from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Gibraltar
Introduction
Background: Strategically important, Gibraltar was reluctantly
ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of
Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a
colony in 1830. In a referendum held in 1967,
Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British
dependency. Although the current 1969 Constitution for
Gibraltar states that the British government will never
allow the people of Gibraltar to pass under the
sovereignty of another state against their freely and
democratically expressed wishes, a series of talks were
held by the UK and Spain between 1997 and 2002 on
establishing temporary joint sovereignty over
Gibraltar. In response to these talks, the Gibraltarian
Government set up a referendum in late 2002 in which a
majority of the citizens voted overwhelmingly against
any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since the
referendum, tripartite talks have been held with Spain,
the UK, and Gibraltar, and in September 2006 a
three-way agreement was signed. Spain agreed to allow
airlines other than British to serve Gibraltar, to
speed up customs procedures, and to add more telephone
lines into Gibraltar. Britain agreed to pay pensions to
Spaniards who had been employed in Gibraltar before the
border closed in 1969. Spain will be allowed to open a
cultural institute from which the Spanish flag will
fly.
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 36 8 N, 5 21 W
coordinates:
Map Europe
references:
Area: total: 6.5 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
comparative:
Land total: 1.2 km
boundaries: border countries: Spain 1.2 km
Coastline: 12 km
Maritime territorial sea: 3 nm
claims:
Climate: Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers
Terrain: a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar
Elevation lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m
Natural none
resources:
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated NA
land:
Natural NA
hazards:
Environment - limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or
current natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no
issues: longer used for drinking water) and adequate
desalination plant
Geography - strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links
note: the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
People
Population: 27,928 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 2,499/female 2,388)
15-64 years: 66% (male 9,443/female 8,999)
65 years and over: 16.5% (male 2,059/female 2,540)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 39.8 years
male: 39.4 years
female: 40.1 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.14% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 10.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 9.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 5.06 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 5.63 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 79.8 years
expectancy at male: 76.92 years
birth: female: 82.83 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Gibraltarian(s)
adjective: Gibraltar
Ethnic groups: Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German,
North Africans
Religions: Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other
Christian 3.2%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%,
other or unspecified 0.9%, none 2.9% (2001 census)
Languages: English (used in schools and for official purposes),
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: above 80%
male: NA
female: NA
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gibraltar
Dependency overseas territory of the UK
status:
Government NA
type:
Capital: name: Gibraltar
geographic coordinates: 39 11 N, 5 22 W
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in
March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative none (overseas territory of the UK)
divisions:
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National National Day, 10 September (1967); note - day of the
holiday: national referendum to decide whether to remain with
the UK or go with Spain
Constitution: 30 May 1969
Legal system: English law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal, plus other British citizens
who have been residents six months or more
Executive chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
branch: 1952), represented by Governor Sir Robert FULTON (since
27 October 2006)
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
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor
appointed by the monarch; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the
leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed
chief minister by the governor
Legislative unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by
branch: popular vote, 1 appointed for the Speaker, and 2 ex
officio members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 November 2003 (next to be held
not later than February 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 58%,
GSLP 41%; seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7
Judicial Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
branch:
Political Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA]; Gibraltar
parties and Social Democrats or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar
leaders: Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Joseph John BOSSANO]
Political Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives
pressure Organization; Women's Association
groups and
leaders:
International Interpol (subbureau), UPU
organization
participation:
Diplomatic none (overseas territory of the UK)
representation
in the US:
Diplomatic none (overseas territory of the UK)
representation
from the US:
Flag two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and
description: 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
Economy
Economy - Self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive
overview: shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as
an international conference center. The British
military presence has been sharply reduced and now
contributes about 7% to the local economy, compared
with 60% in 1984. The financial sector, tourism (almost
5 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees,
and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. The
financial sector, the shipping sector, and tourism each
contribute 25%-30% of GDP. Telecommunications accounts
for another 10%. 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 $769 million (2000 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official NA
exchange
rate):
GDP - real NA%
growth rate:
GDP - per $27,900 (2000 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: NA%
composition by industry: NA%
sector: services: NA%
Labor force: 12,690 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (2001)
Labor force - agriculture: negligible
by occupation: industry: 40%
services: 60%
Unemployment 2% (2001 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 1.5% (1998)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $307 million
expenditures: $284 million; including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)
Agriculture - none
products:
Industries: tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 106.1 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 98.69 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 23,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $271 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - (principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured
commodities: goods 41%, other 8%
Exports - UK 30.8%, Spain 22.7%, Germany 13.7%, Turkmenistan
partners: 10.4%, Switzerland 8.3%, Italy 6.7% (2005)
Imports: $2.967 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs
commodities:
Imports - Spain 23.4%, Russia 12.3%, Italy 12%, UK 9%, France
partners: 8.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, US 4.7% (2005)
Debt - $NA (2000 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $NA
recipient:
Currency Gibraltar pound (GIP)
(code):
Currency code: GIP
Exchange Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462
rates: (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001)
note: the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British
pound
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications
Telephones - 24,512 (2002)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 9,797 (2002)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system
system: and adequate international facilities
domestic: automatic exchange facilities
international: country code - 350; radiotelephone;
microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 37,000 (1997)
Television 1 (plus three low-power repeaters) (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 10,000 (1997)
Internet .gi
country code:
Internet 641 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 2 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 6,200 (2002)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with paved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Roadways: total: 29 km
paved: 29 km (2002)
Merchant total: 180 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,129,379 GRT/
marine: 1,437,754 DWT
by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 1, cargo 105,
chemical tanker 26, container 26, passenger 1,
petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 6, specialized
tanker 1
foreign-owned: 165 (Belgium 2, Cyprus 1, Denmark 1,
Finland 3, France 1, Germany 108, Greece 7, Iceland 1,
Ireland 1, Italy 6, Latvia 2, Netherlands 5, Norway 18,
Sweden 5, UK 4) (2006)
Ports and Gibraltar
terminals:
Military
Military Royal Gibraltar Regiment
branches:
Manpower males age 18-49: 5,959 (2005 est.)
available for
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 4,893 (2005 est.)
for military
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 187 (2005 est.)
reaching
military
service age
annually:
Military - defense is the responsibility of the UK; the last
note: British regular infantry forces left Gibraltar in 1992,
replaced by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by
international: referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty"
arrangement; the government of Gibraltar insists on
equal participation in talks between the UK and Spain;
Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar even
greater autonomy