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. Although the current 1969 Constitution for Gibraltar states that the British Government will never allow the people of Gibraltar to pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes, 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 Gibraltarian Government set up a referendum in late 2002 in which a majority of the citizens voted overwhelmingly against any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since the referendum, tripartite talks have been held with Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar, and in September 2006 a three-way agreement was signed. Spain agreed to allow airlines other than British to serve Gibraltar, to speed up customs procedures, and to add more telephone lines into Gibraltar. Britain agreed to pay pensions to Spaniards who had been employed in Gibraltar before the border closed in 1969. Spain will be allowed to open a cultural institute from which the Spanish flag will fly.
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
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
Natural resources
none
Land use
arable land
0%
permanent crops
0%
other
100% (2005)
Irrigated land
NA
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
Population
27,967 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
17.2% (male 2,460/female 2,343)
15-64 years
66.3% (male 9,470/female 9,070)
65 years and over
16.5% (male 2,090/female 2,534) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
40.1 years
male
39.6 years
female
40.4 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
0.129% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
10.69 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.044 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.825 male(s)/female
total population
1.005 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
4.98 deaths/1,000 live births
male
5.54 deaths/1,000 live births
female
4.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
79.93 years
male
77.05 years
female
82.96 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.65 children born/woman (2007 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
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
39 11 N, 5 22 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
30 May 1969
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 15 elected members of the House of Assembly by the governor in consultation with the chief minister
elections
none; 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 House of Assembly (18 seats; 15 members elected by popular vote, 1 appointed for the Speaker, and 2 ex officio members; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 November 2003 (next to be held not later than February 2008)
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 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 - 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$769 million (2000 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
NA
GDP - real growth rate
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$27,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
NA%
industry
NA%
services
NA%
Labor force
12,690 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (2001)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
negligible
industry
40%
services
60%
Unemployment rate
2% (2001 est.)
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)
Budget
revenues
$307 million
expenditures
$284 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)
Agriculture - products
none
Industries
tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Electricity - production
131.2 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
100%
hydro
0%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
122 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption
24,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Exports
$271 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities
(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)
Debt - external
$NA
Economic aid - recipient
$NA
Currency (code)
Gibraltar pound (GIP)
Currency code
GIP
Exchange rates
Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002)
note: the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June
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
641 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
2 (2000)
Internet users
6,200 (2002)
Airports
1 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
1
1,524 to 2,437 m
1 (2006)
Roadways
total
29 km
paved
29 km (2002)
Merchant marine
total
180 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,129,379 GRT/1,437,754 DWT
by type
barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 1, cargo 105, chemical tanker 26, container 26, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned
165 (Belgium 2, Cyprus 1, Denmark 1, Finland 3, France 1, Germany 108, Greece 7, Iceland 1, Ireland 1, Italy 6, Latvia 2, Netherlands 5, Norway 18, Sweden 5, UK 4) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Gibraltar
Military branches
Royal Gibraltar Regiment
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49: 5,959 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49: 4,893 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49: 187 (2005 est.)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of the UK; the Royal Gibraltar Regiment replaced the last British regular infantry forces in 1992
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
