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The fabulous strait Fact: antrophologic evidence shows that the African continent is the cradle of the human species. Fact: around 250.000 years ago the first humanoids appeared in Europe. Whenever I cross the Strait of Gibraltar, and that is 15 times per year, I like to think it was here that those first humans made the big jump, on a tree, or incidently washed ashore. I like history. Spotting the signs of it. Where ever I go. Because history is never just History, one of those things in the tool kit at school. History lives on, is in most cases the reason for any major or minor development in politics, warfare, or social-economical facts or changes. So obviously both Morocco and Andalucia are a true sandbox for someone like me. Those that love history and have an imaginative eye must have the time of their life here. And what applies to both regions, applies even more to that one narrow stretch of water in between them, the Strait of Gibraltar. The Exodus Every year starting around mid June, the Spanish motorways are packed with large vans and elder mercedes with licence plates from France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Luxemburg, Austria... Just tourists? Not quite. There are an approximate 1,5 million Moroccans or people from Moroccan descent living in Europe... and many of them use the summer months to visit their family back home. Especially in the southern tip of Spain, where all the cars join before embarking on the ferries, this sometimes looks like a true exodus. And Tangier welcomes them with festive banners, because they are a huge yearly injection for the economy. Crossing the Strait The nicest way or the quickest? Take the big (or slow) ferry from Algeciras. That's 2,5 hours of almost culinary delight for anyone interested in ancient, old, current or future history.
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info@tangierdreamer.com
Width: 14 km or 7,7 miles at the narrowest point. Depth: Ranges between 300 to 900 mts or 980 to 3000 feet. Traffic: Ferries cross between the 2 continents every 35 minutes. Add to this: vessels with fruit coming from the Canary Islands, Oil transport coming from the Middle East, Nato supervision, speedboats of Drug brigades. Name: Comes from Gibraltar, which in turn stems from the Arabic Jebel Al Tariq, or Tariq's mountain. The Tragedy With a seperation of only 14-30 kilometers, it is no surprise that it is right here that the most desperate of one continent try to reach the other. With thousands of illegal crossings as a result - of whom hundreds die each year. The Wild Children It is estimated that in Spain there are no less than 5000 niños sueltos or wild children, children of age 7 to 16 that once were able to cross, and now just dwell through the country. It is thought they are easy prey for, and often end up in, drugs and paedophile networks. The youngest one to be known was 7 years and had been able to get as far as Barcelona, 1000 kms up to the north. Spain nor Morocco are eager to bring tragedies as those in the spotlights. The Ignorance Of all this, the "Marbella" side of the Strait is hardly aware. Marbella is a word that stands for sun, sea and parties, and in order to keep everyone happy and satisfied, the bodies that rush ashore are kept under the carpet. |
