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Gibraltar

Coat of Arms of Gibraltar Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti (Latin: Conquered By No Enemy)
Anthem: Gibraltar Anthem
Status	Overseas territory of the United Kingdom
Official language(s)	English
Governor	Sir Francis Richards
Chief Minister	Peter Caruana
Area  - Total  - % water	not ranked (192 if) 6.5 km² -
Population  - Total (2003 E)  - Density	not ranked (190 if) 27,776 4270/km²
Currency	Gibraltar Pound (£) (GIP)
Time zone  - in summer	CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD	.gi
Calling code	350¹

Gibraltar is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. It is located on the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula at the Strait of Gibraltar that links the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea and placing it between Europe and Africa. The territory shares a land border with Spain, to the north. Gibraltar has historically been important base for the British Armed Forces, and is the site of a large naval base.

The name of the rock comes from the Arabic name of Jebel Tariq (جبل طارق) meaning Tariq's mountain. It refers to the Ummayad general Tariq ibn-Ziyad who led the Muslim conquest of Spain in 711. Earlier it was known as Calpe, one of the Pillars of Hercules. Today, Gibraltar is also known colloquially as "Gib" or "the Rock".

The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a major issue of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations. Spain requests the return of sovereignty, ceeded in perpetuity in 1713. Any transfer has been consistently and totally rejected by the people of Gibraltar.

History

Human settlement in Gibraltar can be traced back to the Phoenicians around 950 BC, although there is earlier evidence of habitation by the Neanderthals, a prehistoric subspecies of man. Semi-permanent settlements were later established by the Carthaginians and Romans. Gibraltar was named at that time as one of the Pillars of Hercules, after the legend of the creation of the Straits of Gibraltar.

The first permanent settlement was built by the Almohad Sultan Abd al-Mu'min. Gibraltar then passed to a successive line of empires, becoming a part of Castile and then Spain. Admiral Sir George Rooke, commander of the confederate fleet captured the territory in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession.

In the Treaty of Utrecht which ended the war, Spain ceded Gibraltar and Minorca to the United Kingdom, which has retained sovereignty over the former ever since, despite early attempts by Spain to recapture the territory.

Gibraltar then became an important naval base for the Royal Navy, playing an important part in the Battle of Trafalgar. Its strategic value increased with the opening of the Suez Canal, as it controlled the important sea route between the UK and its colonies in India and Australia. During World War II, the civilian residents of Gibraltar were evacuated, and the Rock was turned into a fortress. An airfield was built over the civilian racecourse. Plans by Nazi Germany to capture the Rock were frustrated by Spain's reluctance to allow the German Army onto Spanish soil.

In the 1950s, Spain – then under "Generalísimo" Francisco Franco – renewed its claim to sovereignty over Gibraltar, sparked in part by the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1954 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Rock's capture. For the next thirty years, Spain restricted movement between Gibraltar and Spain. A referendum was held on September 10, 1967 in which Gibraltar's voters were asked whether they wished to either pass under Spanish sovereignty, or remain under British sovereignty, with institutions of self-government. The vote was overwhelmingly in favour of continuance of British sovereignty, with 12,138 to 44 voting to reject Spanish sovereignty. In response Spain completely closed the border with Gibraltar and severed all communication links.

In 1981 it was announced that The Prince and Princess of Wales would fly to Gibraltar to board the Britannia as part of their honeymoon. In response the Spanish King, Juan Carlos I refused to attend their wedding in London.

In 1988, SAS troops foiled an attempted terrorist attack on the British Army Garrison by members of the IRA.

The border with Spain was partially reopened in 1982, and fully reopened in 1985 after Spain's accession into the European Community. Joint talks on the future of the Rock held between Spain and the United Kingdom have occurred since the late 1980s, with various proposals for joint sovereignty discussed. However, another referendum organised in Gibraltar rejected the idea of joint sovereignty by 17,900 votes to 187. The question of Gibraltar continues to dominate Anglo-Spanish relations.

Politics

As an overseas territory of the UK, the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who is represented by the Governor of Gibraltar. The UK retains responsibility for defence, foreign relations, internal security and financial stability. The Governor is not involved in the day-to-day administration of Gibraltar, and his role is largely as a ceremonial head of state. The Governor officially appoints the Chief Minister and government ministers after an election. He is responsible for matters of defence, security and the Royal Gibraltar Police.

The Government of Gibraltar is elected for a term of four years. The unicameral House of Assembly consists of fifteen elected members, eight Government members, seven opposition members and two ex-officio members appointed by the Governor, the Financial Development Secretary and the Attorney-General. The speaker is nominated by the Government.

