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Background
| Gibraltar is an Overseas Dependant Territory of the United Kingdom. It is close to the most southerly part of Spain at the entrance to the Mediterranean. It has a strategic location on the Strait of Gibraltar where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea, with Europe to the north and Africa to the south. Gibraltar has been important base for the British Armed Forces for three hundred years. Although that presence is now much reduced, this has left many unique structures and artefacts of historical interest.
The issue of sovereignty over Gibraltar is a major issue of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations. Spain requests the return of sovereignty over Gibraltar, captured in 1704. Britain has explored options for joint sovereignty, this is consistently rejected by the Gibraltarians. A majority of 98.97 percent of the Gibraltar population voted in a referendum in November 2002 not to share sovereignty with Spain.
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 & Common Agricultural Policy.
The name is believed to come from the Arabic name of Jebel Tarik meaning Tariq's mountain. It refers to the Ummayad general Tariq ibn-Ziyad who led the Muslim conquest of Spain in 711 at the head of an army of Berbers, Syrians and Yemenis. Earlier it was Calpe, one of the Pillars of Hercules. Today, Gibraltar is also known colloquially as 'Gib' or 'the Rock'.
The territory covers 6.543 square kilometres (2.53 square miles). It shares a 1.2 kilometre land border with Spain and has 12 kilometres 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-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 soon to be replaced by a reverse osmosis plant (currently operational) built into the rock itself.
Culture of Gibraltar
The Culture of Gibraltar reflects Gibraltarians' diverse origins. While there are strong Spanish and British influences, the ethnic origins of most Gibraltarians are neither British or Spanish, they mainly include Genoese and Maltese. Others are Jewish of Sephardic or North African origin. Many Gibraltarians of Genoese origin came to the Rock in the 18th century, with the Maltese following in the 19th century, coming to work and trade in the British military base.
During the Second World War, the whole civilian population of the Rock was evacuated, in the interests of the British military, which decreed that 'the fortress comes first'. Most were moved to the UK, particularly to Fulham and Kensington in London and Ballymena in Northern Ireland, others went to Jamaica and Madeira. This served to strengthen the Gibraltarian identity, almost all were repatriated after the war.
Spain has often denigrated the Gibraltarians, who it describes as 'the present inhabitants', on the grounds that they are not indigenous, and that the original Spanish inhabitants were expelled when the Anglo-Dutch expedition force seized the Rock in 1704. It has used these arguments to argue that Gibraltarians are not a 'colonial' people, but rather, a 'colonising' people. This is despite the fact that many Gibraltarians can trace their ancestry on the Rock back further than most North Americans or Australasians of European origin can trace their ancestry in their countries, and indeed many Latin Americans living in former Spanish colonies. Consequently, many Gibraltarians regard Spanish politicians, with considerable suspicion. Apart from the annoyance of the territorial claim, relations with the Spanish are good. Many several thousand Spaniards come to work each day in Gibraltar and hundreds of Gibraltarians shop and visit Spain daily, many have homes in Spain and commute to their places of work in Gib. |
Geography
| Location |
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain |
| Geographic coordinates |
36 8 N, 5 21 W |
| Map references |
Europe |
| Area |
total: 6.5 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Land boundaries |
total: 1.2 km
border countries: Spain 1.2 km |
| Coastline |
12 km |
| Maritime claims |
territorial sea: 3 nm |
| Climate |
Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers |
| Terrain |
a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar |
| Elevation extremes |
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m |
| Natural resources |
none |
| Land use |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001) |
| Irrigated land |
NA sq km |
| Natural hazards |
NA |
Environment -
current issues |
limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for drinking water) and adequate desalination plant |
| Geography - note |
strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea |
People
| Population |
27,884 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure |
0-14 years: 17.8% (male 2,529/female 2,426)
15-64 years: 66% (male 9,442/female 8,970)
65 years and over: 16.2% (male 2,008/female 2,509) (2005 est.) |
| Median age |
total: 39.4 years
male: 39.12 years
female: 39.63 years (2005 est.) |
| Population growth rate |
0.17% (2005 est.) |
| Birth rate |
10.87 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Death rate |
9.18 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Net migration rate |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Sex ratio |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate |
total: 5.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.71 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth |
total population: 79.67 years
male: 76.8 years
female: 82.7 years (2005 est.) |
| Total fertility rate |
1.65 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS |
NA |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths |
NA |
| Nationality |
noun: Gibraltarian(s)
adjective: Gibraltar |
| Ethnic groups |
Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North Africans |
| Religions |
Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other Christian 3.2%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 0.9%, none 2.9% (2001 census) |
| Languages |
English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese |
| Literacy |
definition: NA
total population: above 80%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
Government
| Country name |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gibraltar |
| Dependency status |
