Rock of Gibraltar (Going around Europa point) photo by G. Wilson

Map of Gibraltar

No. 1 Border established in 1713 (still recognized by Spain);
No. 2 Border in 1854;
No. 3 Current border as established by Britain in 1908 (not reecognized by Spain);
Zigzag section - Perimeter of old town.

Rock of Gibraltar photo by G. Wilson

At one time Europe and North Africa were linked by land bridges at Gibraltar and there was a free flow of animals and people passing from one continent to the other. The two are now separated by a channel stretching east-west for some 60 km (38 miles) and extending from the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula to North Africa. Its width varies from 24 km (15 miles) to 40 km (25 m.) at its western end.

Barbary Macaques (Macaca sylvanus) photo by G. Wilson

The Barbary Apes, the only native wild apes in Europe and Gibraltar's most famous residents, are acquisitive and unpredictable and tourists are warned to beware of their glare. It they chatter their teeth, keep your distance. Despite their unpredicatability, they are furry favourites of visitors and the subject of superstition to locals. The latter believe that should these simians ever simply disappear from the Rock, Gibraltar will cease to be British. No less a personage than Winston Churchill believed this blarney and during World War II he took no chances of this ever happening by ordering that food always be provided for them. There are two colonies of tailess Barbary Macaques: the ones tourists see called the Ape's Den and the other, a wild colony that lives on the rock face

Archaeological evidence suggests that Stone Age tribes lived in Gibraltar caves, but the earliest recorded history points to the Greek settlement of Calpe ('ship') The current name resulted in the 8th-century when the Berber general,Tariq ibn Ziyad, established a military camp here and from this natural fortress, he seized modern Spain and Portugal and established Iberia's hybrid culture. The limestone boulder gebel (rock) combined with his name, Tariq became Gebel Tariq which was shortened to Gibraltar.

Myth-makers say the pillars were created by Hercules when he carried out the tenth of his twelve labours: to capture the cattle of Geryones, a monster with three heads and three bodies. In order to effect the capture, Hercules tossed two great rocks about: the first became Gibraltar; the second became Ceuta in Morocco. These two promontories, Cape and Abya to the Greeks, are the twin Pillars of Hercules, natural sentries guarding the passageway between the Mediterranean Sea and the open Atlantic.

Greek Poet Euripides

The pillars marked the edge of the known world, the limits of civilization, "the end of voyaging," according to Euripides, who wrote "the Ruler of Ocean no longer permits mariners to travel on the purple sea." In the 2nd century B.C., Polybius wrote that the channel was seldom used owing "to the scantiness of our knowledge of the outer ocean." It was thought that beyond the pillars chaos and blackness were associated with the underworld. Nothing useful existed past the straits but dark and dangerous water. The Greeks named it the Stream of Ocean that encircled the earth at the centre of which they were privileged to live. Mediterranean means "middle of the earth."

The Misty Mediterranean photo by G. Wilson

The Strait of Gibraltar is also known as the Straits of Gibraltar. There are 8 miles (13 km) of ocean separating Europe from Africa at the strait's narrowest point. The strait depth ranges between 300 and 900 meters. On the northern side of the strait is Spain and Gibraltar; on the southern side is Morocco and Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa. On a net basis water continually flows eastward into and through the Strait of Gibraltar because of an evaporation rate within the Mediterranean basin higher than the combined inflow of all the rivers that empty into the sea. The sill of the Strait of Gibraltar acts to limit mixing between the cold, less saline Atlantic water and the warm Mediterranean waters. The latter are so much saltier, they sink below the relentless inflow of Atlantic water.

The surface Atlantic current passes slowly through the strait into the Mediterraean. Some two hundred feet below, another sub-current rushes westward into the Atlantic. Since very few large rivers flow into the Mediterrean, this circular exchange of water ensures the land-locked sea is kept refreshed and alive. The sea has almost no tides and is dominated by winds rather than currents. Until the Suez was opened in 1869 the Strait of Gibraltar was the only waterway to the rest of the world.

Gibraltar today is home to a majority of Gibraltarians (mixed Jewish, Spanish, Genoese and British ancestry) and a minority of British and Moroccans. Gibraltar is an independent British colony with English and Spanish as official languages. The tiny territory (2.26 square miles) at the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar is a site of great stragegic importance. It consists of a fortified town and military base at the foot of a rocky headland. Britain is responsible for its defence and external affairs. The British garrison was withdraw in the 1990s, but the British navy still uses Gibraltar as a key base in its Mediterranean operations.

The site has been in British hands since it was captured during the war of Spanish Succession in 1704.[*] It was formally ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Spaniards today reject the 'in perptutity' provision and continue to press for its return. Despite Spain's persistence, the residents of Gibraltar repeatedly vote for maintenance of the status quo, that is, independence under British oversight.Spain has pressed for its return to Spain since the end of World War II without success. The Spanish have lately claimed that Gibraltar is a haven for drug dealers whose wares regularly enter enter Spain which causes them no end of trouble.

A second source of tension has arisen lately involving Gibraltar and an American treasure-hunting ship, the Odyssey Explorer, whose crew the Spanish call 'pirates.' The Americans recently announced a treasure haul comprising 17 tons of gold and silver valued at US$500-million found in a ship sunk centuries ago. Some Spanish-denomination gold escuso and silver reals have already been transported to Tampa, Florida. Spain claims it is from a sunken Spanish galleon or a ship in their waters and are demanding that it be turned over to them. The Americans are currently sheltering in Gibraltar and the Spanish navy has threatened to seize them as soon as they venture out of their base there.

