Gibraltar Online Business Education. Administration. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Gibraltar
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Introduction

Gibraltar

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. Spain and the UK are discussing the issue of Gibraltar and
have set the goal of reaching an agreement by mid-2002.

Geography Gibraltar

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 8 N, 5 21 W

Map references: Europe

Area: total: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 6.5 sq km

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% other: 100% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: limited natural freshwater resources:
large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no
longer used for drinking water) and adequate desalination plant

Geography - note: strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links
the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

People Gibraltar

Population: 27,714 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.5% (male 2,633; female 2,509) 15-64 years:
66.3% (male 9,456; female 8,907) 65 years and over: 15.2% (male 1,803;
female 2,406) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.23% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 11.19 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 8.88 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.75 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 82.25 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 1.65 children born/woman (2002 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%

Government Gibraltar

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: National Day, 10 September (1964); note - day of
the 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 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 elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor
appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor head of
government: Ministers appointed from among the 15 elected members of the
House of Assembly by the governor in consultation with the chief minister

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; Women's 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

Economy Gibraltar

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;
tobacco, mineral water, beer

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 97 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 90.21 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

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; note - if an agreement between Spain
and the UK is reached, could receive 50 million euros from the EU

Currency: Gibraltar pound (GIP)

Currency code: GIP

Exchange rates: Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.6981 (January 2002),
0.8977 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106
(1997); note - the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Communications Gibraltar

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

Transportation Gibraltar

Railways: total: NA km; 1.000-m gauge system in dockyard area only
(no longer used) (2001 est.)

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: 75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 900,400
GRT/1,277,611 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here
as a flag of convenience: Belgium 1, Cyprus 1, France 2, Germany 55,
Greece 6, Ireland 1, Monaco 2, Norway 3, United Kingdom 13 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 35, chemical tanker 6, container 10,
multi-functional large-load carrier 3, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 14,
roll on/roll off 2

Airports: 1 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)

Military Gibraltar

Military branches: no regular indigenous military forces; British Army,
Royal Navy, Royal Air Force

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues Gibraltar

Disputes - international: Spain and UK are discussing "total shared
sovereignty" to resolve 300-year dispute over Gibraltar, but resolution
is subject to a constitutional referendum by Gibraltarians, who have
largely expressed opposition to any form of cession to Spain

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002