Gibraltar

Introduction

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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.

Gibraltar

Geography

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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 11 N, 5 22 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total:  6.5 sq km land:  6.5 sq km water:  0 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% permanent pastures:  0% forests and woodland:  0% other:  100% (1993 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

Geography - note:

strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

Gibraltar

People

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Population:

27,649 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years:  18.73% (male 2,652; female 2,528) 15-64 years:  66.33% (male 9,473; female 8,866) 65 years and over:  14.94% (male 1,733; female 2,397) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.24% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:

11.25 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:

8.82 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:

NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth:  1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years:  1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years:  1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over:  0.72 male(s)/female total population:  1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

5.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population:  79.09 years male:  76.23 years female:  82.1 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.64 children born/woman (2001 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%

Gibraltar

Government

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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:

Commonwealth Day, second Monday of March

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 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; note - there is also a Gibraltar Council that advises the governor elections:  none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor

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; Housewives 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

Gibraltar

Economy

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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; support to large UK naval and air bases; tobacco, mineral water, beer, canned fish

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

95 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel:  100% hydro:  0% nuclear:  0% other:  0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:

88.4 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (1999)

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

Currency:

Gibraltar pound (GIP)

Currency code:

GIP

Exchange rates:

Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); note - the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Gibraltar

Communications

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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

Gibraltar

Transportation

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Railways:

total:  NA km; 1.000-m gauge system in dockyard area only

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:  49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 669,056 GRT/1,003,809 DWT ships by type:  bulk 1, cargo 15, chemical tanker 6, container 7, multi-functional large-load carrier 3, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 14, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)

Airports:

1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:

total:  1 1,524 to 2,437 m:  1 (2000 est.)

Gibraltar

Military

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Military branches:

British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Gibraltar

Transnational Issues

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Disputes - international:

source of friction between Spain and the UK