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) , anthem = "
God Save the King "God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, b ...
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Gibraltar Anthem The "Gibraltar Anthem" is the national song of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. In common with the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and other British territories, the official national anthem of Gibraltar is "God Save the King". ...
" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibraltar map-en-edit2.svg , map_alt2 = Map of Gibraltar , map_caption2 = Map of Gibraltar , mapsize2 = , subdivision_type =
Sovereign state A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined te ...
, subdivision_name = , established_title = British capture , established_date = 4 August 1704 , established_title2 = , established_date2 = 11 April 1713 , established_title3 = National Day , established_date3 = 10 September 1967 , established_title4 = Accession to EEC , established_date4 = 1 January 1973 , established_title5 = Withdrawal from the EU , established_date5 = 31 January 2020 , official_languages =
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
, languages_type = Spoken languages , languages = , capital = Westside, Gibraltar (de facto) , coordinates = , largest_settlement_type = largest district
, largest_settlement = capital , demonym = , government_type =
Devolved Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...
representative democratic
parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
dependency under a
constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
, leader_title1 =
Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...
, leader_name1 =
Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...
, leader_title2 =
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
, leader_name2 = Sir David Steel , leader_title3 =
Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
, leader_name3 =
Fabian Picardo Fabian Raymond Picardo (born 18 February 1972) is a Gibraltarian politician and barrister serving as Chief Minister of Gibraltar and Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party since 2011. At the 2015 and 2019 Gibraltar general elections, P ...
, leader_title4 =
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
, leader_name4 = Christian Santos , legislature =
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
, national_representation =
Government of the United Kingdom ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...
, national_representation_type1 = Minister , national_representation1 =
Wendy Morton Wendy Morton (born 9 November 1967) is a British politician who served as Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury from September to October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been the Member ...
, area_km2 = 6.8 , area_sq_mi = 2.6 , percent_water = 0 , elevation_max_m = 426 , population_estimate = 34,003 , population_estimate_rank = 220th , population_estimate_year = 2020 , population_census = 32,194 , population_census_year = 2012 , population_density_km2 = 5,000 , population_density_sq_mi = 12,264 , population_density_rank = , GDP_PPP = £1.64 billion , GDP_PPP_rank =not ranked , GDP_PPP_year = 2013 , GDP_PPP_per_capita = £50,941 , GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = not ranked , HDI_year = 2018 , HDI_change = , HDI = 0.961 , HDI_ref = , HDI_rank = 3rd , currency = Gibraltar pound (£) , currency_code = GIP , timezone =
CET CET or cet may refer to: Places * Cet, Albania * Cet, standard astronomical abbreviation for the constellation Cetus * Colchester Town railway station (National Rail code CET), in Colchester, England Arts, entertainment, and media * Comcast En ...
, utc_offset = +01:00 , timezone_DST =
CEST CEST or cest may refer to: * Central European Summer Time (UTC+2), daylight saving time observed in the central European time zone * Cognitive-Experiential Self-Theory * Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer, a subset of Magnetization transfer in ...
, utc_offset_DST = +02:00 , date_format = dd/mm/yyyy , drives_on = right , calling_code = +350 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = GX11 1AA , iso_code = GI , cctld =
.gi .gi is the country code top-level domain A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ...
, website = , GDP_nominal=£2.441 billion , GDP_nominal_per_capita= Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territory and city located at the southern tip of the
Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
. It has an area of and is bordered to the north by
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar, at the foot of which is a densely populated town area, home to over 32,000 people, primarily
Gibraltarians The Gibraltarians ( Spanish: ''gibraltareños'', colloquially: '' llanitos'') are an ethnic group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterrane ...
. In 1704, Anglo-Dutch forces captured Gibraltar from Spain during the
War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
. The territory was ceded to
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
in perpetuity under the
Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne ...
in 1713. It became an important base for the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars and World War II, as it controlled the narrow entrance and exit to the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, the Strait of Gibraltar, which is only wide. This
choke point In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint) is a geographical feature on land such as a valley, defile or bridge, or maritime passage through a critical waterway such as a strait, which an armed force is forced to pass through in order ...
remains strategically important, with half the world's seaborne trade passing through it. Gibraltar's economy is based largely on tourism, online gambling, financial services, and
bunkering Bunkering is the supplying of fuel for use by ships (such fuel is referred to as bunker), including the logistics of loading and distributing the fuel among available shipboard tanks. A person dealing in trade of bunker (fuel) is called a bun ...
.Informe sobre la cuestión de Gibraltar
Spanish Foreign Ministry.
Daniel Boffey and Sam Jones (November 2017
"Gibraltar heading for abrupt exit from single market, says Spain"
''The Guardian''
The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations, as Spain asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a
1967 referendum The 1967 Australian referendum occurred on 27 May 1967 under the Holt Government. It contained three topics asked about in two questions, regarding the passage of two bills to alter the Australian Constitution. The first question (''Constitution ...
, and for shared sovereignty in a 2002 referendum. Nevertheless, Gibraltar maintains close economic and cultural links with Spain, with many Gibraltarians speaking Spanish as well as a local dialect known as
Llanito ''Llanito'' or ''Yanito'' () is a form of Andalusian Spanish heavily laced with words from English and other languages, such as Ligurian; it is spoken in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It is commonly marked by a great deal o ...
. On 31 January 2020, the UK and Gibraltar left the European Union. In December 2020, the UK and Spain agreed in principle to a basis on which the UK and the EU might negotiate terms for Gibraltar to participate in aspects of the
Schengen Agreement The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...
to facilitate border movements.


Name

The name is derived from ar, جبل طارق, Jabal Ṭāriq, lit=Mount of Tariq (named after the 8th-century Moorish military leader
Tariq ibn Ziyad Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād ( ar, طارق بن زياد), also known simply as Tarik in English, was a Berber commander who served the Umayyad Caliphate and initiated the Muslim Umayyad conquest of Visigothic Hispania (present-day Spain and Portugal) ...
). That continues to be its name in Arabic. It has also been suggested that the name is a contraction of the ar, link=no, جبل على الطريق ('mountain on the way').


