A British territory located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. It borders Spain. It includes a rocky area and a sandy isthmus; separated from Spain by a neutral zone. The area is 6.5 km². The population is 27.8 thousand (2005); the inhabitants are Gibraltarians (descendants of Spaniards, Genoese, Portuguese, Moroccans), English, and Spaniards. The official language is English. The predominant religion is Catholicism.
The currency is the Gibraltar pound, equivalent to the pound sterling, with 100 pence.
It is governed by a governor appointed by the English queen; he is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The governor (F. Richards since 2003) is responsible for defense, foreign relations, and internal security. Legislative power belongs to the House of Assembly (15 members, elected by the population for 4 years, the speaker is appointed by the governor, and 2 members are ex officio). The executive body is the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister (since 1996 - P. Caruana). The government is responsible for issues of internal self-government (except for security matters).
Political parties: The Gibraltar Socialist Democratic Party - the ruling party, received 8 out of 15 seats in the House of Assembly in the November 2003 elections. Founded in 1989. The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party - established in 1976 from the Gibraltar Democratic Movement, received 7 seats in the House of Assembly in the 2003 general elections. The Civil Rights Development Association - formed from the merger in June 1976 of the Gibraltar Labour Party and the Integration with England Party.
The Democratic Party for British Gibraltar - established in 1978. The National Party - founded in 1991.
Trade union association - Gibraltar Trade Union Council.
Due to its geographical location, Gibraltar is one of the most important strategic points, allowing control over the exit from the Mediterranean Sea and approaches from the Atlantic.
In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Gibraltar was captured by a combined Anglo-Dutch fleet. The legal transfer of Gibraltar to British ownership was formalized by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Spain disputes the right to Gibraltar. Anglo-Spanish negotiations, which have been ongoing since 1966 in accordance with UN resolutions, have not yielded results. Meanwhile, the UK relies on the results of the 1967 referendum, in which 99% of Gibraltar's residents voted to maintain its status, while Spain refers to the 1980 parliamentary resolution confirming "the will of the Spanish people to reunite Gibraltar with Spain."
The Lisbon Anglo-Spanish Agreement signed in 1980 was supposed to serve as the basis for resolving the status of Gibraltar, but each side interprets its provisions differently. In November 1984, a Spanish-British declaration was signed to begin negotiations to resolve the Gibraltar issue. The opening of the land border in 1985 eased the tensions that had previously existed between the UK and Spain. However, negotiations between the governments of Spain and the UK remain unproductive on the main issue - the question of sovereignty over Gibraltar. Since 1973, Gibraltar has been in the EU (after the UK's accession), but the provisions of the common tariff and agricultural policy of the European Union do not apply to it, along with several of its tax regulations.
The structure of Gibraltar's economy is primarily determined by its status as an open port (approximately 200 ships enter daily) and a large British naval and air base. There are several small enterprises in light and food industries, and a small ship repair yard. Tourism is developing. Due to the small size of the territory and the infertility of the soil, agricultural products are not produced in Gibraltar. GDP is 769 million dollars (2000). 60% of the population is employed in the service sector, 40% in industry. Inflation is 1.5%.
Exports amount to 136 million dollars, imports to 1.7 billion dollars. A significant portion of the country's import costs is attributed to food products.
The weekly government newspaper is "Gibraltar Gazette." The most widely circulated daily newspaper (6 thousand copies) is "Gibraltar Chronicle."
Radio and television are managed by the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation.
