Strategically important,
Gibraltar was reluctantly ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713
Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in
1830. In a referendum held in 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to
remain a British dependency. The subsequent granting of autonomy in 1969
by the UK led to Spain closing the border and severing all communication
links. A series of talks were held by the UK and Spain between 1997 and
2002 on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar. In
response to these talks, the Gibraltar Government called a referendum in
late 2002 in which the majority of citizens voted overwhelmingly against
any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since the referendum, tripartite
talks on other issues have been held with Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar,
and in September 2006 a three-way agreement was signed. Spain agreed to
remove restrictions on air movements, to speed up customs procedures, to
implement international telephone dialing, and to allow mobile roaming
agreements. Britain agreed to pay increased pensions to Spaniards who had
been employed in Gibraltar before the border closed. Spain will be allowed
to open a cultural institute from which the Spanish flag will fly. A new
noncolonial constitution came into effect in 2007, but the UK retains
responsibility for defense, foreign relations, internal security, and
financial stability.
Geography
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
Geographic coordinates:
36 08 N, 5 21 W
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 6.5 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
a little less than one half the
size of Rhode Island
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
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
total: 40.3 years
male: 39.8 years female: 40.7 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.125% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
10.71 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
9.46 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84
male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.91 deaths/1,000
live births male: 5.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.06
years male: 77.17 years female: 83.09 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (2008
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
Gibraltar
Country name:
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Gibraltar
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: Gibraltar
geographic coordinates: 36 08 N, 5 21 W time
difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March;
ends last Sunday in October
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:
5 June 2006; came into force 2
January 2007
Legal system:
the laws of the UK, where
applicable, apply
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal; and
British citizens who have been residents six months or more
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen
ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Sir Robert
FULTON (since 27 October 2006) head of government: Chief
Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996) cabinet: Council of
Ministers appointed from among the 17 elected members of the Parliament by
the governor in consultation with the chief minister elections:
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 Parliament (18
seats: 17 members elected by popular vote, 1 for the Speaker appointed by
Parliament; to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11
October 2007 (next to be held not later than October 2011) election
results: percent of vote by party - GSD 49.3%, GSLP 31.8%, Gibraltar
Liberal Party 13.6%; seats by party - GSD 10, GSLP 4, Gibraltar Liberal
Party 3
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
Gibraltar
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.
(principally reexports)
petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8%
Exports - partners:
UK 30.8%, Spain 22.7%, Germany
13.7%, Turkmenistan 10.4%, Switzerland 8.3%, Italy 6.7% (2006)
Imports:
$2.967 billion c.i.f. (2004
est.)
Imports - commodities:
fuels, manufactured goods, and
foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Spain 23.4%, Russia 12.3%,
Italy 12%, UK 9%, France 8.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, US 4.7% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Debt - external:
Currency (code):
Gibraltar pound (GIP)
Currency code:
GIP
Exchange rates:
Gibraltar pounds per US dollar
- 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125
(2003) note: the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British
pound
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications
Gibraltar
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)
Radios:
37,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 3 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
10,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.gi
Internet hosts:
380 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
6,200 (2002)
Transportation
Gibraltar
Airports:
1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1 1,524 to
2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 29 km
paved: 29 km (2002)
Merchant marine:
total: 216 ships (1000
GRT or over) 1,422,155 GRT/1,866,572 DWT by type: barge carrier
2, bulk carrier 5, cargo 117, chemical tanker 39, container 31, passenger
1, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 201 (Belgium 3, Cyprus 5, Denmark 9, Finland 3,
France 1, Germany 117, Greece 8, Iceland 1, Italy 1, Netherlands 11,
Norway 27, Sweden 10, UAE 2, UK 3) registered in other
countries: 7 (Liberia 7) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Gibraltar
Military
Gibraltar
Military branches:
Royal Gibraltar Regiment
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,308
(2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,244
(2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49: 190
(2008 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility
of the UK; the Royal Gibraltar Regiment replaced the last British regular
infantry forces in 1992
Transnational Issues
Gibraltar
Disputes - international:
in 2002, Gibraltar residents
voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any 'shared sovereignty'
arrangement; the government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in
talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant
Gibraltar even greater autonomy
