The people of Gibraltar speak English, which is the official language, as well as Spanish and a local language called Llanito. The currency is the UK pound. Gibraltar is found at the end of a narrow peninsula just off of the southeastern tip of Spain, and is connected to the county by a narrow isthmus. Gibraltar is located at the tip of the geographical region of Spain, and yet it is not Spanish.
So if Gibraltar is so close to Spain, why do the British maintain control over this tiny autonomous region? Essentially, Gibraltar fell under British rule because of the strategic importance of its location. The tiny peninsula and the Strait of Gibraltar that flanks it not only marks the gateway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, but also an important transit point between Europe and Africa, thus occurring at the confluence of numerous vital sea passages.
The British first seized the opportunity to snag this valuable piece of land during the War of Spanish Succession that lasted from to Britain had banded together with Holland and Austria to prevent a potential merger between Spain and France from forming an unstoppable world superpower. The resulting Treaties of Utrecht and Rastatt would result in the ceding of Gibraltar to British rule, since the British had won a decisive victory in Gibraltar in The Rock provided an ideal defense for the British who were able to hold Gibraltar when the Spanish tried to reclaim it in and When Britain went to war with America, Spain saw an opportunity to finally get Gibraltar back and declared war on the British in It is a rather plain food that looks like a baked pancake.
It is made from chickpea flour, water, olive oil, salt and pepper. The annual food festival in Gibraltar is now called Calentita and you can read my story about it here!
The churches, synagogues and mosques all fit together into the small city in the territory with a level of religious tolerance that is very impressive. Interestingly, the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque at the very tip of Gibraltar is the southernmost mosque in mainland Europe and one of the most beautiful buildings in the territory.
It opened in If you fly in one day and lodge your papers, you can get married the next day. For this reason it has been popular with celebrities over the years. This is becoming so popular with tourists, the local authorities are now letting you get married outside the registry office for something special in the botanical gardens, for instance.
So, these are the things you discover when you spend a bit of time in Gibraltar. For something a bit more upmarket The Rock Hotel is one of the most popular options. And the best luxury option is actually on a permanently-moored cruise ship at the Sunborn Gibraltar. Time Travel Turtle was supported by the Gibraltar Tourist Board but the opinions, over-written descriptions and bad jokes are his own.
Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar. In the region, 32 percent are unemployed. It would be irresponsible in the extreme for Brussels and for Madrid, in pursuit of ulterior motives, to put the livelihoods of thousands of families in the region in jeopardy for failing to consider ambitious proposals for the border. The Spanish government should know that if fluidity at the border suffers as a consequence of Brexit, thousands of their own nationals would have great difficulty accessing places of work in Gibraltar, and so too would Spanish businesses in the region suffer if Gibraltarians cannot trade with them as a result of new barriers.
We trust that sensible, orderly, and reasonable alternative arrangements will be put in place to mitigate against that. For that to happen, Spain must recognize and respect the rights and wishes of the Gibraltarians to freely determine their own destiny.
For us, the time has come for Spain to finally relinquish its sovereignty claim and recognize the democratically expressed wishes of the Gibraltarians. In Gibraltar, a British territory, 96 percent of the population voted against Brexit, but they are also adamantly opposed to joint rule by Spain.
It might be time to reconsider. The crisis in Catalonia tore the country apart. The new Spanish prime minister will need to fend off rivals and manage alliances to stay in power long enough to heal the wounds. Spain has long resisted the rise of the far-right, because Basque and Catalan separatism animated nationalist passions—but the rise of Vox in Andalusia shows that the country is not immune from xenophobic politics. Shusha was the key to the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Now Baku wants to turn the fabled fortress town into a resort. Response Gibraltar Will Never Accept Shared Sovereignty The Spanish government seems to think the British overseas territory will sacrifice its sovereignty for the sake of convenience after Brexit. It is wrong. By Joseph Garcia. February 28, , AM. Dispatch Mark Nayler. Dispatch Raphael Minder. Spanish Nationalists Hate Separatists, Not Immigrants Spain has long resisted the rise of the far-right, because Basque and Catalan separatism animated nationalist passions—but the rise of Vox in Andalusia shows that the country is not immune from xenophobic politics.
Argument Malia Politzer. What in the World? November 12, , PM. Trending 1. A Blueprint for Peace in Ethiopia. Blame Brussels. Latest Analysis. Or are they? The Month in World Photos.
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