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Gibraltar
Country Briefs:
Lying at the southernmost tip of Spain, the small British colony
of Gibraltar is a heady compound of anxieties. For the Romans and
ancient Greeks, Gibraltar was one of the two Pillars of Hercules,
established by the mythical hero to mark the edge of the known world.
Gibraltar basically
is an overseas colony of the United Kingdom that lies in the
Southwestern Europe and borders the strait of Gibraltar, which links
the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern
coast of Spain.
The name
‘Gibraltar’ is often to mean ‘Gib’ or “the Rock”. A population of
around 27,000 people in Gibraltar has adopted English as the official
language.
Looking at the past
of this tiny territory, Gibraltar we will find that during the
pre-historic era the Neanderthals occupied it. Around 950 BC the
Phoenicians came to dominate the area. The Carthaginians and the
Romans led to semi-permanent establishments in the region. It was
during this time that Gibraltar was known as one of the Pillars of
Hercules, a name given to the promontories that flank the entrance to
the Strait of Gibraltar.
Monarchy commenced
in Gibraltar around 12th century. The Almohad Sultan Abd
al- Mu’min was the pioneer of first permanent settlement in this
territory. In the years that followed Gibraltar witnessed a range of
rulers and empires governing it. Gibraltar became a part of Castile
and then Spain.
In 1704 Gibraltar
was invaded by the Great Britain during the War of Spanish
Succession. This war culminated in the Treaty of Utrecht that was
signed in Utrecht in 1713. It was peace treaty that divided Spain’s
European Empire and Spain ceded the territories of Gibraltar and
Minorca to the United Kingdom.
Gibraltar played a
crucial role in the Battle of Trafalgar that was fought on 21st
October 1805. Gibraltar served as an important naval base for the
Royal Navy, the senior service of the British armed services. Since
Gibraltar managed the important sea route between the UK and its
colonies in India and Australia, the strategic value of Gibraltar
augmented after opening up of the Suez Canal.
During the course
of Second World War Nazi Germany tried to capture the territory but it
could not achieve its goals due to Spain’s persistent efforts to keep
the German forces away from their soil.
In 1950 when Spain
was under the domination of the Generalisimo Francisco Franco. Franco
renewed its claim to sovereignty over Gibraltar when Queen Elizabeth
II made a visit to Gibraltar in order to celebrate 250th
anniversary of the Rock’s capture. During this time Spain restricted
the movement between Gibraltar and Spain.
On 10th
September 1967 a referendum was held in Gibraltar. The referendum was
crafted to know whether the people of Gibraltar wished to be under the
Spanish sovereignty or remain under the British one, with
self-government. The British sovereignty won the choice. As a result
Spain closed the borders with Gibraltar and snapped all the
communication links.
Time passed by and
gradually the Gibraltar relations with Spain improved. In 1982 the
borders with Spain opened partially and opened completely in 1985
after Spain’s accession.
Gibraltar
Country
|
Country |
HASC |
Population |
Area(km.²) |
Area(mi.²) |
Capital |
| Gibraltar |
GI.GI |
31,265 |
6 |
2 |
Gibraltar |
- Country: This
division is the whole of the country,
treated as a division for compatibility.
- HASC:
Two-letter code for international compatibility (defined by the
author).
- Population:
1991-10-14 census
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