History


Prehistory and ancient history

Evidence of
Neanderthal Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While the ...
habitation in Gibraltar from around 50,000 years ago has been discovered at
Gorham's Cave Gorham's Cave ( es, Cueva de Gorham, ) is a sea-level cave in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Though not a sea cave, it is often mistaken for one. Considered to be one of the last known habitations of the Neanderthals in Europe, th ...
. The caves of Gibraltar continued to be used by ''
Homo sapiens Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
'' after the final extinction of the Neanderthals. Stone tools, ancient hearths and animal bones dating from around 40,000 years ago to about 5,000 years ago have been found in deposits left in Gorham's Cave. Numerous potsherds dating from the
Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...
period have been found in Gibraltar's caves, mostly of types typical of the Almerian culture found elsewhere in Andalusia, especially around the town of
Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city g ...
, from which it takes its name. There is little evidence of habitation in the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
when people had largely stopped living in caves. During ancient times, Gibraltar was regarded by the peoples of the Mediterranean as a place of religious and symbolic importance. The
Phoenicians Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...
were present for several centuries since around 950 BC, apparently using Gorham's Cave as a shrine to the '' genius loci'', as did the
Carthaginians The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of the ...
and
Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
after them. Gibraltar was known as ''
Mons Calpe The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabel-al-Tariq) is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Mediter ...
'', a name perhaps of Phoenician origin. ''Mons Calpe'' was considered by the ancient Greeks and Romans as one of the
Pillars of Hercules The Pillars of Hercules ( la, Columnae Herculis, grc, Ἡράκλειαι Στῆλαι, , ar, أعمدة هرقل, Aʿmidat Hiraql, es, Columnas de Hércules) was the phrase that was applied in Antiquity to the promontories that flank t ...
, after the
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
legend of the creation of the Strait of Gibraltar by
Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptiv ...
. There is no known archaeological evidence of permanent settlements from the ancient period. They settled at the head of the bay in what is today known as the ''Campo'' (hinterland) of Gibraltar. The town of Carteia, near the location of the modern Spanish town of San Roque, was founded by the Phoenicians around 950 BC on the site of an early settlement of the native
Turdetani The Turdetani were an ancient pre-Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula, living in the valley of the Guadalquivir (the river that the Turdetani called by two names: ''Kertis'' and ''Rérkēs'' (Ῥέρκης); Romans would call the river by th ...
people.


Middle Ages

After the collapse of the
Western Roman Empire The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period ...
, Gibraltar came briefly under the control of the
Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The Vandals migrated to the area betw ...
, who crossed into Africa at the invitation of
Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations o ...
, the Count (or commander) of the territory. The area later formed part of the
Visigothic Kingdom The Visigothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of the Goths ( la, Regnum Gothorum), was a kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th centuries. One of the Germanic successor states to ...
of
Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hisp ...
for almost 300 years, from 414 until 711 AD. Following a raid in 710, a predominantly Berber army under the command of
Tariq ibn Ziyad Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād ( ar, طارق بن زياد), also known simply as Tarik in English, was a Berber commander who served the Umayyad Caliphate and initiated the Muslim Umayyad conquest of Visigothic Hispania (present-day Spain and Portugal) ...
crossed from North Africa in April 711 and landed somewhere in the vicinity of Gibraltar (though most likely not in the bay or at the Rock itself). Tariq's expedition led to the Islamic conquest of most of the Iberian peninsula. ''Mons Calpe'' was renamed ''Jabal Ṭāriq'' (), "the Mount of Tariq", subsequently corrupted into ''Gibraltar''. In 1160 the
Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fou ...
Sultan
Abd al-Mu'min Abd al Mu'min (c. 1094–1163) ( ar, عبد المؤمن بن علي or عبد المومن الــكـومي; full name: ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAlwī ibn Yaʿlā al-Kūmī Abū Muḥammad) was a prominent member of the Almohad mov ...
ordered that a permanent settlement, including a castle, be built. It received the name of Medinat al-Fath (City of the Victory). The Tower of Homage of the Moorish Castle remains standing today. From 1274 onwards, the town was fought over and captured by the Nasrids of Granada (in 1237 and 1374), the
Marinids The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) ar ...
of Morocco (in 1274 and 1333) and the kings of Castile (in 1309).


Modern era

In 1462, Gibraltar was captured by
Juan Alonso de Guzmán, 1st Duke of Medina Sidonia Juan Alonso de Guzmán y Suárez de Figueroa Orozco, 1st Duke of Medina Sidonia and 3rd Count de Niebla (in full, es, Don Juan Alonso de Guzmán y Suárez de Figueroa Orozco, primer Duque de Medina Sidonia, tercer Conde de Niebla, Señor de Sanlú ...
, from the
Emirate of Granada ) , common_languages = Official language: Classical ArabicOther languages: Andalusi Arabic, Mozarabic, Berber, Ladino , capital = Granada , religion = Majority religion: Sunni IslamMinority religions: Ro ...
. After the conquest,
Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile ( Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), King of Castile and León, nicknamed the Impotent, was the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Castile and León. During Henry's reign, the nobles became ...
assumed the additional title of King of Gibraltar, establishing it as part of the ''
comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...
'' of the Campo Llano de Gibraltar. Six years later, Gibraltar was restored to the Duke of Medina Sidonia, who sold it in 1474 to a group of 4,350 '' conversos'' (Christian converts from Judaism) from Cordova and
Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
and in exchange for maintaining the garrison of the town for two years, after which time they were expelled, returning to their home towns or moving on to other parts of Spain. In 1501, Gibraltar passed back to the Spanish Crown, and Isabella I of Castile issued a Royal Warrant granting Gibraltar the coat of arms that it still uses. In 1704, during the
War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
, a combined
Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...
-
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
fleet, representing the Grand Alliance, captured the town of Gibraltar on behalf of the
Archduke Charles of Austria Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...
in his campaign to become King of Spain. Subsequently, most of the population left the town, with many settling nearby. As the Alliance's campaign faltered, the 1713
Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne ...
was negotiated, which ceded control of Gibraltar to Britain to secure Britain's withdrawal from the war. Unsuccessful attempts by Spanish monarchs to regain Gibraltar were made, with the siege of 1727, and again with the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779 to 1783), during the American War of Independence. After the destructive Great Siege, the town was almost entirely rebuilt. Giovanni Maria Boschetti, who arrived in Gibraltar in 1784 as a 25-year-old from Milan, where he is thought to have been a stonemason or engineer, built the Victualling Yard (completed in 1812) and many other buildings. Boschetti is regarded as having been responsible for setting the old town's style, described by Claire Montado, chief executive of the Gibraltar Heritage Trust, as "military-ordnance-style arched doorways, Italianate stucco relief, Genoese shutters, English Regency ironwork balconies, Spanish stained glass and Georgian sash and casement windows." During the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, Gibraltar became a key base for the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
and played an important role leading up to the
Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...
(21 October 1805). Designated one of four
Imperial fortress Imperial fortress was the designation given in the British Empire to four colonies that were located in strategic positions from each of which Royal Navy squadrons could control the surrounding regions and, between them, much of the planet. His ...
es (along with
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...
,
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...
, and
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
), its strategic location made it a key base during the
Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...
of 1854–1856. In the 18th century, the peacetime military garrison fluctuated in numbers from a minimum of 1,100 to a maximum of 5,000. The first half of the 19th century saw a significant increase of population to more than 17,000 in 1860, as people from Britain and all around the Mediterranean – Italian, Portuguese, Maltese, Jewish and French – took up residence in the town. Its strategic value increased with the opening of the Suez Canal, as it lay on the sea route between the UK and the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
east of Suez. In the later 19th century, major investments were made to improve the fortifications and the port.


