Las migraciones de tránsito: Estrecho de Gibraltar vs Canal de Sicilia

This paper analyzes the migration flows to Italy and Spain performed by the Mediterranean and sub-Saharian African illegal immigrants. The evolution of these flows, started since 1970, has made these two countries as the more involved geographic areas in the question of the illegal immigrants arriving through the sea. However, the geographical proximity to Africa and the similar «historic itinerary» are the most important attraction factors that mainly push immigrants from the southern shores of the Mediterranean sea. In this sense, the Strait of Gibraltar (as regards Spain) and the Channel of Sicily (as regards Italy) represent two geographical contexts through which immigrants perform their migration’s project to Europe. This article analyzes the different aspects of migration (such as the routes taken and the vessels used during the trip, the native nationality of the illegals, and the presence of UFM), focusing the attention to the Canary Islands (Spanish case) and Lampedusa Island (Italian case), as they can be considered the two main door for immigrants.