GIBRALTAR

British colony occupying a narrow peninsula of Spain's southern Mediterranean coast, just northeast of the Strait of Gibraltar. It is 3 miles (5 km) long and 3/4 mile wide and is connected to Spain by a low, sandy isthmus that is one mile long. Its name is derived from the Arabic Jabal Tariq (Mount Tarik), honouring Tariq ibn Ziyad, who captured the peninsula in AD 711. The colony's total area is 2.25 square miles (5.8 square km). Gibraltar is a heavily fortified British air and naval base that guards the Strait of Gibraltar, which is the only entrance to the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. The peninsula consists of a limestone and shale ridge known as the Rock. It rises abruptly from the isthmus to 1,380 feet (421 m) at Rock Gun, which is its northernmost summit. Its greatest height, 1,396 feet (426 m), is attained near its southern end. The Rock shelves down to the sea at Europa Point, which faces Ceuta (a Spanish enclave in Morocco), 20 miles (32 km) to the south across the strait. From the Mediterranean, Gibraltar appears as a series of sheer, inaccessible cliffs, fronting the sea on the peninsula's east coast. The Rock's slope is more gradual on its western side and is occupied by tier upon tier of houses that stretch for some 300 feet (90 m) above the old defensive walls. Higher up, limestone cliffs almost isolate the Upper Rock, which is covered with a tangle of wild trees. Gibraltar has no springs or rivers, and 34 acres (14 hectares) of sand slopes above Catalan and Sandy bays have been sheeted over to provide a rain-catchment area. The water is stored in a number of tanks blasted into the Rock. The rainwater is then blended with water pumped from wells on the isthmus or distilled from the sea. Seawater is supplied for sanitation purposes. Gibraltar has hot, humid, and almost rainless summers; mild winters during which there is usually adequate rain; and warm, moderately rainy transitional seasons. There are more than 500 species of small flowering plants on Gibraltar, and the Gibraltar candytuft is a flower native only to the Rock. Wild olive and pine trees grow on the Upper Rock. Mammals include rabbit, fox, and Barbary ape. The only wild monkeys in Europe, the Barbary apes have roamed the Rock for hundreds of years and were long a symbol of the British presence in Gibraltar. Although free to wander at will, they are generally to be seen on the Upper Rock. Migratory birds are common, and Gibraltar is the home of the only specimens of Barbary partridge in Europe. Gibraltar is considered to have been one of the two Pillars of Hercules, the other being Mount Hacho, on the African coast opposite. The Pillars defined the western limits of navigation for the ancient Mediterranean world. Since the 18th century Gibraltar has been a symbol of British naval strength, and it is commonly known in that context as the Rock. With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Gibraltar increased in strategic importance, and its position as a provisioning port was greatly enhanced. Since World War II the British military garrison and naval dockyard have continued to be an important part of Gibraltar's economy, and naval operations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) often use the port facilities. Gibraltar is a colony of the United Kingdom and is self-governing in all matters but defense. In 1981 Gibraltarians were granted full British citizenship; Gibraltarians of both sexes over 18 years of age and British civilians resident for more than six months are entitled to vote. The governor, appointed by the British sovereign, is the head of the executive and is advised by the Gibraltar Council. The governor appoints the Council of Ministers, composed of the chief minister and up to eight other ministers, from the party or coalition of parties that gains a majority of seats in the House of Assembly. The House of Assembly consists of the speaker (appointed by the governor), 15 members elected to four-year terms, and 2 ex-officio members. Instead of a city council, one minister is responsible for municipal affairs. Because of lack of space on the peninsula, there is no agriculture. There is a small amount of light industrytobacco, beverages, canningbut the main sources of income are the provisioning of ships and military personnel, tourism, and the re-export trade. Large-scale expansion of hotel and beach facilities has been undertaken to stimulate tourism. The port facilities occupy most of the western shore and a portion of land reclaimed from the sea. Income and customs taxes produce most of the colony's revenue. The United Kingdom supplies a significant amount of development aid. Principal expenditures include social services, public works, and municipal services. Gibraltar joined the European Economic Community with the United Kingdom in 1973. Passenger and cargo vessels stop at Gibraltar's port, and a car ferry crosses daily to Tangier, Mor. There are regular flights linking Gibraltar to London and Tangier. The peninsula has a road system and a system of tunnels within the Rock for vehicular traffic. A cable car ascends to the central summit of the ridge. Two-thirds of the population are Gibraltariansthose born in Gibraltar before 1925 and their descendants. About one-fifth are resident aliens, and the remainder are the families of British military personnel. Only Gibraltarians have the right to live in the colony. All others must obtain residence permits. Most Gibraltarians are of mixed Genoese, British, Spanish, Maltese, and Portuguese descent. The alien community includes Indian shopkeepers and their families and workers from Morocco. The majority of the population belongs to the Roman Catholic Church. The Anglican bishopric also covers communities in southern Europe. The small Jewish community is of Sephardic descent. Spanish is the language of most homes, although most Gibraltarians are bilingual in English and Spanish. Education is free and compulsory between the ages of 5 and 15. Educational facilities include several government primary schools and two comprehensive secondary schools. There are also private and military institutions, a school for handicapped children, and a technical college. Excavations of limestone caves in the Rock have revealed that Gibraltar was sporadically inhabited from prehistoric times. The Muslim commander Tariq ibn Ziyad captured Gibraltar in AD 711, and the site was thereafter held as a fortress by all its successive occupiers. The Muslim occupation was permanently ended by the Spanish in 1462, and Isabella I annexed Gibraltar to Spain in 1501. But in 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Sir George Rooke captured Gibraltar for the British, and Spain formally ceded it to Britain under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The Spanish nevertheless made several attempts to retake Gibraltar from Britain, most notably in a protracted but unsuccessful military siege that lasted from 1779 to 1783. In 1830 Gibraltar became a British crown colony. The opening of the Suez Canal (1869) heightened British determination to keep possession of Gibraltar, since the Mediterranean was now the main route to Britain's colonies in East Africa and southern Asia. Early in the 20th century the Rock was tunneled to facilitate communication between the peninsula's east and west sides, and the excavated material was used to reclaim 64 acres (26 hectares) from the sea and thus expand the area of the cramped settlement. Gibraltar was a vital repair and assembly point for Allied convoys during the world wars. In the 1960s the Spanish government stepped up its demands for the decolonization of Gibraltar. A referendum that Britain held in Gibraltar in 1967 gave the colony's residents a choice of opting either for Spanish sovereignty or for continued close association with Britain; the result was an overwhelmingly pro-British vote (12,138 votes to 44). The new constitution that Britain introduced for Gibraltar in 1969 explicitly reaffirmed Gibraltar's link with Britain while also granting it full internal self-government. Spain responded by closing its border with Gibraltar, thus depriving the colony of its Spanish trade and a labour force of Spanish commuters. Spain lifted its border blockade in 1985. Pop. (1986 est.) 28,843.