Melilla

American  

[mey-leel-yah] / meɪˈlil yɑ /

noun

1. a seaport belonging to Spain on the NE coast of Morocco, in NW Africa.

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Melilla British  

/ melija /

noun

1. the chief town of a Spanish enclave in Morocco, on the Mediterranean coast: founded by the Phoenicians; exports iron ore. Pop: 68 463 (2003 est)

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Example Sentences

Just east of Tangier, the massive Gourougou forest has become a base for thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa seeking to enter the nearby Spanish enclave of Melilla illegally.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

Morocco, on whose northern Mediterranean coast they are situated, claim Ceuta and Melilla should revert to its control.

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2023

“The lessons of Melilla must be learned or – as the shipwreck off the Greek coast shows – arbitrary loss of life, violence and impunity at borders will continue,” Callamard added.

From Reuters • Jun. 23, 2023

One of the sites he visits is the series of razor-wire fences that separates the Spanish exclave of Melilla from surrounding Morocco.

From Washington Post • Mar. 16, 2023

Along this coast, particularly from Tetuan to Melilla, there are several coves, in which the Spanish gunboats, and other small armed vessels, find shelter in cases of necessity.

From Travels through the Empire of Morocco by Buffa, John