Gibraltar

Gibraltar history and facts in more detail

Gibraltar is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.
It is located in south-western Europe adjoining the southern coast of Spain, a strategic location on the Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

Capital; (Gibraltar)
Area; 6.5 km²
Population; 27,776 (2003 Estimate)
Currency; Gibraltar Pound (ISO 4217: GIP)
Time zone; - in summer CET (UTC+1), CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD; .gi
Calling Code; 350 (except in Spain)

Evidence of human inhabitation of the Rock dates back to the Neanderthals.
A Neanderthal skull was discovered in St. Michael's Cave in the nineteenth century, indeed prior to the "original" discovery in the Neander Valley.
The Phoenicians are known to have visited the Rock circa 950 BC and named the Rock Calpe.
The Carthaginians also visited, however neither group appears to have settled permanently.
Plato refers to Gibraltar as one of the Pillars of Hercules along with Jebel Musa or Monte Hacho on the other side of the Strait.
Gibraltar was next visited by the Romans. Again no permanent settlement was established.
Tariq ibn Ziyad, leader of the Berbers, landed at the southern point of the Rock from present-day Morocco in his quest for Spain. The mountain was named Jebel Tariq (Tariq's mountain). Over time the final syllable was dropped from the name and corrupted to Gibraltar.
Today, Gibraltar is also known colloquially as 'Gib' or 'the Rock'.
In 1160 Abdul Maman ordered that a permanent settlement, including a castle be built.
The main tower of this castle remains standing today.
An Anglo-Dutch force led by Sir George Rooke seized the Rock in 1704.
The territory was ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.
Despite early attempts by the Spanish to retake it, most notably in the Great Siege of 1783, the Rock has remained British ever since.
During the Second World War the residents of Gibraltar were evacuated and the Rock was turned into a fortress again. After the war the residents returned.
In 1954 Queen Elizabeth II visited Gibraltar. This prompted Spain, which was then led by the dictator Generalissimo Franco to renew its claim to sovereignty, which had lain dormant for over one hundred and fifty years.
The somewhat disputed status of Gibraltar gives its inhabitants a great deal of national pride.
As an overseas territory of the UK, Gibraltar has had considerable internal self-government since the introduction of its present constitution in 1969. The Governor of Gibraltar, appointed by Queen Elizabeth II, is responsible for defence, foreign relations, internal security and financial stability. All other matters, defined as 'domestic', are the responsibility of the Council of Ministers, with the leader of the majority party in the elected House of Assembly appointed as Chief Minister.
The issue of sovereignty continues to dominate Gibraltarian politics.
Spain continues to claim sovereignty over the teritory, and the British Government, whilst stating that no change would take place without the consent of the people of Gibraltar, in 2002 accepted the principle of joint sovereignty between the United Kingdom and Spain.
All Gibraltarian political parties, and the main UK opposition parties oppose this move, instead preferring to support self-determination for the Gibraltarian nation.
Its climate is Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers.
Its terrain is a narrow coastal lowland bordering the 426-metre-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 soon to be replaced by a reverse osmosis plant (currently operational) built into the rock itself.
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 1,396 feet (426 metres) high.
The economy is dominated by offshore banking and tourism.

On our way to Timbuctu or Tombouctou as it is locally called, Hui Chin and I decided to have a good 'nosey' around Gibraltar.

Well it was there asking for it, we never been there and wanted to add another notch/island to our island hopping sojourn.

While we were there we went up to the top by the Gondola and played with the monkeys.

The city's main and surrounding streets were very busy with tourist while we were there.

Some of my photos of Gibraltar (Click to enlarge)

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