2.2.2 Countries and Territories: Geopolitical
and Socio-economic Information
The waters of the Alboran Sea bathe the coasts of three States, one European (Spain)
and two North African (Morocco and Algeria), as well as those of a number of
‘micro-territories’: one British colonial territory (Gibraltar) and several locations
under Spanish sovereignty (major garrisons—Ceuta and Melilla—and some minor
outposts—Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, Peñón de Alhucemas, the Chafarinas
Islands, Perejil (or Parsley) Island and Alboran Island) (Blake 1987).
The inequality and heterogeneity that exists in the Alboran region is further
slightly complicated by the different focuses of Spain, on the one hand, and the
Maghreb countries, on the other, in affairs of foreign policy, relations with other
States, and membership of regional organisations. Spain forms part of the web of
western organisations (EU, WEU, NATO), whereas the two States in the Maghreb
belong to the Arab League and the Arab Maghreb Union, the latter an organisation
which, despite its ambitious name and goals, has not achieved to date any real
political and economic integration of the countries in the area (Morocco, Algeria,
Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania).
The Alboran is also a clear example of Mediterranean asymmetries in wealth,
development and well-being. Despite the economic and social difficulties triggered
by the crisis, according to the World Bank, GDP per capita stood at US$28,157 in
the European State (Spain) in 2017 and the country had a human development score
of 0.891 out of 1 according to the United Nations Development Programme (2018),
while the two Maghreb States had lower levels of wealth per inhabitant—US$3007
in Morocco and US$4123 in Algeria—and lower levels of development—0.754 in
Algeria and 0.667 in Morocco. These socio-economic inequalities add to the different demographic behaviours on the two shores of the Alboran Sea, an especially
serious matter for the Maghreb countries, where high fertility rates have resulted in
high birth rates and a high percentage of young people. The latter translates into
growing spending needs for infants and the young (education and health) and
imbalances between the number of people reaching working age and the number
of jobs that the economic system can offer. All this obviously generates unease
among the Maghrebi people and tensions in their countries, as well as migratory
flows towards the north. As some authors (Naïr 1995; Guerraoui 2000; Suárez de
Vivero 2009) state, these socio-economic factors are at the root of the lack of
stability in the region and may have major consequences in the field of inter-State
relationships.
2.2.3 The Alboran Sea and the Maritime Economy
The Alboran is not only an area on the border between the North and the South, but
also a zone of transit, exchange and circulation. This is the reason why its maritime
16
J. L. Suárez-de Vivero et al.
and Socio-economic Information
The waters of the Alboran Sea bathe the coasts of three States, one European (Spain)
and two North African (Morocco and Algeria), as well as those of a number of
‘micro-territories’: one British colonial territory (Gibraltar) and several locations
under Spanish sovereignty (major garrisons—Ceuta and Melilla—and some minor
outposts—Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, Peñón de Alhucemas, the Chafarinas
Islands, Perejil (or Parsley) Island and Alboran Island) (Blake 1987).
The inequality and heterogeneity that exists in the Alboran region is further
slightly complicated by the different focuses of Spain, on the one hand, and the
Maghreb countries, on the other, in affairs of foreign policy, relations with other
States, and membership of regional organisations. Spain forms part of the web of
western organisations (EU, WEU, NATO), whereas the two States in the Maghreb
belong to the Arab League and the Arab Maghreb Union, the latter an organisation
which, despite its ambitious name and goals, has not achieved to date any real
political and economic integration of the countries in the area (Morocco, Algeria,
Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania).
The Alboran is also a clear example of Mediterranean asymmetries in wealth,
development and well-being. Despite the economic and social difficulties triggered
by the crisis, according to the World Bank, GDP per capita stood at US$28,157 in
the European State (Spain) in 2017 and the country had a human development score
of 0.891 out of 1 according to the United Nations Development Programme (2018),
while the two Maghreb States had lower levels of wealth per inhabitant—US$3007
in Morocco and US$4123 in Algeria—and lower levels of development—0.754 in
Algeria and 0.667 in Morocco. These socio-economic inequalities add to the different demographic behaviours on the two shores of the Alboran Sea, an especially
serious matter for the Maghreb countries, where high fertility rates have resulted in
high birth rates and a high percentage of young people. The latter translates into
growing spending needs for infants and the young (education and health) and
imbalances between the number of people reaching working age and the number
of jobs that the economic system can offer. All this obviously generates unease
among the Maghrebi people and tensions in their countries, as well as migratory
flows towards the north. As some authors (Naïr 1995; Guerraoui 2000; Suárez de
Vivero 2009) state, these socio-economic factors are at the root of the lack of
stability in the region and may have major consequences in the field of inter-State
relationships.
2.2.3 The Alboran Sea and the Maritime Economy
The Alboran is not only an area on the border between the North and the South, but
also a zone of transit, exchange and circulation. This is the reason why its maritime
16
J. L. Suárez-de Vivero et al.