The head of Government is the Chief Minister, currently Peter Caruana. There are three political parties currently represented in the House of Assembly: Gibraltar Social Democrats; Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party; and Gibraltar Liberal Party. New Gibraltar Democracy has has been formed since the 2003 election.

The Reform Party and Gibraltar Labour Party having failed to achieve any popular support, ceased operating in 2005.

Gibraltar is a part of the European Union, having joined under the British Treaty of Accession, with exemption from some areas such as the Customs Union and Common Agricultural Policy. Since 2004, the people of Gibraltar have been entitled to vote in elections to the European Parliament as part of the South West England region.

As a result of the continued Spanish claim, the issue of sovereignty features strongly in Gibraltar politics. All local political parties are opposed to any transfer of sovereignty to Spain, instead supporting self-determination for the Rock. This policy is supported by the main UK opposition parties. In view of the UK Government's repeated commitment to respect the wishes of the people of Gibraltar, as laid out in the Constitution, the proposal for joint sovereignty is now considered dead.

Geography

The territory covers 6.543 km² (2.53 square miles). It shares a 1.2 km land border with Spain and has 12 km of shoreline. There are two coasts (sides) of Gibraltar – the East Side which contains the settlements of Sandy Bay and Catalan Bay, and the West Side where the vast majority of the population lives.

The climate is Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers. Its terrain is a narrow coastal lowland bordering the 426-metre (1.397.6-foot) high Rock of Gibraltar.

It has negligible natural resources and limited natural freshwater resources, until recently using large concrete or natural rock water catchments to collect rain water. It now has a desalination plant using reverse osmosis which is built into the rock itself.

Gibraltar is one of the most densely populated territories in the world, with approximately 4,245 people per km² (10,979 per sq mile). The growing demand for space is being increasingly met by land reclamation, which comprises approximately one tenth of the territory's total area.

The Rock itself is made of limestone and is 426 m (1,396 feet) high. It contains many miles of roads, most of which are closed to the public. Most of its area is covered by a nature reserve, which is home to around 250 Barbary Apes, the only wild monkeys in Europe. Superstition holds that if ever the Apes leave, so will the British; so they are well looked after by the government (a situation rather analogous to the ravens of the Tower of London).

Subdivisions

Gibraltar has no administrative divisions. It is divided into seven Major Residential Areas, which are further divided into Enumeration Areas, which serve statistical purposes. The Major Residential Areas are listed below, with population figures from the Census of 2001:

Economy

The British military traditionally dominated the economy of Gibraltar, with the naval dockyard providing the bulk of economic activity. This has however diminished in the last twenty years, and it is estimated to account for only 7% of the local economy, compared with over 60% in 1984.

Nowadays Gibraltar has an extensive service-sector-based economy, dominated by financial services and tourism. A number of British banks and international banks have operations in Gibraltar. Gibraltar has become an International Finance Centre and offshore tax haven where many tax exempt companies , which must not trade or conduct any business locally, are based in Gibraltar and are taxed at a flat rate of up to £300 a year. However, upon request of the European Union, Gibraltar has been given until 2010 to phase out its exempt company tax regime . There is also no tax on capital income and other advantages. In 2002, there were 28,500 active companies registered in Gibraltar of which 8,800 are exempt companies . Recently many bookmakers and online gaming operators have relocated to Gibraltar, to benefit from favourable corporate tax regime in a regulated jurisdiction.

Tourism is also a significant industry, with Gibraltar utilising its port facilities for cruise ships; and capitalising on day visitors from resorts in Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is a popular tourist attraction, particularly among British tourists and residents in the southern coast of Spain. The territory is also a popular shopping destination, since all goods and services are VAT free. Many of the large British high street chains have branches in Gibraltar including Marks and Spencer.

Figures from the CIA World Factbook show that Gibraltar has a GDP of over £432 million ($769 million); with a per capita figure of £15,700 ($28,000). The main export markets in 2004 were France (19.4%), Spain (14.1%), Turkmenistan (12.1%), Switzerland (11.7%), Germany (10.1%), the United Kingdom (9.1%) and Greece (6.8%).

The unit of currency is the Pound Sterling.

Demographics

Gibraltar has a population of approximately 27,884 as of July 2005. The Gibraltarians' origins are Andalusian Spaniards, British, and settlers from elsewhere in the Mediterranean (mainly Genoese and Maltese). The main religion is Christianity, the majority group being the Roman Catholic Church, then the Church of England. There is a long established Jewish community, a number of Hindu Indians and a Moroccan Muslim population.

