Gibraltar (overseas territory of the UK)

§1. Gibraltar Introduction

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.

§2. Gibraltar Geography

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 kmē
  land: 6.5 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

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 kmē

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

§3. Gibraltar People

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%

§4. Gibraltar Government

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

§5. Gibraltar Economy

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

§6. Gibraltar Communications

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

§7. Gibraltar Transportation

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.)

§8. Gibraltar Military

Military branches:
  British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of the UK

§9. Gibraltar Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  source of friction between Spain and the UK
