Gibraltar

By: Rebecca Acris, Elisa Delgado Piña, David Ramet González and Carlos Ayora

Saborido.

The flag of Gibraltar.

Coat of Arms.The currency of Gibraltar is the Gibraltar pound sterling, but they also accept the euro.

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula and Europe at the entrance of the Mediterranean overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. Gibraltar shares a land border with Spain to the north. Gibraltar has historically been an important base for the British Armed Forces and is the site of a Royal Navy base. Gibraltar is the 5th most stable territory worldwide.

The name Gibraltar is the Spanish derivation of the Arabic name Jabal Tāriq, meaning "mountain of Tariq". Gibraltar was also named Mons Calpe, but nowadays it is commonly known as Gib or The Rock.

During the War of the Spanish Succession, English and Dutch troops, allies of Archduke Charles, formed a joint fleet and attacked various towns on the southern coast of Spain.

On 4 August 1704, after six hours of bombardment starting at 5:00 am, the fleet, under the command of Admiral Sir George Rooke, assisted by field marshal Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt, comprising some 1800 Dutch marines and the English Royal Marines, captured the town of Gibraltar and claimed it in the name of the Archduke Charles.

The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, ended the war. Under this treaty Spain ceded Gibraltar to the British Crown. Great Britain has retained sovereignty over Gibraltar, ever since, despite attempts by Spain to recapture it.

During World War II, the British evacuated Gibraltar's women and children and turned the Rock into a fortress.

In the 1950s, Spain, under the dictatorship of Franco, renewed its claim to sovereignty over Gibraltar, sparked in part by the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1954 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Rock's capture.

For the next thirty years, Spain restricted movement between Gibraltar and Spain, completely closed the border with Gibraltar and severed all communication links. The border with Spain was partially reopened in 1982, and fully reopened in 1985 prior to Spain's accession into the European Community.

The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who is represented by the Governor of Gibraltar. The governor of Gibraltar is Sir Adrian Johns, and the Chief Minister is Peter Caruana.

Gibraltar is a popular stop for cruise ships and attracts day visitors from resorts in Spain. The Rock is a popular tourist attraction, particularly among British tourists and residents in the southern coast of Spain. It is also a popular shopping destination, and all goods and services are VAT free. Some of the tourist attractions in Gibraltar are the Barbary Apes and the Saint Michael’s Cave. You can also visit the very top of the rock using the cablecar.

Gibraltar's main religion is Christianity, with the majority of Gibraltarians belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. The sixteenth century Saint Mary the Crowned is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar, and also the oldest Catholic church in the territory. Other Christian denominations include the Church of England , whose Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is the cathedral of the Anglican Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe.

The second religion in size is Islam. There are also a number of Hindu Indians, members of the Bahá'í Faith and a long-established Jewish community.

Gibraltar Airport is one of the few Class A airports in the world. It is owned by the Ministry of Defence for use by the Royal Air Force as RAF Gibraltar.

The airport was constructed during World War II upon the territory's race course, when Gibraltar was an important naval base for the British. Originally opened in 1939, it was only an emergency airfield for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. However, the runway was later extended. This last major extension of the runway allowed larger aircraft to land at Gibraltar.

Gibraltar Airport is unusual not only due to its proximity to the centre of the city resulting in the airport terminal being within walking distance of much of Gibraltar but also because the runway intersects Winston Churchill Avenue, the main north-south street, requiring movable barricades to close when aircraft land or depart.

Spain’s continuing sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom over the territory where the airport stands has seriously affected the airport’s operations. an agreement was signed between the governments of the United Kingdom and Spain to allow the joint civil use of the airport The agreement foresaw the building of a new terminal in the neighbouring Spanish municipality of La Línea de la Concepción adjacent to the northern side of the existing frontier. However, the agreement was never carried out.The existing terminal at Gibraltar Airport has been, for many years, too small and the road across the runway is even more constraining to operations at the airport.The new expansion of the airport has already started, and it’s to be ready April 2011.

Gibraltar National Day, celebrated annually on 10 September, is the official national day of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The day commemorates Gibraltar's first sovereignty referendum of 1967, in which Gibraltarian voters were asked whether they wished to either pass under Spanish sovereignty, or remain under British sovereignty, with institutions of self-government.On the Gibraltar national day, they do a numerous number of events, consisting of children’s events, live bands playing, and a big street party, which on the day, everyone wears red and white clothing.

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