Contemporary history

During the Second World War, most of Gibraltar's civilian population was evacuated, mainly to London, but also to parts of
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
and Madeira and to Gibraltar Camp in
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. The Rock was strengthened as a fortress. On 18 July 1940, the Vichy France, Vichy French Vichy French Air Force, air force attacked Gibraltar in retaliation for the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, British bombing of the Vichy navy. The naval base and the ships based there played a key role in the provisioning and supply of the island of
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
during Siege of Malta (World War II), its long siege. As well as frequent short runs, known as "Club Runs", towards Malta to fly off aircraft reinforcements (initially Hawker hurricane, Hurricanes, but later, notably from the USN aircraft carrier ''USS Wasp (CV-7), Wasp'', Supermarine Spitfire, Spitfires), the critical Operation Pedestal convoy was run from Gibraltar in August 1942. This resupplied the island at a critical time in the face of concentrated air attacks from German and Italian forces. Spanish dictator Francisco Franco's reluctance to allow the Wehrmacht, German Army onto Spanish soil frustrated a German plan to capture the Rock, codenamed Operation Felix. In the 1950s, Franco renewed Spain's claim to sovereignty over Gibraltar and restricted movement between Gibraltar and Spain. Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain under British sovereignty in the 1967 Gibraltar sovereignty referendum, which led to the passing of the Gibraltar Constitution Order 1969, Gibraltar Constitution Order in 1969. In response, Spain completely closed the border with Gibraltar and severed all communication links. The border with Spain was partially reopened in 1982 and fully reopened in 1985 before Spain's accession to the European Community. In the early 2000s, Britain and Spain were in negotiations over a potential agreement that would see them sharing sovereignty over Gibraltar. The government of Gibraltar organised a 2002 Gibraltar sovereignty referendum, referendum on the plan, and 99% of the population voted to reject it. In 2008, the British government committed to respecting the Gibraltarians' wishes. A Gibraltar Constitution Order 2006, new Constitution Order was approved in referendum in 2006. A process of tripartite negotiations started in 2006 between Spain, Gibraltar and the UK, ending some restrictions and dealing with disputes in some specific areas such as air movements, customs procedures, telecommunications, pensions and cultural exchange. In the British referendum on membership of the European Union 96% of Gibraltarians voted to remain on an 84% turnout. Spain renewed calls for joint Spanish–British control of the peninsula; these were strongly rebuffed by Gibraltar's Chief Minister. On 18 October 2018, however, Spain seemed to have reached an agreement with the United Kingdom in relation to its objections to Gibraltar leaving the EU with the UK, with Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez stating, "Gibraltar will no longer be a problem in arriving at a Brexit deal." On 31 January 2020, the Brexit, UK left the European Union and Effect of Brexit on Gibraltar, consequently so did Gibraltar. Under the terms of the transition phase in the Brexit withdrawal agreement, Gibraltar's relationship with the EU continued unchanged until the end of 2020 when it was replaced by the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. On 31 December 2020, the UK and Spain agreed in principle on a basis for the EU and the UK to negotiate an agreement through which Gibraltar would participate in the Schengen Area, to avoid a hard border with Spain. The arrangements have not entered into force, but both sides aim to keep delays at the border at a minimum in the meantime. In 2022 Gibraltar bid to be awarded city status as part of the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours. The bid was refused, but when researchers looked through The National Archives (United Kingdom), the National Archives, they found that it had already been recognised as a city by Queen Victoria in 1842. The status came into force on 29 August 2022.


Governance

Under its current Gibraltar Constitution Order 2006, constitution, Gibraltar has almost complete internal self-governance through a Gibraltar Parliament, parliamentParliament.uk
UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee 2007–2008 Report, p. 16
elected for a term of up to four years. The Unicameralism, unicameral parliament presently consists of 17 elected members, and the List of Speakers of the Gibraltar Parliament, Speaker who is not elected, but appointed by a resolution of the parliament. The Government of Gibraltar, government consists of 10 elected members. The head of state is the British monarch King Charles III, who is represented by the Governor of Gibraltar. The governor enacts day-to-day matters on the advice of the Gibraltar Parliament, but is responsible to the British government in respect of defence, foreign policy, internal security and general good governance. Judicial and other appointments are made on behalf of the monarch in consultation with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, head of the elected government.BBC News website
Regions and territories: Gibraltar "Gibraltar is self-governing in all areas except defence and foreign policy."
The 2011 Gibraltar general election, 2011 election was contested by the Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD), Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP)-Liberal Party of Gibraltar (LPG) Alliance and the Progressive Democratic Party (Gibraltar), Progressive Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP was a new party, formed in 2006 and fielded candidates in the 2007 election, but none were elected. The head of government is the
Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
(,
Fabian Picardo Fabian Raymond Picardo (born 18 February 1972) is a Gibraltarian politician and barrister serving as Chief Minister of Gibraltar and Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party since 2011. At the 2015 and 2019 Gibraltar general elections, P ...
). All local political parties oppose any transfer of sovereignty to Spain, instead supporting self-determination. The main UK opposition parties also support this policy, and it is British government policy not to engage in talks about the sovereignty of Gibraltar without the consent of the people of Gibraltar. Gibraltar was part of the European Union, having joined through the European Communities Act 1972 (UK), which gave effect to the Treaty of Accession 1972, as a dependent territory of the United Kingdom under what was then article 227(4) of the Treaty Establishing the European Community covering Gibraltar and the European Union, special member state territories, with exemption from some areas such as the European Union Customs Union, Common Agricultural Policy and the Schengen Area. It is the only British Overseas Territory which was part of the European Union. After a 10-year campaign for the right to vote in Elections in the European Union, European elections, from 2004 to 2019 the people of Gibraltar participated in elections for the European Parliament as part of the South West England (European Parliament constituency), South West England constituency. On 23 June 2016 Gibraltar voted along with the United Kingdom in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, EU referendum; 96% of its population voted to remain, but the overall United Kingdom result gave a 51.9% majority to leaving the EU. Nevertheless, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (politician), Pedro Sánchez stated on 18 October 2018 that the Gibraltar protocol had been "resolved" and that Spain will hold no objection when Gibraltar leaves the EU with Britain. Gibraltar was nominated to be included on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories by the United Kingdom when the list was created in 1946 and has been listed ever since. The government of Gibraltar has actively worked to have Gibraltar removed from the list, and in 2008 the British government declared Gibraltar's continued presence on the list an anachronism. Gibraltar is not a member of the Commonwealth of Nations in its own right and is represented by the United Kingdom but was granted Associate Membership of the Commonwealth Foundation in 2004. Gibraltar has competed in the Commonwealth Games since 1958.


