Map of Gibraltar | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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.


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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 11 N 5 22 W

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 6.5 km²
Land: 6.5 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington DC

Land boundaries
Total: 1.2 km
Border countries: (1) 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
Extremes highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use
Arable land: 0%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 0%
Forests and woodland: 0%
Other: 100% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

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


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Population: 27,649 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 0.24% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Gibraltarian
Adjective: Gibraltar

Ethnic groups: Spanish Italian English Maltese Portuguese

Languages: English (used in schools and for official purposes) Spanish Italian Portuguese Russian

Religions: Roman Catholic 76.9% Church of England 6.9% Muslim 6.9% Jewish 2.3% none or other 7% (1991)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 18.73% (male 2,652; female 2,528)
15-64 years: 66.33% (male 9,473; female 8,866)
65 years and over: 14.94% (male 1,733; female 2,397) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.24% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 11.25 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 8.82 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: NEGL migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: limited natural freshwater resources; large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 5.49 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.09 years
Male: 76.23 years
Female: 82.1 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: above 80%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Gibraltar

Government type: NA

Capital: Gibraltar

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday: Commonwealth Day second Monday of March

Constitution: 30 May 1969

Legal system: English law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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
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; note - there is also a Gibraltar Council that advises the governor
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor

Legislative branch
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]

International organization participation: Interpol (subbureau)

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas territory of the UK)
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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $17,500 (1997 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%

Agriculture products: none

Industries: tourism banking and finance ship-building and repairing; support to large UK naval and air bases; tobacco mineral water beer canned fish

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers)
By occupation services: 60%
By occupation industry: 40%
By occupation agriculture: NEGL%

Unemployment rate: 13.5% (1996)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $307 million
Expenditures: $284 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (FY00/01 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.5% (1998)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $81.1 million (f.o.b. 1997)
Commodities: (principally reexports) petroleum 51% manufactured goods 41% other 8%
Partners: UK Morocco Portugal Netherlands Spain US Germany

Imports: $492 million (c.i.f. 1997)
Commodities: fuels manufactured goods and foodstuffs
Partners: UK Spain Japan Netherlands

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001) 0.6596 (2000) 0.6180 (1999) 0.6037 (1998) 0.6106 (1997) 0.6403 (1996); note - the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound


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Electricity
Production: 95 million kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 88.4 million kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 19,000 (1997)
Mobile cellular: 1620 (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)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .gi
Service providers isps: 2 (2000)
Users: NA

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines: 0 km

Railways
Total: NA km; 1.000-m gauge system in dockyard area only

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 669,056 GRT/1,003,809 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 15, chemical tanker 6, container 7, multi-functional large-load carrier 3, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 14, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs