Gibraltar

Gibraltar Background

Strategically important, Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In referendums held in 1967 and 2002, Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency.

Gibraltar Information

• Population: 27,833 (July 2004 est.)
• Nationality: noun: Gibraltarian(s) adjective: Gibraltar
• Location:: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain
• Religions:: Roman Catholic 76.9%, Church of England 6.9%, Muslim 6.9%, Jewish 2.3%, none or other 7% (1991)
• Ethnic Groups:: Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North Africans
• Land Boundaries:: total: 1.2 km border countries: Spain 1.2 km
• Area: total: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 6.5 sq km
• Coast Line: 12 km
• Climate: Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers
• Terrain: a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar
• Maritime Claims: territorial sea: 3 nm
• Land Use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)
• Environmental Issues: limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for drinking water) and adequate desalination plant
• Natural Resources: none
• Highways: total: 29 km paved: 29 km unpaved: 0 km (2002)
• Railways:
• Ports & Harbours: Gibraltar
• Airports: 1 (2003 est.)