Geography

Gibraltar's territory covers and shares a land border with Spain. The town of La Línea de la Concepción, a List of municipalities in Cádiz, municipality of the province of Cádiz, lies on the Spanish side of the border. The Spanish hinterland forms the
comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...
of Campo de Gibraltar (literally "Countryside of Gibraltar"). The shoreline measures in length. There are two coasts ("Sides") of Gibraltar: the East Side, which contains the settlements of Sandy Bay, Gibraltar, Sandy Bay and Catalan Bay; and the Westside (Gibraltar), Westside, where the vast majority of the population lives. Gibraltar has no administrative divisions but is divided into seven Gibraltar Major Residential Areas, Major Residential Areas. Having negligible natural resources and few natural freshwater resources, limited to natural wells in the north, until recently Gibraltar used large concrete or natural rock Drainage basin, water catchments to collect rainwater. Fresh water from the boreholes is nowadays supplemented by two desalination plants: a reverse osmosis plant, constructed in a tunnel within the rock, and a multi-stage flash distillation plant at North Mole. Gibraltar's terrain consists of the Rock of Gibraltar made of Jurassic limestone, and the narrow coastal lowland surrounding it. It contains many tunnelled roads, most of which are still operated by the military and closed to the general public.


Climate

Gibraltar has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification ''Csa''), with mild, rainy winters and summers that are very warm to hot and humid, but with very little rainfall. As is the case for nearby Algeciras and Tarifa, summers are significantly cooler and annual temperature more constant than other cities on the southern coast of the Iberian peninsula because of its position on the Strait of Gibraltar. Rain occurs mainly in winter, with summer being generally dry. Its average annual temperature is as a daily high and as the overnight low. In the coldest month, January, the high temperature averages and the overnight low averages and the average sea temperature is . In the warmest month, August, the daily high temperature averages , the overnight low averages , and the average sea temperature is .


Flora and fauna

Over 500 different species of flowering plants grow on the Rock. Gibraltar is the only place in Europe where the ''Gibraltar candytuft'' (''Iberis gibraltarica'') is found growing in the wild; the plant is otherwise native to North Africa. It is the symbol of the Rock of Gibraltar#Upper Rock Nature Reserve, Upper Rock nature reserve. Olive and pine trees are among the most common of those growing around the Rock. Most of the Rock's upper area is covered by a nature reserve which is home to around 230 Gibraltar Barbary macaques, Barbary macaques, the famous "apes" of Gibraltar, which are actually monkeys. These are the only wild apes or monkeys found in Europe. This species, known scientifically as ''Macaca sylvanus'', is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List and is declining. Three-quarters of the world population live in the Middle Atlas mountains of
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
. Recent genetic studies and historical documents point to their presence on the Rock before its Capture of Gibraltar, capture by the British, having possibly been introduced during the Islamic period. A superstition analogous to that of the ravens at the Tower of London states that if the apes ever leave, so will the British. In 1944, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was so concerned about the dwindling population of apes that he sent a message to the Chief Secretary (British Empire), Colonial Secretary requesting that something be done about the situation. Other mammals found in Gibraltar include rabbits, foxes and bats. Dolphins and whales are frequently seen in the Bay of Gibraltar. Migrating birds are very common and Gibraltar is home to the only Barbary partridges found on the European continent. In 1991, Graham Watson, Gibraltar's Member of the European Parliament, MEP, highlighted Conservationism, conservationists' fears that urban development, tourism and invasive plant species were threatening Gibraltar's own plants as well as birds and bat species.


Environment

In May 2016, a report by the World Health Organization showed that Gibraltar had the worst air quality in any British territory. The report concentrated on PM10 and PM2.5 pollutants in the air.


Economy

The Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), British military traditionally dominated Economy of Gibraltar, Gibraltar's economy, with the naval dockyard providing the bulk of economic activity. This, however, has diminished over the last 20 years and is estimated to account for only 7 per cent of the local economy, compared to over 60 per cent in 1984. Today, Gibraltar's economy is dominated by four main sectors: Offshore financial centre, financial services, online gambling, shipping, and tourism, which includes duty-free retail sales to visitors. The territory also has a small manufacturing sector, with one company (Bassadone Automotive Group) supplying ambulances and other project vehicles converted locally from SUV vehicles to the United Nations and other agencies, employing some 320 staff across its range of activities. Gibraltar's labour market shows an extremely low unemployment rate of around 1 per cent. Nearly half (46%) of the total employment is covered by frontier workers (employees who are normally resident in Spain but are employed in Gibraltar), the large majority of them (59%) of Spanish nationality. In the early 2000s, many bookmakers and online gaming operators moved to Gibraltar to benefit from operating in a regulated jurisdiction with a favourable corporate tax regime. This corporate tax regime for non-resident controlled companies was phased out by January 2011 and replaced by a still favourable fixed corporate tax rate of 10 per cent. Tourism is also a significant industry. Gibraltar is a popular port for cruise ships and attracts day visitors from resorts in Spain. The Rock is a popular tourist attraction, particularly among British tourists and residents in the southern coast of Spain. It is also a popular shopping destination, and all goods and services are value added tax, VAT free, but may be subject to Gibraltar taxes. Many of the large British high street chains have branches or franchises in Gibraltar including Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and Mothercare. Branches and franchises of international retailers such as Tommy Hilfiger and Sunglass Hut International, Sunglass Hut are also present in Gibraltar, as is the Spanish clothing company Mango (clothing), Mango. A number of List of banks in Gibraltar, British and international banks have operations based in Gibraltar. Jyske Bank claims to be the oldest bank in the country, based on Jyske's acquisition in 1987 of Banco Galliano, which began operations in Gibraltar in 1855. An ancestor of Barclays, the Anglo-Egyptian Bank, entered in 1888, and Credit Foncier (now Crédit Agricole) entered in 1920. In 1967, Gibraltar enacted the Companies (Taxation and Concessions) Ordinance (now an Act), which provided for special tax treatment for international business. This was one of the factors leading to the growth of professional services such as private banking and captive insurance management. Gibraltar has several attractive attributes as a financial centre, including a common law Law of Gibraltar, legal system and access to the EU single market in financial services. In January 2018, Gibraltar introduced a regulatory framework for Distributed Ledger Technology, with the aim of pursuing a “more flexible, adaptive approach... in the case of novel business activities, products, and business models”. The Financial Services Commission (FSC), which was established by an ordinance in 1989 (now an Act) that took effect in 1991, regulates the finance sector. In 1997, the Department of Trade and Industry established its Gibraltar Finance Centre (GFC) Division to facilitate the development the financial sector development. , Gibraltar has 0.103 Big Four (audit firms), Big Four accounting firm offices per 1,000 population, the second highest in the world after the British Virgin Islands, and 0.6 banks per 1,000 people, the fifth most banks per capita in the world. , there is Effect of Brexit on Gibraltar, very significant uncertainty on continuing access to the EU single market after the forthcoming Brexit. The currency of Gibraltar is the Gibraltar pound, issued by the Government of Gibraltar under the terms of the 1934 ''Currency Notes Act''. These banknotes are legal tender in Gibraltar alongside Bank of England banknotes. In a currency board arrangement, these notes are issued against reserves of pound sterling, sterling. Clearing and settlement of funds is conducted in sterling. Coins of the Gibraltar pound, Coins in circulation follow British denominations but have separate designs. Unofficially, most retail outlets in Gibraltar accept the euro, though some payphones and the Royal Gibraltar Post Office, along with all other government offices, do not.


