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Its name comes from the Arabic Al-jezirah al Hadra,and means "Green Island".

From the year 711 onwards, it was the obligatory landing place of the Muslim troops. It was under Muslim power for six centuries. For the Christians it was the most important fortified town in Andalusia. In 1344, Alfonso XI conquered it, but the town was once again captured in 1369 after a Nazarite attack. It was to be dominated for ten years, and when they were no longer able to maintain it and to stop it from falling into the hands of the Castilians, they set it alight and destroyed the town. It thus remained abandoned and forgotten for centuries.

In 1704, Spain lost Gibraltar, and Algeciras once again became populated by the inhabitants of the Rock, who settled around the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Europa (Hermitage of our lady of Europe). This village, which was dependant on San Roque, began to develop to such an extreme that in 1755 it was given the title of city. In 1906, this city was the venue for the Conference of Algeciras, in which the main European powers intervened to try to solve the conflicts with Morocco and the distribution of the African colonies. At present the city of Algeciras posesses an important agrarian, fishing and tourist production.