Gibraltar

Status: British dependent territory

Area: 6.5 sq.km/2-1/2 sq.miles

Altitude: 0-425m/0-1395ft

Population: 30,000

Gibraltar, long famous as the "key to the Mediterranean", which has been held by Britain since 1704, lies near the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula. The Rock of Gibraltar (Arabic Jebel al- Tarik) rears out of the sea on the east side of Algeciras Bay, linked with the mainland of Spain by a narrow isthmus. The town of Gibraltar lies on the west side of the Rock, which rises from the sea in a series of terraces. Since Gibraltar has for all practical purposes no sources of water of its own, large cisterns ("water catchments") have been hewn out of the rock at its higher east end. The only monkeys living wild in Europe are the Barbary apes of Gibraltar. The population of Gibraltar is a mixture of people from all parts of the British Isles, from Spain, Portugal, Morocco and other Mediterranean countries, as well as some Indians. The language pattern is equally mixed: in addition to English in all its variations and of course to Spanish, Gibraltar has a dialect of its own, basically Spanish but with an admixture of English. Since the withdrawal of most of the British troops and the loss in jobs which followed, Gibraltar has tried to attract investment from the EU and become a financial center. Tourism (4.1 million in 1991), the sale of stamps, and the commercial harbor are significant sources of income together with a modest degree of industry (oil, foodstuffs). The currency is the Gibraltar pound and since 1991 a coin worth 70 ECU (50 pounds) has been in circulation.

Transport

The runway of the civil airport is built out into Algeciras bay and is crossed by the road to the Spanish frontier (with traffic light control), there are flights to London and Tangier (Morocco). There are also ferry services to and from Tangier.

Vehicles on Gibraltar drive on the right.