Gibraltar
is located on the Iberian Peninsula on the southern coast
of Spain. It
borders the Strait of Gibraltar which links the Mediterranean
Sea with the North Atlantic Ocean. Spain
is the only country Gibraltar touches and they only share
an approximately seven mile border. Gibraltar is a very small country,
a little less than half the size of Rhode Island. The country is
considered a United Kingdom Dependent Territory and falls
under the rule of Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain. The country’s
governor is appointed by the Queen. There
have been ongoing difficulties with Spain since 1997 regarding
Gibraltar’s
autonomy and its citizen’s lack of desire to share sovereignty with
Spain. In September 2006, an agreement was reached between Great
Britain, Spain, and Gibraltar which appears to have ended
the animosity. The
country’s currency is the pound sterling.
The July 2007 estimate of the population was 27,967. Gibraltar has a very small population growth rate of only 0.13 percent. The current life expectancy is 79.93 years with women outliving men by almost six years.
English is the official language of the country although Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese are also spoken. The majority religion (78 percent) is Roman Catholic with the Church of England second at seven percent.
Gibraltar is well known for the Rock of Gibraltar. In ancient times the Rock of Gibraltar was one of the Pillars of Hercules. The Rock towers 1,396 feet and is made of limestone that was created over 200 million years ago in the Jurassic Period. The Rock is riddled with over 100 caves.
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