Tangier or Tanja is a major city in northern Morocco. It was founded by Carthaginian colonists in the early 5th century BC, who were probably the first ones to settle around the coast. In 42 AD The city becomes capital of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana. The city is distinguished by its long and eventful history due to its strategic location as a meeting point between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean on one side, and between the European and African continents on the other. Various civilizations, such as the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims, Portuguese and Spaniards, have succeeded until 1956, when it became under full Moroccan sovereignty.