Melilla, Spanish exclave and port, northwestern Africa, administered as part of Málaga Province, on the Mediterranean Sea. Bordered by Morocco, Melilla consists of an older, walled town on a peninsula and modern buildings to the south and west. The city is a rail terminus serving the mountainous Rif hinterland, and exports include iron, lead, zinc, fish, and fruit. The chief industries in the city are fish processing, boatbuilding, sawmilling, and flour milling. Founded by the Phoenicians as Rusaddir, it was ruled by the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Byzantine Empire, and various Berber dynasties before being conquered by Spain in 1497. A revolt of army officers in the Melilla garrison in 1936 was a prelude to the Spanish Civil War. Population (1999 estimate) 56,929.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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