5 Facts of Gibraltar

The capital of Gibraltar is Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory, made famous by the massive Rock of Gibraltar, the most striking feature of the region. This demesne is situated just south of Andalusia, Spain and marks the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. With a population of nearly 30,000 people of mostly British, Genoese and Spanish descent, Gibraltar is a cultural mecca that thrives primarily on tourism, shipping and international trade. Although the region fosters racial and ethnic harmony among its mix of citizens, Christianity is the prominent religious faith, with Islam coming in second.

5 Facts You Might Not Know

1

The term 'Gibraltar' comes from Jabal Tariq, who led the incursion that overtook the region in A.D. 711. 'Mons Calpe' served as the original name of the Rock, which was considered to be one of the Pillars of Hercules in honor of Heracles the Greek who designated the nearby passage the 'Strait of Gibraltar.'

2

The Rock of Gibraltar is anything but solid. The feature was at one time buried beneath the sea. A cataclysm caused the African and European continents to collide, and the body emerged above water. A network of seashell-laden fissures and caves circuit throughout its interior, making it hollow in some places.

3

The Tower of Homage, a Moorish castle constructed circa A.D. 711, still stands as a memorial of the first permanent colony there. This was the year in which Jabal Tariq conquered the peninsula'a siege that would result in centuries of Islamic control.

4

During World War II, the Third Reich attempted to seize the Rock in a plan called Operation Felix. Francisco Franco, the dictator of Spain, eventually thwarted the effort. Had that mission succeeded, the Nazis would have had a better chance of overtaking all of Europe.

5

The area north of the Rock is a designated Nature Reserve containing some 230 Barbary Macaques. Due to a superstition associated with the ravens at the Tower of London, Winston Churchill ensured that the rare primates would always remain in this refuge. He insisted that if the monkeys were to leave, the British would as well.