Demographics

Gibraltar is one of the most densely populated territories in the world, with a usually-resident population in 2012 of 32,194 equivalent to approximately . The growing demand for space is being increasingly met by land reclamation; reclaimed land makes up approximately one-tenth of the territory's total area.


Ethnic groups

The demographics of Gibraltar reflect the many European ethnic groups, European and other economic migrants who came to the Rock over 300 years ago, after almost all of the Spanish population left in 1704. Origin of surnames in the electoral roll by percentage is: British (27%), Spanish (26%, mostly Andalusian but also some 2% Menorcan), Genoa, Genoese and other Italians, Italian (15%), Portuguese people, Portuguese (15%), and Maltese people, Maltese (8%). There are also small (less than 1%) populations of other groups such as Moroccan people, Moroccans, French people, French, Austrians, Chinese people, Chinese, Japanese people, Japanese, Polish people, Polish and Danish people, Danish. :(*) Includes all nationalities different from Gibraltarian, UK and other British and Moroccan.


Language

The official language of Gibraltar is English and is used by the government and in schools. Most locals are multilingualism, bilingual, also speaking Spanish. However, because of the varied mix of ethnic groups which reside there, other languages are also spoken on the Rock. Berber languages, Berber and Arabic are spoken by the Morocco, Moroccan community, as are Hindi and Sindhi language, Sindhi by the Indian community. Maltese language, Maltese is spoken by some families of History of the Maltese in Gibraltar, Maltese descent. Gibraltarians often converse in ''
Llanito ''Llanito'' or ''Yanito'' () is a form of Andalusian Spanish heavily laced with words from English and other languages, such as Ligurian; it is spoken in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It is commonly marked by a great deal o ...
'' (), a vernacular unique to Gibraltar. It is based on Andalusian Spanish with a strong mixture of British English and elements from languages such as Maltese, Portuguese language, Portuguese, Genoese dialect, Genoese Italian and Haketia (a Judaeo-Spanish dialect). Llanito also often involves code-switching to English and Spanish. The English language is becoming increasingly dominant in Gibraltar, with the younger generation speaking little or no Llanito despite learning Spanish in school. Gibraltarians often call themselves ''Llanitos''.


Religion

According to the 2012 census, approximately 72.1% of Gibraltarians are Catholic Church, Roman Catholics. The 16th-century Cathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned, Saint Mary the Crowned is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar, and also the oldest Catholic church in the territory. Other Christian denominations include the Church of England (7.7%), whose Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar, Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is the cathedral of the Anglican Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe; the Gibraltar Methodist Church, Church of Scotland, various Pentecostal and independent churches mostly influenced by the House Church and Charismatic movements, as well as a Plymouth Brethren congregation. Several of these congregations are represented by the Gibraltar Evangelical Alliance. There is also a Ward (LDS Church), ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and two congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses. 7.1% advised that they have no religion. The third religion in size is Islam (3.6% of the population). There is also an established Hindu population (2%), members of the Baháʼí Faith and a long-established History of the Jews in Gibraltar, Jewish community, which, at 763 persons, accounts for 2.4% of the population. As a share of the total population, this is the second-largest Jewish population in the world, trailing only Israel. There are four functioning Synagogues of Gibraltar, Orthodox synagogues in Gibraltar and several kosher establishments.


Education

Education in Gibraltar generally follows the Education in England, English model, operating within a Three-tier education, three tier system. Schools in Gibraltar use the Key Stage modular approach to teach the National Curriculum (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), National Curriculum. Gibraltar has 15 state schools, two private schools and a college of further education, Gibraltar College. Government secondary schools are Bayside Comprehensive School (Gibraltar), Bayside Comprehensive School for boys and Westside School (Gibraltar), Westside School for girls, and Prior Park School Gibraltar is an independent coeducational secondary school. On 31 March 2015, the government of Gibraltar announced the adoption of the University of Gibraltar Act and the University of Gibraltar opened in September 2015. Previously, there were no facilities in Gibraltar for full-time higher education, and consequently, all Gibraltarian students studied elsewhere at Academic degree, degree level or its equivalent and also for certain non-degree courses. The Government of Gibraltar operates a scholarship/grant system to provide funding for students studying in the United Kingdom. All Gibraltarian students used to follow the Student loans in the United Kingdom, UK student loans procedure, applying for a loan from the Student Loans Company which was then reimbursed in full by the Government of Gibraltar. In August 2010, this system was replaced by the direct payment by the government of grants and tuition fees. The overwhelming majority of Gibraltarians continue their studies at university level.


Health care

All Gibraltarians are entitled to health care in public wikt:ward, wards and clinics at St Bernard's Hospital and primary health care centre. All other British citizens are also entitled to free-of-charge treatment on the Rock on presentation of a valid British passport during stays of up to 30 days. Other EU nationals are equally entitled to treatment on presentation of a valid European Health Insurance Card. Dental surgery, Dental treatment and prescription drug, prescribed medicines are free of charge for Gibraltarian students and pensioners. The Gibraltar Health Authority, established under the Medical (Gibraltar Health Authority) Act of 1987 is funded through the Gibraltar Group Practice Medical Scheme. It employs around 900 people, handling 37,000 Accident and emergency, A&E attendances, 40,000 outpatient appointments, and 90,000 General practitioner, GP visits a year. Some specialist care is provided by visiting consultants and in UK and Spanish hospitals. First-line medical and nursing services are provided at the Primary Care Centre, which has 16 GPs, with more specialised services available at St Bernard's Hospital, a 210-bed civilian hospital opened in 2005. Psychiatric care is provided by King George V Hospital (Gibraltar), King George V Hospital. As of 2012 the authority was responsible for the health of some 27,000 individuals. The GHA and Social Welfare System are closely based upon their British counterparts, namely the National Health Service. As of 2003 the organisation was funded through roughly Gibraltar pound, £19 million (United States dollar, $27 million) of social insurance stamp contributions through the Gibraltar Group Practice Medical Scheme. In September 2014 Egton Medical Information Systems won a contract, worth up to £11.25m over 10 years, to deliver an electronic patient record for the health service of Gibraltar including a patient administration system, an emergency department system, e-prescribing and other software from Ascribe, which Emis bought in September 2013. The A&E unit at St Bernard's Hospital went live on 24 June 2015 using Emis' Symphony and it is planned that primary and community services and the acute hospital will start to use the Ascribe CaMIS patient administration system. A Community Mental Health Team was established in 2017, and in 2018 the Gibraltar Health Authority School of Health Studies introduced a Mental Health Nursing degree to tackle difficulties in recruiting mental health nurses.


