Melilla, Spain

Melilla had 86,780 residents on January 1, 2025, according to Spain’s municipal register: 1.4% more than in 2015 (85,584). That’s 15,784 people/sq mi across its 5.50 sq mi, against a Spanish average of 251 people/sq mi. Spain’s statistics office (INE) treats it as a province of its own, code 52.

The city of Melilla sits 7 ft (2 m) above sea level, the lowest of Spain’s 52 provincial capitals and autonomous cities.

According to the IGN’s summit table, the highest point in Melilla is Rostrogordo (an area the IGN lists as a paraje, not a peak), at 446 ft (136 m). It’s 2.1 mi from the town center in a straight line and 440 ft higher.

The nearest provincial capital is Almería, 110 mi away in a straight line, across the sea. Ceuta, Spain’s other autonomous city, has 83,595 people in 7.67 sq mi and sits 82 ft above sea level.