A ''peñón'' (, "rock", pl. ''peñones'') is a term for certain offshore rocky island forts established by the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

(especially in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

). Several are still part of the '' plazas de soberanía'' ("places of sovereignty") of Spain in Northern Africa.

Quick facts

A peñón is as a mountain surrounded by water, usually by the sea. Among the most famous is the Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, off the coast of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, still a Spanish territory to this day. There is also the

Peñón de Alhucemas The Alhucemas Islands ( es, Islas Alhucemas, ar, جزر الحسيمة) is a group of islands and one of the Spanish ''plazas de soberanía'' just off the Moroccan coast in the Alboran Sea. Overview Peñón de Alhucemas, together with th ...

nearby. The

Peñón of Algiers Peñón of Algiers ( es, Peñón de Argel, ) was a small islet off the coast of Algiers, fortified by the Kingdom of Spain during the 16th century. The islet was connected to the African continent to form a seawall and the harbour of Algiers. Hist ...

(''Peñón de Argel'') was established in 1510, when the Spaniards settled on a small island in front of

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

(modern

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

), and forced the local ruler Sālim al-Tūmī (Selim-bin-Teumi) to accept their presence through a treaty and pay tribute.

List of ''peñones''

* Peñón de Calpe *

* Peñón de Argel * Peñón de Gibraltar (Rock of Gibraltar) * Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera

Notes

Spanish Empire {{fort-stub