1956.The territorial dispute has resulted in long-standing political tensions between Spain and Morocco.Last week, after more than 50,000 migrants surged over the border into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, those tensions between Madrid and Rabat intensified. While most have since returned to Morocco, several thousand remain in Ceut...