Gibraltar - History and Constitution

The Straits of Gibraltar, known in antiquity as the Fretum Gaditanum or Fretum Herculeum, are a strategically important link between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. In ancient times the rock of Gibraltar, then known as Calpe, and its counterpart on the African side, Mt Abyla (Jebel Musa), near Ceuta, were known as the Pillars of Hercules - set up by Hercules, as legend had it, at the gateway to the great Ocean. In A.D. 711 the Moors landed here under their general Tarik, who named the rock Jebel al-Tarik ("Mount of Tarik"), which in course of time became Gibraltar.

In 1462 Spain at last recovered Gibraltar from the Arabs. During the War of the Spanish Succession, in 1704, it was taken by British troops, and under the treaty of Utrecht in 1713 it was formally assigned to Britain. All later attempts by Spain to recapture Gibraltar were unsuccessful. The Franco regime also sought Arms of Gibraltar to recover the territory, but in a referendum held in 1967 more than 95% of the inhabitants voted in favor of staying with Britain.