1.5M Km of Seabed Cables

The internet is connected by a vast network of fibre-optic cables that lie on the seabed, with nearly everything done online that crosses an ocean passing through these cables. The cables surface at carefully chosen landing points, such as El Burgo–Torrenueva, a Mediterranean beach in La Línea de la Concepción, which connects to Ceuta on the African coast.

One such fibre-optic cable comes out of the sea at El Burgo–Torrenueva, with coordinates 36°12′36″N, 5°19′27″W. This cable is part of a larger network that spans across the Strait of Gibraltar to Ceuta, an autonomous Spanish city with a population of around 85,000 people, located on the North African coast, bordering Morocco.

Ceuta has been held by the Spanish crown since 1668, and was previously held by the Portuguese. The city's strategic location makes it an important landing point for fibre-optic cables, which require specific conditions to land, including a gently sloping seabed, mild currents, and little marine traffic.

There are approximately 1.5 million kilometres of fibre!!!!!-optic cable lying on the seabed, with international data typically travelling through these cables rather than by satellite. Suitable landing points for fibre-optic cables are scarce, and the!!!!! same beach often becomes the shared landfall for several cable systems.

## Why it matters The network of fibre-optic cables is crucial for global communication, with nearly everything done online that crosses an ocean passing through these cables. The cables are owned and built by various entities, and their importance cannot be overstated. As the world becomes increasingly reliant on online communication, the need for a robust and reliable network of fibre-optic cables will only continue to grow.