Culture

The culture of Gibraltar reflects Gibraltarians' diverse origins. While there are Spanish (mostly from nearby Andalusia) and British influences, the ethnic origins of most Gibraltarians are not confined to these ethnicities. Other ethnicities include Genoa, Genoese, Maltese people, Maltese, Portuguese people, Portuguese, and Germany, German. A few other Gibraltar residents are Sephardi Jews, Jewish of Sephardic origin, Morocco, Moroccan, or Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin, Indians. British influence remains strong, with English being the language of government, commerce, education and the media. 1967 Gibraltar sovereignty referendum, Gibraltar's first sovereignty referendum is celebrated annually on Gibraltar National Day (10 September). It is a public holiday, during which most Gibraltarians dress in their national colours of red and white. Until 2016, the tradition had been to also release 30,000 similarly coloured balloons, which represented the people of Gibraltar. However, this tradition has now been ended because of the threat that it poses to wildlife, particularly marine. The 300th anniversary of Capture of Gibraltar, Gibraltar's capture was celebrated in 2004 on Tercentenary Day (4 August), when in recognition of and with thanks for its long association with Gibraltar, the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
was given the Freedom of the City of Gibraltar and a human chain of Gibraltarians dressed in red, white and blue, linked hands to encircle the Rock. On 4 June 2012, the Gibraltar Diamond Jubilee Flotilla, inspired by the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, celebrated sixty years of the Queen Elizabeth II, Queen's reign. The Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation operates a television and radio station on UHF, VHF and medium-wave. The radio service is also internet-streamed. Special events and the daily news bulletin are streamed in video. The other local radio service is operated by the British Forces Broadcasting Service which also provides a limited cable television network to HM Forces. The largest and most frequently published newspaper is the ''Gibraltar Chronicle'', Gibraltar's oldest established daily newspaper and the world's second-oldest English language newspaper to have been in print continuously with daily editions six days a week. ''Panorama (Gibraltar), Panorama'' is published on weekdays, and ''7 Days'', ''The New People'', and ''Gibsport'' are weekly. Native Gibraltarians have produced some literature of note. The first in fiction was probably Héctor Licudi's 1929 novel ''Barbarita'', written in Spanish, chronicling the largely autobiographical adventures of a young Gibraltarian man. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, several anthologies of poetry were published by Leopoldo Sanguinetti, Albert Joseph Patron and Alberto Pizzarello. The 1960s were largely dominated by the theatrical works of Elio Cruz and his two highly acclaimed Spanish language plays ''La Lola se va pá Londre'' and ''Connie con cama camera en el comedor''. In the 1990s, the Gibraltarian Intellectual, man-of-letters Mario Arroyo published ''Profiles'' (1994), a series of bilingual meditations on love, loneliness and death. Trino Cruz is a bilingual poet originally writing English but now mainly in Spanish, who also translates Maghreb poetry. Of late there have been works by the essayist Mary Chiappe, such as her volume of essays ''Cabbages and Kings'' (2006) and by M. G. Sanchez, author of the books ''Rock Black: Ten Gibraltarian Stories'' (2008) and ''Diary of a Victorian Colonial'' (2009). Mary Chiappe and Sam Benady have also published a series of detective books centred on the character of the nineteenth-century Gibraltarian sleuth Bresciano. Musicians from Gibraltar include Charles Ramirez, the first guitarist invited to play with the Royal College of Music Orchestra, successful rock bands like Breed 77, Melon Diesel and Taxi (Gibraltar band), Taxi, while Gibraltarian bassist Glen Diani played for Irish/British nu metal group One Minute Silence. Albert Hammond had top 10 hits in the UK and US and has written many songs for international artists such as Whitney Houston, Tina Turner and Julio Iglesias. Gibraltarian cuisine is the result of a long relationship between the Andalusian Spaniards and the British, as well as the many foreigners who made Gibraltar their home over the past three centuries. The culinary influences include those from Malta, Genoa, Portugal, Andalusia and Britain. This marriage of tastes has given Gibraltar an eclectic mix of Mediterranean and British cuisine, such as calentita, a baked bread-like dish made with Gram flour, chickpea flour, water, olive oil, salt and pepper.


Cultural references

* The outbreak of yellow fever in 1804 is the subject of Letitia Elizabeth Landon's 1836 poetical illustration to an engraving of a painting by Charles Bentley (painter), Charles Bentley (''Gibraltar from Algexiras''). She published two further poetical illustrations on Gibraltar the following year, and , both of which are again to engravings of paintings by Charles Bentley (painter), Charles Bentley. All these can be found in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Books. * The first track in Beirut (band), Beirut's 2015 album No No No (Beirut album), No No No is named "Gibraltar," and the music video is set in a dystopian version of the island. * Mark Twain describes a stop at Gibraltar and comments on it in "The Innocents Abroad", an account of his pilgrimage to the holy land. * As Molly Bloom is a native Gibraltarian, references to Gibraltar appear throughout James Joyce's ''Ulysses (novel), Ulysses'' (1922). A sculpture of Molly Bloom as imagined by local artist Jon Searle is on display in the The Alameda Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, Alameda Gardens. * John Masters' book ''The Rock'' is a collection of short stories set in Gibraltar: ranging from a story set in prehistoric times to one suggesting a possible future for the Rock. * Raymond Benson's James Bond novel ''Doubleshot'' deals with a fictional plot to forcibly return Gibraltar to Spain. The climax takes place in Gibraltar. * In 1782, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed a Unfinished work#Classical music, fragment for voice and piano to celebrate the Great Siege of Gibraltar titled ''Bardengesang auf Gibraltar: O Calpe! Dir donnert's am Fusse''. * The film ''The Silent Enemy (1958 film), The Silent Enemy'' was filmed on location in Gibraltar in 1958. It is a dramatisation of the period during the Second World War when Lionel Crabb, Lionel "Buster" Crabb served as a mine and disposal officer in Gibraltar while frogmen of the Regia Marina, Italian Navy's Tenth Light Flotilla were sinking vital shipping. *The Beatles song Ballad of John and Yoko (1969) features the line "You can get married in Gibraltar near Spain".


Sport

Football in Gibraltar, Football is a popular sport in Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Football Association applied for full membership of UEFA, but their bid was turned down in 2007 in a contentious decision. Gibraltar was confirmed as UEFA's 54th member on 24 May 2013 as a result of Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) arbitration and played in UEFA Euro 2016, Euro 2016 qualifications. Their first match was a 0–0 draw against Slovakia. Gibraltar's national team won its first-ever match in UEFA competition on 13 October 2018, beating Armenia in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League D. Subsequently, Gibraltar applied for FIFA membership but this bid was also turned down. On 2 May 2016, the CAS upheld the appeal filed by the Gibraltar Football Association regarding its request to become a full-time member of FIFA. CAS ordered FIFA to stop blocking Gibraltar's application for membership and allow it "without delay". Rugby union in Gibraltar, Rugby union is fairly popular and one of the fastest-growing team sports. Gibraltar Rugby Football Union applied for membership of Europe's governing body for rugby. Gibraltar is believed to be the birthplace of the rugby variant Tag Rugby.


