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Map of Gibraltar
Introduction 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 a 1967 referendum, Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. Spain and the UK are discussing the issue of Gibraltar and have set the goal of reaching an agreement by mid-2002.
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 8 N, 5 21 W
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 6.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
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
Natural resources:
NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
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
People Gibraltar
Population:
27,714 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.5% (male 2,633; female 2,509)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 9,456; female 8,907)
65 years and over: 15.2% (male 1,803; female 2,406) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.23% (2002 est.)
Birth rate:
11.19 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate:
8.88 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate:
NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
5.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.23 years
female: 82.25 years (2002 est.)
male: 76.37 years
Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (2002 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
Religions:
Roman Catholic 76.9%, Church of England 6.9%, Muslim 6.9%, Jewish 2.3%, none or other 7% (1991)
Languages:
English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian
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:
Gibraltar
Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:
National Day, 10 September (1964); note - day of the national referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or go with Spain
Constitution:
30 May 1969
Legal system:
English law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects who have been residents six months or more
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor and Commander-in-Chief David DURIE (since 5 April 2000); note - DURIE was appointed in February 2000 but took office in April 2000
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor
head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 15 elected members of the House of Assembly by the governor in consultation with the chief minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by popular vote, one appointed for the Speaker, and two ex officio members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 February 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 58%, GSLP 41%; seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
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)
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:
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 11% to the local economy. The financial sector accounts for 20% of GDP; tourism (almost 6 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. 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.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $500 million (1997 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $17,500 (1997 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.5% (1998)
Labor force:
14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers)
Labor force - by occupation:
services 60%, industry 40%, agriculture NEGL%
Unemployment rate:
13.5% (1996)
Budget:
revenues: $307 million
expenditures: $284 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)
Industries:
tourism, banking and finance, ship-building and repairing; tobacco, mineral water, beer
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
97 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
90.21 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products:
none
Exports:
$81.1 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports - commodities:
(principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8%
Exports - partners:
UK, Morocco, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, US, Germany
Imports:
$492 million (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports - commodities:
fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
UK, Spain, Japan, Netherlands
Debt - external:
$NA
Economic aid - recipient:
$NA; note - if an agreement between Spain and the UK is reached, could receive 50 million euros from the EU
Currency:
Gibraltar pound (GIP)
Currency code:
GIP
Exchange rates:
Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.6981 (January 2002), 0.8977 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997); note - the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications Gibraltar
Telephones - main lines in use:
19,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,620 (1997)
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities
domestic: automatic exchange facilities
international: 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 three low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
10,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.gi
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
NA
Transportation Gibraltar
Railways:
total: NA km; 1.000-m gauge system in dockyard area only (no longer used) (2001 est.)
Highways:
total: 46.25 km
paved: 46.25 km
unpaved: 0 km (2001)
Waterways:
none
Pipelines:
0 km
Ports and harbors:
Gibraltar
Merchant marine:
total: 75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 900,400 GRT/1,277,611 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 1, Cyprus 1, France 2, Germany 55, Greece 6, Ireland 1, Monaco 2, Norway 3, United Kingdom 13 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 35, chemical tanker 6, container 10, multi-functional large-load carrier 3, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 14, roll on/roll off 2
Airports:
1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)
Military Gibraltar
Military branches:
no regular indigenous military forces; British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues Gibraltar
Disputes - international:
Spain and UK are discussing "total shared sovereignty" to resolve 300-year dispute over Gibraltar, but resolution is subject to a constitutional referendum by Gibraltarians, who have largely expressed opposition to any form of cession to Spain

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002