Which European country lies closest to Africa?

Spain is the European country that lies closest to Africa. At one point in southern Spain, the two continents come remarkably close to meeting. The gap between them is a narrow channel of water called the Strait of Gibraltar, and at its narrowest it is only about thirteen kilometers across — so short a distance that, on a clear day, you can stand on the Spanish coast and see the mountains of Africa on the other side.

The Strait of Gibraltar is the slim stretch of sea that separates Spain from Morocco, the African country directly across the water. It is far more than just a gap on the map. The strait connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, which makes it one of the busiest and most strategically important waterways in the world. Ships pass through it constantly, and ferries cross between Europe and Africa in well under an hour.

Because Spain and Africa sit so close together, the two have been linked throughout history. The narrow strait was never a true barrier — peoples, armies, traders, and ideas crossed it in both directions for thousands of years. This closeness left a deep mark on southern Spain, which still carries rich cultural and architectural influences from North Africa, the legacy of long centuries of contact across that thin band of sea.

This article was written using information from Wikipedia.