The Cables That Connect the World

A fibre-optic submarine cable emerges two metres beneath the sand at El Burgo-Torrenueva, Spain, crossing the Strait of Gibraltar to Ceuta, an autonomous Spanish enclave on Africa’s coast, and then links to global networks. The cable is a 25 mm-diameter, 1.4-tonne-per-kilometre assembly of glass fibres surrounded by water-blocking gel, copper or aluminium conductors, polycarbonate, steel-wire armour and polyethylene jackets, with additional steel armour near shore to protect against anchors and trawlers.