Gibraltar Tourism - Travel to Gibraltar
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Gibraltar |
| Government | Overseas territory of United Kingdom |
| Currency | Gibraltar pound (GIP) |
| Area | land: 6.5 sq km |
| Population | 27,714 (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese |
| Religion | Roman Catholic 76.9%, Church of England 6.9%, Muslim 6.9%, Jewish 2.3%, none or other 7% (1991) |
Gibraltar, often known as The Rock, is a British colony on the southern coast of Spain at the entrance to the Mediterranean sea.
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Understand Gibraltar Tourism
In Greek mythology Gibraltar was Calpe, one of the Pillars of Hercules, which marked the edge of the Mediterranean and the known world.In 711 Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Muslim governor of Tangier, landed at Gibraltar to launch the Islamic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The Rock took his name - Jabal al Tariq (Mountain of Tariq) eventually became Gibraltar.
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. The topmost part of the Rock is still a British military installation, and off-limits to the public.
In referendums held in 1967 and 2002, the 27,700 Gibraltarians (2002 figures) ignored Spanish pressure and voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. And, on the 10th of June 2004, citizens of Gibraltar will vote for the first time in the UK MEP (Member of the European Parliament) elections, as part of the South West constituency (News Item).
Map of Gibraltar
Other destinations - Travel to Gibraltar
- Europa Point - where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, and from which the coast of Africa can be seen
- The Upper Rock - military installation and nature reserve. This is where the famous apes live (Barbary macacques)
- St Michael's Cave - an impressive natural grotto used by the neolithic inhabitants of the Rock
Get into Gibraltar
Travel to Gibraltar By Plane
The airport has daily flights to and from London and Luton.
Travel to Gibraltar By car
Queues at the border may make it less time-consuming to park cars in La Línea and walk across. The land border is open 24 hours a day, though expect delays when planes are landing - the only road into Gibraltar runs right across the airport runway!
Travel to Gibraltar By Bus
There are no buses to Gibraltar from Spain, but the bus station in La Línea is only a short walk from the border.
Travel to Gibraltar By Boat
There are normally three ferries a week each way between Gibraltar and Tangier, taking around two hours. The ferries accommodate cars.
Get around in Gibraltar
Gibraltar is less than 7 square kilometres, so most of it can be seen on foot. Bear in mind, though, that some of the roads (especially up to the Upper Rock) are very steep. Taxis that will take the strain out of the climbs, and all the taxi drivers seem to know all the apes by name. There is also a cable car that runs from the town up to Europa Point.
Gibraltar Talk
Gibraltar is a British dependency in Spain, so as one might imagine the inhabitants speak English and Spanish interchangeably. Street signs and shops are predominantly English.
Buy
Officially Gibraltar uses the Gibraltar Pound (GIP), which is equivalent to Pounds Sterling (GBP), but shops will accept Euros.
Eat - Travel to Gibraltar
Drink
Sleep - Gibraltar Tourism
Learn
Work
Stay safe - Gibraltar Tourism
Stay Healthy While You Travel to Gibraltar
Respect
Contact
External Links for Gibraltar Tourism
- Gibraltar Tourist Board
