www.mgaylard.co.uk Gibraltar

Border Checkpoint

Asserting Britishness

A Living Symbol Of Gibraltar

About Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. It is bordered to the north by Spain (Campo de Gibraltar). The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar, at the foot of which is a densely populated town area, home to some 32,688 people (2022 estimate), primarily Gibraltarians.

The name is derived from Arabic: ??? ????, romanized: Jabal ?ariq, lit. 'Mount of Tariq' (named after the 8th-century Moorish military leader Tariq ibn Ziyad).

Since Brexit, Gibraltar is not a member of the European Union but negotiations are under way to have it participate in the Schengen Agreement to facilitate border movements between Gibraltar and Spain.
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A popular belief holds that as long as Gibraltar Barbary macaques exist on Gibraltar, the territory will remain under British rule. In 1942 (during World War II), after the population dwindled to just seven monkeys, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered their numbers be replenished immediately from forest fragments in both Morocco and Algeria because of this traditional belief.
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Pillars of Hercules

Europa Point

Europa Point Looking at Africa

Europa Point

Europa Point is the southernmost point of Gibraltar (the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula being Punta de Tarifa 25 km southwest of Gibraltar). At the end of the Rock of Gibraltar, the area is flat and occupied by such features as a playing field and a few buildings. On a clear day, views of North Africa can be seen across the Strait of Gibraltar including Ceuta and the Rif Mountains of Morocco; as well as the Bay of Gibraltar and the Spanish towns along its shores. It is reached from the old town by Europa Road.
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Gibraltar Bay

Gibraltar International Airport

The main road crosses the runway so traffic lights close the road to traffic and pedestrians for aircraft movements.

Gibraltar International Airport

Castle Steps

In Need Of Some Work

Castle Steps

Main Street

Unsurprisingly similar to any UK high street, apart from the prices.

Grand Casemates Square

Looking Up At The Rock

Looking Across The Bay, Christmas Day 2021

The Rock Hotel

Ferdinands Battery

The Rock used to bristle with defensive gun emplacements.

Commonwealth Park

Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned"

Trafalgar Cemetery

The Rock Hotel

Europa Point

Europa Point, General Sikorski Memorial

Both my great-grandfather and his brother were lighthouse keepers back in the 1890's. Not a common occupation then, and now all Trinity Lighthouses are automated

Harding's Battery

Open the full set

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About Gibraltar

In 1704, Anglo-Dutch forces captured Gibraltar from Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession. The territory was ceded to Great Britain in perpetuity under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It became an important base for the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars and World War II, as it controlled the narrow entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar, which is only 14.3 km (8.9 mi) wide. This choke point remains strategically important, with half the world's seaborne trade passing through it. Gibraltar's economy is based largely on tourism, online gambling, financial services, and bunkering. With one of the world's lowest unemployment rates, the largest part of the labour force are resident in Spain or non-Gibraltarians, especially in the private sector.

The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations, as Spain asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum, and for shared sovereignty in a 2002 referendum. Nevertheless, Gibraltar maintains close economic and cultural links with Spain, with many Gibraltarians speaking Spanish as well as a local dialect known as Llanito.

Under its current constitution, Gibraltar has almost complete internal self-governance through a parliament elected for a term of up to four years. The unicameral parliament presently consists of 17 elected members, and the Speaker who is not elected, but appointed by a resolution of the parliament. The government consists of 10 elected members. The head of state is the British monarch King Charles III, who is represented by the Governor of Gibraltar. The governor enacts day-to-day matters on the advice of the Gibraltar Parliament, but is responsible to the British government in respect of defence, foreign policy, internal security and general good governance. Judicial and other appointments are made on behalf of the monarch in consultation with the head of the elected government.
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