News news1 story
Spain said it had returned about 48,300 entrants by Friday evening.
The crossingMap
Two days, one 7.6 km border
Ceuta is Spanish territory on the African coast, fenced off from Morocco along 7.6 km. What arrived over two days, and what went back, crossed the same short line.
A close map of Ceuta and its 7.6 km land border with Morocco, with arrows for the reported arrivals over 30–31 July and the returns that followed. Places marked: Ceuta; Border, south end; Border, north end. Drawn across the map: ≈60,000 in, 30–31 July — reported; ≈48,300 back by Friday evening — reported. Figures: reached Ceuta over two days, ≈60,000; in the single-day peak, ≈49,000; returned to Morocco by Friday evening, ≈48,300; in the previous record surge, May 2021, ≈8,000; of land border with Morocco, 7.6 km.
Movement of peopleAll routes here are schematic
What this map shows, as data
| Place | Role | Position | What the reporting says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceuta | Place | 35.89°N, 5.31°W | Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast, bordered by Morocco on three sides and the Mediterranean on the fourth. | OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) |
| Border, south end | Chokepoint | 35.87°N, 5.34°W | Where the land border meets the Mediterranean. Entrants were reported reaching Ceuta by swimming around the barriers here and by scaling the fences. | OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) |
| Border, north end | Chokepoint | 35.91°N, 5.38°W | The border's other terminus, on the Strait of Gibraltar shore. | OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) |
| Drawn | Kind | Status | What the reporting says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ≈60,000 in, 30–31 July | Movement of people or goods | Reported | Mainly young Moroccan men, reaching Ceuta by swimming around the border barriers or scaling the fences. Route is schematic: the reporting does not give an alignment. | BBC: Spain's PM blames traffickers after 60,000 migrants reach Ceuta |
| ≈48,300 back by Friday evening | Movement of people or goods | Reported | Spain's Interior Ministry said roughly 48,300 entrants had returned to Morocco by Friday evening. Route is schematic: the reporting does not give an alignment. | BBC: Spain's PM blames traffickers after 60,000 migrants reach Ceuta |
| Figure | Value | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| reached Ceuta over two days | ≈60,000 | BBC, covering Thursday and Friday. | BBC: Spain's PM blames traffickers after 60,000 migrants reach Ceuta |
| in the single-day peak | ≈49,000 | Reuters. A different window from the BBC's two-day total, so the two do not net. | Reuters: Spain, Morocco halt deadly rush after 49,000 cross in a day |
| returned to Morocco by Friday evening | ≈48,300 | — | BBC: Spain's PM blames traffickers after 60,000 migrants reach Ceuta |
| in the previous record surge, May 2021 | ≈8,000 | This week's reported 60,000 is roughly 7.5 times that. | BBC: Ceuta, Spain sends troops as 8,000 migrants enter enclave (2021) |
| of land border with Morocco | 7.6 km | Measured along the OpenStreetMap boundary geometry drawn on this map. Not a reported figure. | OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) |
Where every coordinate came from
- Coordinates: Natural Earth 1:10m populated places, Admin-1 capital “Ceuta”. Boundary: OpenStreetMap relation 1154756.
- Southern terminus of the Ceuta–Morocco boundary in OpenStreetMap relation 1154756.
- Northern terminus of the Ceuta–Morocco boundary in OpenStreetMap relation 1154756.
- Schematic. The reporting gives no crossing coordinates; the arrow is drawn across the southern end of the boundary, which is where entrants were reported to swim around the barriers.
- Schematic. Same alignment as the inbound arrow, reversed; the returns route is not published.
Sources: BBC: Spain's PM blames traffickers after 60,000 migrants reach Ceuta · Reuters: Spain, Morocco halt deadly rush after 49,000 cross in a day · BBC: Ceuta, Spain sends troops as 8,000 migrants enter enclave (2021) · OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth (public domain)
Source: Spain's PM blames traffickers after 60,000 migrants reach Ceuta from Morocco
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