The official language is English, which is the main language used for government and business purposes. Many locals also use Llanito, a mixture of English and Andalusian Spanish, with some words not native to either.

Culture

The culture of Gibraltar reflects Gibraltarians' diverse origins. While there are Andalusian and British influences, the ethnic origins of most Gibraltarians are not confined to British or Andalusian ethnicities. Most ethnicities include Genoese, Maltese, Portuguese, and Germans. A handful of other Gibraltar residents are Jewish of Sephardic or of North African origin or even Hindu.

British influence remains strong. Although Gibraltarians often speak to each other in an English-influenced Andalusian dialect called Yanito or Llanito, English is the language of government, commerce, education and the media. Gibraltarians going on to higher education attend university in the UK. Patients requiring medical treatment not available on the Rock receive it there as private patients, paid for by the Gibraltar Government.

Gibraltar celebrates its National Day annually on 10th September, the date chosen to commemorate the 1967 Referendum which was the first act of self-determination of the people of Gibraltar. Despite the political undertones of the day, it is very much a festive occasion, with everyone dressing in red and white and congregating in the main square (Casemates) to celebrate. 30,000 red and white balloons are released followed by music, dancing and other events around Gibraltar.

Transport

Within Gibraltar, the main form of transport is the car. Motorbikes are popular and there is a good modern bus service. Unlike other British territories, traffic drives on the right, as it shares a land border with Spain.

There is a cable car which runs from a lower level in the centre of Gibraltar to one of the highest points on the Rock, with a stop halfway at the apes' den.

The only transport link with Spain is by land, as Spain bans all air and ferry links with Gibraltar. Despite this, Gibraltar Airport, maintains regular flight connections to London and Manchester. There were flights to Morocco but there was insufficient demand to sustain the service.

Motorists, and on occasion, pedestrians crossing the border with Spain are randomly subjected to long delays and searches by the Spanish authorities. Spain has closed the border during disputes with the Gibraltar authorities, for example when the Aurora cruise ship called at Gibraltar.

Military

The army garrison is provided by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, originally a part-time reserve force which was placed on the permanent establishment of the British Army in 1990. The regiment includes full-time and part-time soldiers recruited from Gibraltar, as well as British Army regulars posted from other regiments.

The Royal Navy maintains its Squadron at the Rock. The squadron is responsible for the security and integrity of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). The shore establishment at Gibraltar is named Rooke after Sir George Rooke who captured the Rock for Archduke Charles (pretender to the Spanish throne) in 1704. Gibraltar's naval docks are an important base for NATO. Ships from the Spanish navy do not dock at Gibraltar.

British and US nuclear submarines frequently visit the Z berths at Gibraltar (source: Hansard). A Z berth provides the facility for nuclear submarines to visit for operational or recreational purposes, and for non-nuclear repairs.

The Royal Air Force station at Gibraltar forms part of Headquarters British Forces Gibraltar. Although aircraft are no longer permanently stationed at RAF Gibraltar, a variety of RAF aircraft make regular visits to the Rock.

The Rock is believed to be a SIGINT listening post for telecommunications throughout North Africa, and because of its strategic location it still remains a key base for NSA and GCHQ coverage of the Mediterranean.

Death on the Rock

In 1988 the British SAS killed three unarmed Provisional IRA volunteers, Mairead Farrell, Sean Savage and Daniel McCann in Gibraltar as part of Operation Flavius. They were in Gibraltar on a PIRA operation. A car hired by the three was subsequently discovered laden with Semtex explosive. This incident was the subject of a contentious Thames Television documentary, Death on the Rock, which many credit with being the main factor in Thames losing its ITV licence in 1992.

The families of the deceased took the case to the European Court of Human Rights which by ten votes to nine held that the British Government had violated Article 2 of the Convention. It also ruled that the three had been engaged in an act of terrorism, and consequently dismissed unanimously the applicants’ claims for damages, for costs and expenses incurred in the Gibraltar Inquest and the remainder of the claims for just satisfaction.

Miscellaneous

• Communications in Gibraltar
• Transport in Gibraltar

See also

• Gibraltar Services Police
• Royal Gibraltar Police

External links

• Government of Gibraltar
• Government of Gibraltar - London Office
• National Symbols
• CIA Factbook
• Gibraltar ccTLD NIC
• Gibraltar, the Unofficial Homepage
• Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (with radio streaming)
• Gibraltar at Google Maps
• Q&A about Gibraltar at the BBC.co.uk
• Satellite view of Gibraltar

• Disputed territories
• European dependencies
• Gibraltar
• Arabic words