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gibraltar:
general info
· travel advisories
· getting there
· getting around
when to go
· fast facts
· history
· maps
· itinerary
· hostels
tours
· things to do
· forum
· trivia
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Local rock carvings demonstrate that Gibraltar has been inhabited
since Neolithic times. Greeks and Romans also settle here, but the first sure
date for colonization is AD711 when Tariq ibn Zaid, a Berber chieftain, occupied
it. Although taken over by Spaniards for a short while during the 14th century,
it remained Moorish until 1462.
Spain and Gibraltar have always been physically linked by the Iberian Peninsula, but Spain lost control of the Rock in 1704, when an Anglo-Dutch force invaded and took possession of it during the War of Spanish succession. In spite of long sieges and assaults - not to mention pressure from Spain - it has remained British ever since, becoming a strategically vital naval dockyard and air base.
The Rock, as it is popularly known, guards the north-eastern end of the Strait
of Gibraltar. It is a narrow peninsula, consisting largely of a ridge thrusting
south along the eastern side of Algeciras Bay, terminating in the 30m (110ft)
cliffs of Europa Point. The topography prohibits cultivation and the Gibraltarians
rely on the port, the ship-repairing yards, the military and the air bases, and
on tourism for their livelihood.
Gibraltarians are culturally more British than Spanish. Red phone booths and pubs line the streets and locals are more likely to have afternoon tea than to take siestas.
Gibraltarians' loyalty to the crown was proven in 2002 when 99% of them voted to remain British, collapsing talks between Britain and Spain over possible joint sovereignty.
Besides the iconic Rock itself, which travelers scale by cable car in order to see the resident population of Barbary apes, Gibraltar's main attraction are St. Michaels cave (which was once thought to be a subterranean tunnel to Africa) and VAT-free shopping.
If there's a place you've stayed or something you've done, but we haven't listed, review it for us!
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