Amazing facts about Gibraltar

20 Interesting Facts About Gibraltar

A small piece of British Overseas Territory named Gibraltar is a great place to visit. Take the good old English tradition, mix it with the mild Mediterranean climate, and you have Gibraltar. It’s tiny but really amazing, and it’s really fun to spend a vacation here!

Top amazing facts about Gibraltar

  • Spain offered local authorities to come under Spanish control, but residents rejected the proposal in a referendum. Twice.
  • Gibraltar’s area is only 2.6 sq. miles (6.7 sq. kilometers), and the local population is not up to 33,000 people.
  • The runway of the local airport crosses the highway leading to Spain. Therefore the route is blocked by barriers on both sides during takeoff or landing.
  • Locals speak the Llanito language. This language is a peculiar mixture of English and Spanish, with a significant influence of Italian, Arabic, and Hebrew. But most of the Gibraltarians are fluent in English and Spanish.
  • There’re a lot of Barbary macaques here, and also there’s a legend that Gibraltar will belong to the UK as long as there is at least one monkey. Since 1855, these animals are protected by the British Navy Forces. Barbary macaque is even depicted on the coin of Gibraltar’s nominal value of 5 pence.
Gibraltar
Seaview at Gibraltar shore
  • The total length of Gibraltar roads is 18 mi (29 km) only. At the same time, about 31 mi (50 km) of tunnels are laid through local rocks.
  • Gibraltar has no metro, trams, or passenger railways.
  • It even has its own national team. Home matches it holds at the stadium which seats 5,000 spectators only.
  • There are neither rivers nor streams here (check 27 amazing facts about rivers).
  • Gibraltar is included in the top-10 countries in the world in the number of divorces per capita.

  • The southernmost mosque in Europe is located here. The Imbarim-al-Ibrahim mosque was presented to the locals by the king of Saudi Arabia.
  • Gibraltar appears in two James Bond films.
  • During World War II, it was one of the most protected seaports in Europe. Because of his location, the British Forces had been controlling almost all vessels going from the Mediterranean sea to the Atlantic ocean.
  • Gorham’s Cave of Gibraltar is included in the UNESCO world heritage list. It is known as the habitat of the last Neanderthals.
  • Miss Gibraltar 2009 Kaiane Aldorino also achieved the Miss World title.
Facts about Gibraltar
Gibraltar landscapes are really stunning
  • More than 300 different species of migratory birds cross the tiny Gibraltar territory while moving from Europe to Africa and back.
  • There are lots of classic British red telephone boxes here.
  • The way from Gibraltar to Africa by ferry takes just half an hour.
  • The unemployment rate here is less than 1%.
  • The local currency is the Gibraltar pound, but British pounds are also accepted for payment here. Herewith Gibraltar pounds can’t be used for payment in the UK.

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