Gibraltar is a small peninsula (6.5 square kilometers) off the Southeast edge of the Spanish mainland that marks where the Mediterranean (east side) and the Gibraltar Strait (south side) meet. The Peninsula also creates the Bay of Gibraltar on the west side. It is only a few miles from North Africa. Until the Suez Canal was built, the Strait of Gibraltar was the only way in and out of the Mediterranean Sea. Gibraltar is best known for the 426 meter rock that dominates the peninsula. With its nice bay and big rock, Gibraltar was and still is an ideal location from which to control shipping in and out of the Mediterranean Sea. Gibraltar is currently an overseas British territory and has 28,000 inhabitants.

Up until the British captured Gibraltar in 1704, Gibraltar’s history is the same as Spain’s. Here are a few quick and interesting facts to add. Two Neanderthal skulls have been found there, along with artifacts that date back to 28,000 to 24,000 BC, which suggests that Gibraltar was one of the last places of Neanderthal habitation. The Greeks and Romans believed that Gibraltar was one of the two Pillars of Hercules that marked the end of the known world. The other pillar is Jebel Musa (AKA Monte Hacho) on the other side of the Strait. Neither the Carthaginians, Greeks, nor Romans set up a permanent settlement in Gibraltar. The first settlement was set up by the Visigoths. When the Arabs started their conquest of the Visigoths in 711, they first landed at and conquered Gibraltar. In 711 the Muslims named it “Gabal-Al-Tariq” (the mountain of Tariq), which eventually evolved into today’s “Gibraltar”. In 1160 the Muslims decided to put a settlement in Gibraltar and built the Moorish Castle, part of which still stands today despite many, many sieges over the years. In 1309 the Spaniards began to battle the Muslims over the peninsula. They fought back and forth over it until 1462. Once it was firmly in Spanish hands, the different feudal families fought over it until 1506, when the monarchy insisted it be folded into the rest of the crown’s lands.

Then the War of Spanish succession started. The British had their eye on Gibraltar for quite a while, wanting to build a navy base there. They took advantage of the chaos in Spain with the war and, along with Dutch troops, seized the peninsula in 1704. 4,000 people left Gibraltar, leaving only 70 people left in the town.

The Spanish actively fought to get it back until 1705, and refused to acknowledge English control until 1713, when, as a part of a peace treaty marking the end of the War of Spanish Succession, the Spanish formally had to give Gibraltar up to Britain. Oddly, under this treaty, land travel/trade to Spain was forbidden, only sea travel/trade. In 1727 the Spanish tried again to reclaim Gibraltar and quickly lost. The Spanish tried again in 1779. During this time, the British started building a network of tunnels that allowed them to stay under ground and/or inside the rock at all times. The war lasted until 1783 and is referred to as the Great Siege. The Spanish again lost.

The British did indeed build an important base there, along with a free trade port. In 1804, Yellow Fever (Typhoid) broke out and 1/3 of the population, 6,000 people, died from it. From 1808 1813, the English sent troops from Gibraltar to aid the Spanish rebels who were trying to fight Napoleon’s control over Spain. In 1869, the Suez Canal was opened, and suddenly “The Rock” was an even more important strategic location for trade routes from England and the Americas to Asia.

In 1908, a border dispute arose between Spain and England over the exact line that separates Spain and Gibraltar. In 1921, Gibraltar was recognized for war efforts, but from what we have read, it didn’t sound like they were too affected by the war, at least directly. That year they were also allowed to elect some of their own government officials. Prior to this, all officials were assigned by the Queen of England. In World War II, Gibraltar turned out to be a key piece of the Allied victory. By controlling the Strait of Gibraltar, the Allies could replenish supplies via ship to their various territories, while cutting off access to Axis ships. Gibraltar itself was attacked several times from 1940 1941 by air and sea. Interestingly, Hitler wanted to attack via land, presumably to capture Gibraltar and then give it to the Spaniards after the war, but Franco refused to allow Nazi troops into Spain. Franco feared history would repeat itself and the Nazis would wind up occupying Spain like Napoleon did. In 1942, the Gibraltarians established their first political party. Also in 1942, Operation Torch was launched, where the Americans used Gibraltar as a base to attack North Africa during WWII.

In 1954, Franco asserted Spanish rights to Gibraltar. Franco restricted movements across the border, then in 1955, right after being accepted by the UN, Franco petitioned the UN to make England give Gibraltar back. The UN dragged their feet on addressing it. In 1967, the UN finally decided the Gibraltarians should decide their own fate and had the people vote on whether they wanted to stay with England or join Spain. 99.65% of the people voted to stay with England. England increased the autonomy of Gibraltar after that vote, allowing them to be fully self-governing. Franco responded by severing all ties and closing the border almost completely. Thousands upon thousands of Spaniards worked in Gibraltar, and most had to give up their jobs. Only a few Spaniards were allowed cross the border to work, only to work, and only via foot. No cars could enter. If people wanted to visit each other on opposite sides of the border, they had to take a ferry to Morocco, then a ferry back to only a couple of miles away from where they departed from. The border was partially opened in 1982 and fully opened in 1984, when Spain applied to join the EU.

In 1987, Spain proposed a condominium situation, where the English and Spanish share control of the province. The Gibraltarians firmly opposed it. Since then, Spain has made several more similar proposals, some of which England was amenable to, but all firmly opposed by the Gibraltarians. In 1991, the British pulled most of their military activity out of Gibraltar.