overseas territory of the UK |
| Government type |
NA |
| Capital |
Gibraltar |
| Administrative divisions |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Independence |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| National holiday |
National Day, 10 September (1967); note - day of the national referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or go with Spain |
| Constitution |
30 May 1969 |
| Legal system |
English law |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects who have been residents six months or more |
| Executive branch |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor and Commander-in-Chief Sir Francis RICHARDS (since 27 May 2003)
head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 15 elected members of the House of Assembly by the governor in consultation with the chief minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor |
| Legislative branch |
unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by popular vote, one appointed for the Speaker, and two ex officio members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 November 2003 (next to be held not later than February 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 58%, GSLP 41%; seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7 |
| Judicial branch |
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
| Political parties and leaders |
Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA]; Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Joseph John BOSSANO] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders |
Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Women's Association |
| International organization participation |
Interpol (subbureau), UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Flag description |
two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band |
Economy
| Economy - overview |
Self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference center. The British military presence has been sharply reduced and now contributes about 7% to the local economy, compared with 60% in 1984. The financial sector, tourism (almost 5 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. The financial sector, the shipping sector, and tourism each contribute 25%-30% of GDP. Telecommunications accounts for another 10%. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a private sector economy, but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the level of employment. |
| GDP |
purchasing power parity - $769 million (2000 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate |
NA% |
| GDP - per capita |
purchasing power parity - $27,900 (2000 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% (2002 est.) |
| Labor force |
14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (1999) |
| Labor force - by occupation |
agriculture negligible, industry 40%, services 60% |
| Unemployment rate |
2% (2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line |
NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) |
1.5% (1998) |
| Budget |
revenues: $307 million
expenditures: $284 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY00/01 est.) |
| Agriculture - products |
none |
| Industries |
tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco |
| Industrial production growth rate |
NA% |
| Electricity - production |
104 million kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - consumption |
96.76 million kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - exports |
0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - imports |
0 kWh (2002) |
| Oil - production |
0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil - consumption |
42,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil - exports |
NA |
| Oil - imports |
NA |
| Exports |
$136 million f.o.b. (2002) |
| Exports - commodities |
(principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8% |
| Exports - partners |
France 21%, Spain 15.3%, Turkmenistan 12.5%, Germany 12.4%, UK 10%, Switzerland 8.9%, Greece 7.4% (2004) |
| Imports |
$1.743 billion c.i.f. (2002) |
| Imports - commodities |
fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs |
| Imports - partners |
Spain 22.6%, UK 12.8%, Russia 11.8%, Italy 9.8%, Germany 7.6%, France 4.7%, US 4.6%, Netherlands 4.4%, Turkey 4.3% (2004) |
| Debt - external |
$NA (2000 est.) |
| Economic aid - recipient |
$NA |
| Currency (code) |
Gibraltar pound (GIP) |
| Exchange rates |
Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)
note: the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound |
| Fiscal year |
1 July - 30 June |
Communications
| Telephones - main lines in use |
24,512 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular |
9,797 (2002) |
| Telephone system |
general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities
domestic: automatic exchange facilities
international: country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast stations |
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television broadcast stations |
1 (plus three low-power repeaters) (1997) |
| Internet country code |
.gi |
| Internet users |
6,200 (2002) |
Transportation
| Highways |
total: 29 km
paved: 29 km
unpaved: 0 km (2002) |
| Ports and harbors |
Gibraltar |
| Merchant marine |
total: 161 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 980,636 GRT/1,254,661 DWT
by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 2, cargo 96, chemical tanker 21, container 22, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 142 (Belgium 1, Cyprus 1, Finland 1, France 1, Germany 105, Greece 12, Iceland 1, Ireland 1, Italy 1, Latvia 1, Norway 8, Sweden 2, Switzerland 1, Taiwan 1, United Kingdom 3, United States 2) (2005) |
| Airports |
1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Military
| Military branches |
Royal Gibraltar Regiment |
| Military - note |
defense is the responsibility of the UK; the last British regular infantry forces left Gibraltar in 1992, replaced by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment |
Transnational Issues
| Disputes - international |
in 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to remain a British colony and against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar even greater autonomy |
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