The US treasure-hunting ship Odyssey Explorer is led to the Spanish port of Algeciras.

This fight over the funds found in the deep by the Odyssey complicates another sea-search project, this one backed by the British government which has entered a deal with Odyssey to search off Gibraltar for the British warship HMS Sussex. It sank in 1694 carrying tons of gold. The water in which it is thought to have gone down is claimed by the Spanish. The project has been put on hold pending a British deal with Spain.

Gibraltar Government Buildings photo by G. Wilson

Border Crossing from Gibraltar into Spain photo by G. Wilson

Bobbies Keep the Peace in Gibraltar photo by G.Wilson

Tourism drives the economy, but ships use Gibraltar as a re-fueling base and its busy harbour has ships flying many flags.

Safe Harbour photo by G.Wilson

Twenty-eight thousand people live in just two square miles. Tiny in area and population, Gibraltar is mostly uninhabited hills. It consists of a few streets at the base of the rock. Located on the lower slopes are a few luxury homes along with gun emplacements. Gibraltar has an airport with a runway that bisects a local road. When a plane is about to land, traffic on the main road is halted until the plane has landed.

Road Across Runway photo by G. Wilson

Air Terminal photo by G.Wilson

During the Spanish War of Succession the British captured Gibraltar. When France and Spain attempted to recapture the Rock, a struggle ensued known as the Great Siege that lasted from July 1779 to February 1783. A reward was offered to anyone who could get guns onto a projection from the precipitous northern face of the Rock known as the 'Notch'. When it was suggested this could be done by tunnelling through the Rock, a start was made on May 25th, 1782. Using brute strength, sledge hammers and crowbars along with gunpowder for blasting, 18 men in five weeks had driven a tunnel 8 feet square (2.4 sq.m) by 82 feet long (25m) into the Rock. When fumes from the blasting almost suffocated the men, a vent was opened to allow air into the tunnel. It was immediately realised that the opening would make an excellent embrasure for a gun so one was mounted without waiting to reach the 'Notch'.

Other embrasures were cut and guns mounted and by the time the Siege ended in February 1783, the tunnel was 370 feet (113m) long and had four guns mounted in it. This first gallery was called 'Windsor Gallery'. Two two other galleries were constructed called 'King's And Queen's Lines' lower down the north face of the Rock.

During World War II, more worming went on through the Rock by the Royal Engineers (originally the Artificer Company during the Great Siege) along with a Canadian contingent. The guide lauded the contribution the Canadians made based on their knowledge of the process of tunnelling well practised in the Rockies and their superior diamond drill bits. Some 60 miles (100Km) of tunnels were excavated. The Great Siege Tunnels have since by used as popular tourist attractions which contain various exhibitions that re-enact some scenes lived in the tunnels throughout their unique history.

This is just a small section of the tunnels in Gibraltar. The complete network is a quite incredible three-dimensional array... some of the tunnels are large enough to accept lorries driving two abreast

A Tunnel Snakes through the Rock photo by G. Wilson

Gibraltar Tunnel photo by G. Wilson

View of Gibraltar from Rock Opening photo by G. Wilson

On Jock's Balcony photo by Rob

The Axis powers regularly made air raids on the Rock. The guide said they were never too concerned when the bombers were German, but felt less secure when they were Italian since they were more effective.

A Cannon Never Cocked in Anger photo by G. Wilson

During World War II women and children were evacuated from the Rock. They left in 1940 and did not return until 1951. The Axis made regular bombing raids on the Rock without much effect.

Evacuation Monument in the centre of Gibraltar photo by G. Wilson

Winston Checks out The Rock and Its Tunnels that were so Essential to the Allied Effort in WW II.

[*] This war began when the English government backed a non-French candidate for the Spanish throne. They were eager to prevent Spain from succumbing to French control, so they joined the Dutch Republic, Austria, most German states and the north and east parts of Spain, in backing Austrian (Habsburg) Archduke Charles's claim to the Spanish crown. Meanwhile, France, Bavaria and most of Spain supported the legitimate heir to the throne, the French king's grandson, Philip, Duke of Anjou. Three years into the conflict, British and Dutch troops occupied Gibraltar, believing that it could be used as a bridgehead to enable allied forces to advance to Madrid. The plan to install Charles failed and Philip remained king of Spain. The treaty of Utrecht 1713 helped end the war and stipulated Britain would keep the territory. Since then Spain has been trying to get the "Rock" back. During the British occupation, senior officers lost control of their troops and rioting occurred involving looting and sacking of Catholic churches. Traumatized by the chaos, virtually all of the Gibraltan citizens left and went to Spain, intending to return once it was safe to do so. Their departure resulted in the empty city filling up with non-Spanish people, mainly Genoese, Britons, Sephardic Jews and Maltese. The presence of non-Spanish residents resulted in no internal pressure for the territory to be returned to Spain. In 1969 Britain gave Gibraltar's residents virtually a constitutional veto on the issue of the Rock's return to Spain. Franco raged at this new requirement and closed the border, isolating and causing acute restrictions on residents of Gibraltar. This increased resentment, which persists to this day. Their most recent rejection was 10 September 2007.

No! On National Day (BBC History Vol.11, No. 11)

Hitler offered to capture and return Gibraltar to Spain, if Franco joined his axis gang. Franco, fearing a German takeover would last, declined the offer.

In the dark days of May 1940, when Britain's back was to the wall, various options were mentioned that might give Britain more time to re-arm. One involved offering Mussolini Gibraltar and Malta in order to get him to try to convince Hitler to settle events in Europe peacefully at a conference table. Mussolini turned it down.

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