Gibraltar
Capital: 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 (about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC)
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.
Ethnic Groups:
Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese
Language:
English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian
Currency:
GIP
Gibraltar pound (GIP)
Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.5097 (March 2007), 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
Climate:
Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers
Population:
27,649 (July 2001 est.)
Religion:
Roman Catholic 76.9%, Church of England 6.9%, Muslim 6.9%, Jewish 2.3%, none or other 7% (1991)
