Gibraltar

§1. 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, UK, and Gibraltar.

§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 8 N, 5 21 W

Map references:
  Europe

Area:
  total: 6.5 km²
  land: 6.5 km²
  water: 0 km²

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:
  none

Land use:
  arable land: 0%
  permanent crops: 0%
  other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  NA

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

§3. Gibraltar 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 growth rate:
  0.14% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  10.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  9.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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 mortality rate:
  total: 5.06 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 5.63 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 79.8 years
  male: 76.92 years
  female: 82.83 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.65 children born/woman (2006 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, 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

§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:
  National Day, 10 September (1967); 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 British citizens 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 Sir Francis RICHARDS (since 27 May 2003)
  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 branch:
  unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by 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 branch:
  Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:
  Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA]; 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), UPU

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:
  Self-sufficient 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 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 (purchasing power parity):
  $769 million (2000 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  NA

GDP - real growth rate:
  NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $27,900 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: NA%
  industry: NA%
  services: NA%

Labor force:
  14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture negligible, industry 40%, services 60%

Unemployment rate:
  2% (2001 est.)

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)

Budget:
  revenues: $307 million
  expenditures: $284 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01
    est.)

Agriculture - products:
  none

Industries:
  tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  106.1 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  98.69 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  23,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Exports:
  $271 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  (principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8%

Exports - partners:
  France 19.4%, Spain 14.1%, Turkmenistan 12.1%, Switzerland 11.7%, Germany
  10.1%, UK 9.1%, Greece 6.8% (2004)

Imports:
  $2.967 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
  Spain 19.9%, Russia 18.4%, UK 10.8%, Italy 8.8%, Germany 7.5%, US 5.1%,
  Sweden 4.7%, France 4.2% (2004)

Debt - external:
  $NA (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $NA

Currency (code):
  Gibraltar pound (GIP)

Exchange rates:
  Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (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

§6. Gibraltar Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  24,512 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  9,797 (2002)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic 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 broadcast stations:
  AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (plus three low-power repeaters) (1997)

Internet country code:
  .gi

Internet hosts:
  629 (2005)

Internet users:
  6,200 (2002)

§7. Gibraltar Transportation

Airports:
  1 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2005)

Roadways:
  total: 29 km
  paved: 29 km (2002)

Merchant marine:
  total: 160 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,110,970 GRT/1,386,556 DWT
  by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 1, cargo 102, chemical tanker 20,
    container 14, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 11, roll
    on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1
  foreign-owned: 148 (Belgium 1, Finland 1, France 1, Germany 106, Greece 9,
    Iceland 1, Ireland 1, Italy 5, Latvia 2, Norway 9, Sweden 5, Taiwan 1, UK
    4, US 2) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Gibraltar

§8. Gibraltar Military

Military branches:
  Royal Gibraltar Regiment

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of the UK; the last British regular infantry
  forces left Gibraltar in 1992, replaced by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment

§9. Gibraltar Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by 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


<Factbook 2006>
