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Select Country: | |
| The World Fact Site | ||
| Gibraltar |
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| Introduction | Gibraltar |
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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 referendums held in 1967 and 2002, Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. |
| Geography | Gibraltar |
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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 |
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Geographic coordinates: |
36 8 N, 5 21 W |
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Map references: |
Europe |
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Area: |
total: 6.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km land: 6.5 sq km |
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Area - comparative: |
about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries: |
total: 1.2 km
border countries: Spain 1.2 km |
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Coastline: |
12 km |
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 3 nm |
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Climate: |
Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers |
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Terrain: |
a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar |
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m |
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Natural resources: |
none |
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Land use: |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
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Irrigated land: |
NA sq km |
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Natural hazards: |
NA |
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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 |
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Geography - note: |
strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea |
| People | Gibraltar |
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Population: |
27,833 (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure: |
0-14 years: 18% (male
2,554; female 2,452) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 9,460; female 8,965) 65 years and over: 15.8% (male 1,939; female 2,463) (2004 est.) |
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Median age: |
total: 39 years
male: 38.8 years female: 39.2 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate: |
0.19% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate: |
10.99 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate: |
9.05 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate: |
total: 5.22 deaths/1,000
live births female: 4.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 5.81 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 79.52
years male: 76.65 years female: 82.54 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate: |
1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
NA |
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Nationality: |
noun: Gibraltarian(s)
adjective: Gibraltar |
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Ethnic groups: |
Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North Africans |
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Religions: |
Roman Catholic 76.9%, Church of England 6.9%, Muslim 6.9%, Jewish 2.3%, none or other 7% (1991) |
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Languages: |
English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese |
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Literacy: |
definition: NA
total population: above 80% male: NA female: NA |
| Government | Gibraltar |
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Country name: |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Gibraltar |
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Dependency status: |
overseas territory of the UK |
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Government type: |
NA |
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Capital: |
Gibraltar |
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Administrative divisions: |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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Independence: |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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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 |
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Constitution: |
30 May 1969 |
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Legal system: |
English law |
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Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects who have been residents six months or more |
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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)
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 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 |
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Legislative branch: |
unicameral House of Assembly
(18 seats - 15 elected by popular vote, one appointed for the Speaker, and
two 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 |
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Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
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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] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Women's Association |
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International organization participation: |
Interpol (subbureau), UPU |
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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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 |
| Economy | Gibraltar |
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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 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. |
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GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $500 million (1997 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate: |
NA |
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GDP - per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $17,500 (1997 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line: |
NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
1.5% (1998) |
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Labor force: |
14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (1999) |
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Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture negligible, industry 40%, services 60% |
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Unemployment rate: |
2% (2001 est.) |
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Budget: |
revenues: $307 million
expenditures: $284 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY00/01 est.) |
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Agriculture - products: |
none |
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Industries: |
tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco |
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Industrial production growth rate: |
NA |
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Electricity - production: |
100 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption: |
93 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption: |
42,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports: |
NA (2001) |
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Oil - imports: |
NA (2001) |
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Exports: |
$136 million f.o.b. (2002) |
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Exports - commodities: |
(principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8% |
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Exports - partners: |
Germany 25.6%, France 24.8%, UK 14.3%, Turkmenistan 9.4%, Switzerland 7.5%, Spain 5.6% (2003) |
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Imports: |
$1.743 billion c.i.f. (2002) |
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Imports - commodities: |
fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs |
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Imports - partners: |
Spain 26.5%, UK 14.8%, Russia 8.2%, Italy 6.6%, Netherlands 6.5%, France 5.3%, Germany 4.6%, Romania 4.2% (2003) |
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Debt - external: |
NA (2000 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient: |
NA |
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Currency: |
Gibraltar pound (GIP) |
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Currency code: |
GIP |
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Exchange rates: |
Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998); note - the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound |
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Fiscal year: |
1 July - 30 June |
| Communications | Gibraltar |
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Telephones - main lines in use: |
24,512 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
9,797 (2002) |
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Radios: |
37,000 (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations: |
1 (plus three low-power repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions: |
10,000 (1997) |
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Internet country code: |
.gi |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
2 (2000) |
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Internet users: |
6,200 (2002) |
| Transportation | Gibraltar |
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Highways: |
total: 29 km
paved: 29 km unpaved: 0 km (2002) |
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Ports and harbors: |
Gibraltar |
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Merchant marine: |
total: 133 ships (1,000
GRT or over) 980,636 GRT/1,254,661 DWT by type: bulk 3, cargo 69, chemical tanker 14, container 27, multi-functional large load carrier 3, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 2 registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: Belgium 1, Cyprus 3, Denmark 1, Estonia 1, France 1, Germany 92, Greece 11, Hong Kong 2, Iceland 1, Monaco 4, Norway 6, Spain 1, United Kingdom 6, United States 2 |
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Airports: |
1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Gibraltar |
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Military branches: |
Royal Gibraltar Regiment |
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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 |
| Transnational Issues | Gibraltar |
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Disputes - international: |
since Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum in 2003 against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement, talks between the UK and Spain over the fate of the 300-year-old UK colony have stalled; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy |
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