Communications

Gibraltar has a digital telephone exchange supported by a optical fibre, fibre optic and copper infrastructure; the telephone operator Gibtelecom also operates a GSM network. Internet connectivity is available across the fixed network. Gibraltar's top-level domain code is
.gi .gi is the country code top-level domain A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ...
. International Direct Dialling (IDD) is provided, and Gibraltar was allocated the access code +350 by the International Telecommunication Union. This has been finally accepted by Spain since 10 February 2007, when the Telecom dispute between Gibraltar and Spain, telecom dispute was resolved.


Transport


Road

Within Gibraltar, the main form of transport is the car. Motorcycles are also very popular and there is a good modern bus service. Unlike in the UK and other British territories, traffic Right- and left-hand traffic, drives on the right and speed limits are in km/h, as the territory shares a land border with Spain. The European route E15, E15 route connecting with Spain, France, England and Scotland is accessible from the Spanish side using the Autovía CA-34, CA-34 autovía. Restrictions on transport introduced by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco closed the land frontier in 1969 and also prohibited any air or ferry connections. In 1982, the land border was reopened. As the result of an agreement signed in Córdoba, Spain, Córdoba on 18 September 2006 between Gibraltar, the United Kingdom and Spain, the Spanish government agreed to relax border controls at the frontier that have plagued locals for decades; in return, Britain paid increased pensions to Spanish workers who lost their jobs when Franco closed the border. Telecommunication restrictions were lifted in February 2007 and air links with Spain were restored in December 2006. Motorists and pedestrians crossing the border with Spain are occasionally subjected to very long delays. Spain has occasionally closed the border during disputes or incidents involving the Gibraltar authorities, such as the MV Aurora (2000)#Norovirus breakout, ''Aurora'' cruise ship incident and when fishermen from the Spanish fishing vessel ''Piraña'' were arrested for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, illegal fishing in Gibraltar waters.


Air

, Gibraltar maintains regular flight connections with London (Heathrow, Gatwick & Luton), Manchester and Bristol in the UK, and with Casablanca and Tangier in
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
. This is via the Royal Air Force's military aerodrome in Gibraltar, which also serves as Gibraltar International Airport, the territory's civilian airport. GB Airways operated a service between Gibraltar and London and other cities for many years. The airline initially flew under the name "Gibraltar Airways". In 1989, and in anticipation of service to cities outside the UK, Gibraltar Airways changed its name to GB Airways with the belief that a new name would incur fewer political problems. As a franchise, the airline operated flights in full British Airways livery. In 2007, GB Airways was purchased by easyJet, which began operating flights under their name in April 2008 when British Airways re-introduced flights to Gibraltar under their name. EasyJet have since added Bristol Airport, Bristol and Manchester Airport, Manchester and also operated flights to Liverpool Airport, Liverpool between 2011 and 2012. Until entering administration in October 2017, Monarch Airlines operated the largest number of flights between the United Kingdom and Gibraltar, with scheduled services between Gibraltar and London Luton Airport, Luton, Gatwick Airport, London Gatwick, Birmingham Airport, Birmingham and Manchester Airport, Manchester. The Spanish national airline, Iberia Airlines, Iberia, operated a daily service to Barajas Airport, Madrid which ceased for lack of demand. In May 2009, Ándalus Líneas Aéreas opened a Spanish service, which also ceased operations in March 2010. An annual return charter flight to Malta International Airport, Malta is operated by Malta, Maltese national airline, Air Malta. Gibraltar Airport, Gibraltar International Airport is unusual not only because of its proximity to the city centre resulting in the airport terminal being within walking distance of much of Gibraltar but also because the runway intersects Winston Churchill Avenue, Gibraltar, Winston Churchill Avenue, the main north–south street, requiring movable barricades to close when aircraft land or depart. New roads and a tunnel, which will end the need to stop road traffic when aircraft use the runway, were planned to coincide with the building of a new Gibraltar Airport#New terminal, airport terminal building with an originally estimated completion date of 2009, and images of the proposals: although it has not been completed because of delays. The most popular alternative airport for Gibraltar is Málaga Airport in Spain, some to the east, which offers a wide range of destinations, second to Jerez Airport which is closer to Gibraltar. In addition, the Algeciras Heliport across the bay offers scheduled services to Ceuta.


Sea

Gibraltar Cruise Terminal receives a large number of visits from cruise ships. The Strait of Gibraltar is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Passenger and cargo ships anchor in the Gibraltar Harbour. Also, a ferry links Gibraltar with Tangier in Morocco. The ferry between Gibraltar and Algeciras, which had been halted in 1969 when Franco severed communications with Gibraltar, was reopened on 16 December 2009, served by the Spanish company Transcoma. A vehicle ramp at the western end of the North Mole allows vehicles to be unloaded from a Roll-on/roll-off, RORO ferry. Ferries by FRS running twice a week from Gibraltar to Tanger-Med port provide access to the Rail transport in Morocco, Moroccan railway system.


Rail

While railway track extends to the outskirts of La Línea de la Concepción, La Línea from an San Roque-La Línea railway, aborted rail expansion project in the 1970s, the closest railway station in Spain is San Roque station, accessible via buses from La Línea de la Concepción, La Línea.


Water supply and sanitation

Water supply and sanitation in Gibraltar have been major concerns for its inhabitants throughout its history. There are no rivers, streams, or large bodies of water on the peninsula. Gibraltar's water supply was formerly provided by a combination of an aqueduct, wells, and the use of cisterns, barrels and earthenware pots to capture rainwater. This became increasingly inadequate as Gibraltar's population grew in the 18th and 19th centuries and lethal diseases such as cholera and yellow fever began to spread. In the late 19th century, a Sanitary Commission instigated major improvements which saw the introduction of large-scale desalination and the use of giant water catchments covering over 2.5 million square feet (nearly 250,000 m2). Today Gibraltar's supply of drinking water comes entirely from desalination, with a separate supply of saltwater for sanitary purposes. Both supplies are delivered from huge underground reservoirs excavated under the Rock of Gibraltar.


Police

The Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP), Gibraltar Defence Police (GDP) and His Majesty's Customs (Gibraltar) are Gibraltar's principal civilian Law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies. Outside the United Kingdom, the RGP is the oldest police force of the former
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
, formed shortly after the creation of London's Metropolitan Police in 1829 when Gibraltar was declared a crown colony on 25 June 1830. In general, the Gibraltar force follows British police models in its dress and its mostly male constables and sergeants on foot patrol wear the traditional custodian helmet, the headgear of the British "bobby on the beat". The helmet is traditionally made of cork covered outside by felt or serge (fabric), serge-like material that matches the tunic. The vehicles also appear virtually identical to typical UK police vehicles, but are left hand drive. The force, whose name received the prefix "Royal" in 1992, numbers over 220 officers divided into a number of units. These include the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, drug squad, special branch, firearms, Scenes of Crime Officer, scene of crime examiners, traffic, marine and operations units, sections or departments. On 24 September 2015, the Freedom of the City of Gibraltar was conferred upon the RGP by the Mayor, Adolfo Canepa.


