Gibraltar

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Gibraltar

1. City of. a city on the Rock of Gibraltar, a limestone promontory at the tip of S Spain: settled by Moors in 711 and taken by Spain in 1462; ceded to Britain in 1713; a British crown colony (1830--1969), still politically associated with Britain; a naval and air base of strategic importance. Pop.: 27 000 (2003 est.). Area: 6.5 sq. km (2.5 sq. miles)
2. Strait of. a narrow strait between the S tip of Spain and the NW tip of Africa, linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

Gibraltar

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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Gibraltar

 

a territory in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, at the Strait of Gibraltar. It includes a rocky peninsula that rises to a height of 425 m and a sandy isthmus that links the rock to the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar is a British crown colony and serves as a British naval and air base. Gibraltar is separated from the Spanish city of La Linea by a neutral zone. It has an area of 6.5 sq km and a population of 27,000 (1969), excluding those who travel to work from Spain each day (about 6,000 persons).

There is an artificial harbor for the mooring and coaling of transit ships, as well as docks, warehouses, and petroleum storage facilities. Among the enterprises serving the public and the garrison are coffee-processing and tobacco concerns, fish canneries, creameries, and garment factories. About one-half of the imports are petroleum products; there is a tourist trade.

According to the Constitution of 1969, executive authority in Gibraltar is exercised by the governor, who is appointed by the British monarch (the governor is also the commander in chief of the armed forces). Assisting the governor is an advisory body—the Gibraltar Council. The legislative body —the Gibraltar House of Assembly—consists of a speaker appointed by the governor and 15 elected members. The attorney general and the financial and development secretary are ex-officio members of the House of Assembly. There is also a Council of Ministers.

History. Gibraltar was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans by the name Mons Calpe. In the eighth century it was converted by the Arabs into a fortress called Jabal al-Tarik (Mt. Tarik) after the Arab conqueror Tarik ibn Zaid. The name Gibraltar is a corruption of the Arab name for the fortress. In the period 1309-33 and from 1462 to the early 18th century the Spanish controlled the fortress. In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Gibraltar was captured by the English. Under the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, Gibraltar became a possession of Great Britain, which used it as a strong point for colonial expansion in India, Africa, and the Middle East.

In the 18th century the Spanish government repeatedly attempted to regain Gibraltar either through agreement with Great Britain or by forcible seizure. The most persistent siege of Gibraltar, which lasted four years (from June 21, 1779 to Feb. 6, 1783), ended in total failure. The importance of Gibraltar increased with the construction of the Suez Canal (1869). On May 16, 1907, Great Britain, France, and Spain concluded an agreement to maintain the status quo in the Strait of Gibraltar. During World Wars I and II, Gibraltar was a major British military base.

After World War II the question of Gibraltar became a source of sharp dispute between Great Britain and Spain, which lay claim to Gibraltar. Negotiations between the two countries were not successful. Attempting to confirm its rights to this territory, the British government held a referendum on the future of Gibraltar on Sept. 10, 1967. A majority of the voters in the referendum, which was held under conditions of British colonial rule, voted to maintain the existing status. However, on Dec. 19, 1967, the UN General Assembly declared that the referendum ran counter to UN resolutions and recommended that Great Britain and Spain continue negotiations on the decolonialization of Gibraltar.

In May 1969 a new constitution was adopted that strengthened Great Britain’s control over Gibraltar. As a result ofelections held on July 30, 1969, a coalition government wasformed, headed by Chief Minister R. Peliza and consistingof the Unity Party, which advocates Gibraltar’s inclusion inthe British Commonwealth, and independents. Attemptingto exert pressure on Great Britain, the Spanish governmentclosed the land border with Gibraltar, thereby denying accessto Spanish workers; the frontier between Spain and Gibraltarwas completely closed. These restrictions, however, weresomewhat reduced in 1970.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.