Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera
| Disputed island | |
|---|---|
Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, seen from the Moroccan coast in 2007. | |
Interactive map of Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera Hajar Badis | |
| Geography | |
| Location | North African coast |
| Coordinates | 35°10′20″N 4°17′59″W / 35.17222°N 4.29972°W |
| Adjacent to | Mediterranean Sea |
| Area | 1.9 ha (4.7 acres) |
| Administration | |
| Plazas de Soberanía | |
| Claimed by | |
Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera (Spanish pronunciation: [peˈɲon de ˈβeleθ ðe la ɣoˈmeɾa]), also known as Hajar Badis (Arabic: حجر بديس, romanized: Hajar Badis), is a Spanish exclave and rocky tidal island in the western Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Moroccan shore by a sandy isthmus, and to a smaller islet to the east, La Isleta, by a rocky isthmus. The tidal island was historically named Hajar Badis (Rock of Badis), referring to its proximity to the town of Badis.
Vélez de la Gomera, along with La Isleta, is a historic overseas possession known as a plaza de soberanía. It is administered by the Spanish central government and has a population consisting only of a small number of Spanish military personnel.
Its border with Morocco is 85 m (279 ft) long, making it the shortest international land border in the world. Morocco asserts a claim to the peninsula as part of its territory, alongside other Spanish plazas de soberanía in Northern Africa.