Armed forces

The defence of Gibraltar, as a British territory, is the responsibility of the ''national'' (''i.e.'', British) government, with its tri-services British Forces Gibraltar. * The Royal Gibraltar Regiment provides the army garrison with a detachment of the British Army, based at Devil's Tower Camp. The regiment was originally a part-time reserve force until the British Army placed it on a permanent footing 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 The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
maintains a Gibraltar Squadron, squadron of several patrol vessels and craft at the Rock. The squadron is responsible for the security and integrity of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). The shore establishment at Gibraltar is called HMS Rooke, HMS ''Rooke'' after Sir George Rooke, who captured the Rock for Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke Charles (pretender to the Spanish throne) in 1704. The naval air base was named HMS ''Cormorant.'' Gibraltar's strategic position provides an important facility for the Royal Navy and Britain's allies. British and US nuclear submarines frequently visit the ''Z berths'' at Gibraltar. A Berth (moorings), Z berth provides the facility for nuclear submarines to visit for operational or recreational purposes and for non-nuclear repairs. During the Falklands War, an Argentine plan to attack British shipping in the harbour using frogmen (Operation Algeciras) was foiled. The naval base also played a part in supporting the task force sent by Britain to recover the Falklands. * 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 and the airfield also houses a section from the Met Office. The Gibraltar Air Cadets is an active squadron. In January 2007, the Ministry of Defence announced that the private company Serco would provide services to the base. The announcement resulted in the affected trade unions striking. Gibraltar has an important role in Signals intelligence, UKSIGINT and provides a vital strategic part of the United Kingdom communications gathering and monitoring network in the Mediterranean and North Africa. File:Merlin Mk3s prove their mettle in day-long Gibraltar transit MOD 45160593.jpg, AgustaWestland AW101#Royal Navy, Merlin HC3 of 846 NAS with HMS Scimitar (P284), HMS ''Scimitar'' File:Gibraltar navy.jpg, The
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
's base in Gibraltar
Gibraltar was one of four
Imperial fortress Imperial fortress was the designation given in the British Empire to four colonies that were located in strategic positions from each of which Royal Navy squadrons could control the surrounding regions and, between them, much of the planet. His ...
colonies, along with
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,
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...
(until the Confederation of Canada), and
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
.


Sister cities

Gibraltar has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International: * Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States


Freedom of the City

The following people, military units, and Groups have received the Freedom of the City of Gibraltar.


Individuals

* Gustavo Bacarisas: 3 October 1962. * James John Joseph Giraldi : 12 August 1982. * Joshua Hassan, Hon. Sir Joshua Abraham Hassan : 11 December 1996. * Robert Peliza, Hon. Sir Robert Peliza : 7 May 1998. * The Right Reverend Monsignor Bernard Patrick Devlin Order of the Holy Sepulchre, KC*HS Order of St Michael and St George, CMG Gibraltar Medallion of Honour, GMH: 3 June 1999. * Baron Merrivale, Rt Hon 3rd Baron Merrivale: 18 October 2001. * Doug Hoyle, Rt Hon Lord Hoyle of Warrington Gibraltar Medallion of Honour, GMH: 9 September 2004. * Nicholas Bethell, 4th Baron Bethell, Rt Hon Lord Bethell Gibraltar Medallion of Honour, GMH: 9 September 2004. * The Most Honourable Michael Ancram, 13th Marquess of Lothian : 1 February 2011. * Andrew MacKinlay, Andrew Stuart MacKinlay: 1 February 2011. * Kaiane Aldorino Gibraltar Medallion of Honour, GMH: 15 September 2011. * Greville Janner, Rt Hon Lord Janner of Braunstone : 22 March 2012. * Graham Watson, Sir Graham Watson: 10 September 2014. * Christian Hook: 2 June 2017. * Joe Bossano, Hon Sir Joseph John Bossano : 10 September 2019. * Adolfo Canepa Order of St Michael and St George, CMG Order of the British Empire, OBE Gibraltar Medallion of Honour, GMH: 25 May 2021.


Military units

* The Royal Gibraltar Regiment: 25 September 1971. * The Royal Engineers, Corps of Royal Engineers: 6 March 1972. * The Royal Artillery, Royal Regiment of Artillery: 29 April 1981. * HMS Calpe, Royal Navy, RN: 27 April 1991. * The Royal Marines: 28 October 1996. * The
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
: 4 August 2004. * The Royal Gibraltar Police: 26 September 2015. * 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment: 26 November 2016. * RAF Gibraltar: 2 April 2018.


Organisations and groups

* The Congregation of Christian Brothers: 2 July 1977. * The All Party British Gibraltar Group in the Parliament of the United Kingdom: 23 October 1982. * Sisters of Loreto, The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary: 13 December 2005. * The Scout Association (Scouting and Guiding in Gibraltar, Gibraltar Branch): 2 October 2008. * Scouting and Guiding in Gibraltar, Girlguiding Gibraltar: 8 June 2010. * Special Olympics Gibraltar: 24 October 2015.


See also

* 1943 Gibraltar B-24 crash * Attorney General of Gibraltar * Chief Justice of Gibraltar * Effect of Brexit on Gibraltar * List of Gibraltarians


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * Drinkwater, John: ''A history of the siege of Gibraltar, 1779–1783: With a description and account of that garrison from the earliest periods'' London, 1862. * Falkner, James: ''FIRE OVER THE ROCK: The Great Siege of Gibraltar 1779–1783'', Pen and Sword, 2009 * Harvey, Robert: ''A Few Bloody Noses: The American War of Independence'', London, 2001 * Rodger, N. A. M.: ''The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649–1815'', London, 2006 * Norwich, John Julius: ''The Middle Sea: a history of the Mediterranean'', Random House, 2006 * Sugden, John: ''Nelson: A Dream of Glory'', London, 2004 * Syrett, David: ''Admiral Lord Howe: A Biography'', London, 2006. * Maria Monti, Ángel: ''Historia de Gibraltar: dedicada a SS. AA. RR., los serenisimos señores Infantes Duques de Montpensier'', Imp. Juan Moyano, 1852 * Maria Montero, Francisco: ''Historia de Gibraltar y de su campo'', Imprenta de la Revista Médica, 1860 * Uxó Palasí, José: ''Referencias en torno al bloqueo naval durante los asedios'', Almoraima. n.º 34, 2007


External links

* *
Gibraltar Fire & Rescue Service
* Description of Gibraltar as it was in the mid-19th century.
Old maps of Gibraltar
from the Eran Laor Cartographic Collection, the National Library of Israel {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibraltar Gibraltar, British Overseas Territories, .Gibraltar Headlands of Europe English-speaking countries and territories Iberian Peninsula Territorial disputes of Spain 1700s in Spain States and territories established in 1704 1704 establishments in the British Empire 1704 establishments in Europe Dependent territories in Europe, Gilbraltar Phoenician colonies in Spain Enclaves and exclaves