2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Age structure

0-14 years: 17.5% (male 2,499/female 2,388) 15-64 years: 66% (male 9,443/female 8,999) 65 years and over: 16.5% (male 2,059/female 2,540) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

none

Airports

1 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

total

1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)

Area

land

6.5 sq km

total

6.5 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Background

Strategically important, Gibraltar was reluctantly ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a referendum held in 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. Although the current 1969 Constitution for Gibraltar states that the British government will never allow the people of Gibraltar to pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes, a series of talks were held by the UK and Spain between 1997 and 2002 on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar. In response to these talks, the Gibraltarian Government set up a referendum in late 2002 in which a majority of the citizens voted overwhelmingly against any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since the referendum, tripartite talks have been held with Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar, and in September 2006 a three-way agreement was signed. Spain agreed to allow airlines other than British to serve Gibraltar, to speed up customs procedures, and to add more telephone lines into Gibraltar. Britain agreed to pay pensions to Spaniards who had been employed in Gibraltar before the border closed in 1969. Spain will be allowed to open a cultural institute from which the Spanish flag will fly. Geography Gibraltar

Birth rate

10.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$284 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)

revenues

$307 million

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

39 11 N, 5 22 W

name

Gibraltar

time difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers

Coastline

12 km

Constitution

30 May 1969

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Gibraltar

Currency (code)

Gibraltar pound (GIP)

Currency code

GIP

Death rate

9.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$NA (2000 est.)

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Disputes - international

in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement; the government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar even greater autonomy This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Economic aid - recipient

$NA

Economy - overview

Self-sufficient 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.

Electricity - consumption

122 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

131.2 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Rock of Gibraltar 426 m

lowest point

Mediterranean Sea 0 m

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

Ethnic groups

Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North Africans

Exchange rates

Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.54413 (2006), 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), note, the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound

Executive branch

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

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Sir Robert FULTON (since 27 October 2006)

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)

Exports

$271 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

(principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8%

Exports - partners

UK 30.8%, Spain 22.7%, Germany 13.7%, Turkmenistan 10.4%, Switzerland 8.3%, Italy 6.7% (2005)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June Communications Gibraltar

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

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$27,900 (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

NA%

GDP (official exchange rate)

NA

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$769 million (2000 est.)

Geographic coordinates

36 8 N, 5 21 W

Geography - note

strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea People Gibraltar

Government type

NA

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

Imports

$2.967 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs

Imports - partners

Spain 23.4%, Russia 12.3%, Italy 12%, UK 9%, France 8.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, US 4.7% (2005)

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco

Infant mortality rate

female

4.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

5.63 deaths/1,000 live births

total

5.06 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.5% (1998)

International organization participation

Interpol (subbureau), UPU

Internet country code

.gi

Internet hosts

641 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (2000)

Internet users

6,200 (2002) Transportation Gibraltar

Irrigated land

NA

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Labor force

12,690 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (2001)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

negligible

industry

40%

services

60%

Land boundaries

border countries

Spain 1.2 km

total

1.2 km

Land use

arable land

0%

other

100% (2005)

permanent crops

0%

Languages

English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese

Legal system

English law

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by popular vote, 1 appointed for the Speaker, and 2 ex officio members; members serve four-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - GSD 58%, GSLP 41%; seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7

elections

last held 27 November 2003 (next to be held not later than February 2008)

Life expectancy at birth

female

82.83 years (2006 est.)

male

76.92 years

total population

79.8 years

Literacy

definition

NA

female

NA Government Gibraltar

male

NA

total population

above 80%

Location

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49

5,959 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49

4,893 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49

187 (2005 est.)

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

territorial sea

3 nm

Median age

female

40.1 years (2006 est.)

male

39.4 years

total

39.8 years

Merchant marine

by type

barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 1, cargo 105, chemical tanker 26, container 26, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned

165 (Belgium 2, Cyprus 1, Denmark 1, Finland 3, France 1, Germany 108, Greece 7, Iceland 1, Ireland 1, Italy 6, Latvia 2, Netherlands 5, Norway 18, Sweden 5, UK 4) (2006)

total

180 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,129,379 GRT/1,437,754 DWT

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

Military branches

Royal Gibraltar Regiment

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

Nationality

adjective

Gibraltar

noun

Gibraltarian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

none

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

24,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Women's Association

Population

27,928 (July 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

0.14% (2006 est.)

Ports and terminals

Gibraltar Military Gibraltar

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

37,000 (1997)

Religions

Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other Christian 3.2%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 0.9%, none 2.9% (2001 census)

Roadways

paved

29 km (2002)

total

29 km

Sex ratio

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal, plus other British citizens who have been residents six months or more

Telephone system

domestic

automatic exchange facilities

general assessment

adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities

international

country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

24,512 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

9,797 (2002)

Television broadcast stations

1 (plus three low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

10,000 (1997)

Terrain

a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar

Total fertility rate

1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

2% (2001 est.)