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Gibraltar |
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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.
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Understand
History
In Greek mythology Gibraltar was Calpe, one of the Pillars of Hercules, which marked the edge of the Mediterranean and the known world.
In 711 Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Muslim governor of Tangier, landed at Gibraltar to launch the Islamic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The Rock took his name - Jabal al Tariq (Mountain of Tariq) eventually became Gibraltar.
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. The topmost part of the Rock is still a British military installation, and off-limits to the public.
In referendums held in 1967 and 2002, the 27,800 Gibraltarians (2004 figure) ignored foreign pressure and voted overwhelmingly to reject any involvment by Spain in their government. On June 10th 2004, citizens of Gibraltar voted for the first time in the UK MEP (Member of the European Parliament) elections, as part of the South West constituency.
Respect
Remember that Gibraltar is British.
People from Gibraltar refer to themselves as Gibraltarian or 'Llanito' pronounced Ya-ni-to. They are easily offended if refered to as Spanish. Remember that Gibraltar has been British longer than the USA has existed, and indeed longer than Gibraltar was previously occupied by Spain. Take an interest in why they feel British, but never point out anything that you may think link them to Spain. Some Gibraltarians also feel sensitive to the use of the term 'colony' for their territory due to its connotations of being ruled or lacking in self-government.
Although the popular view is that the Spanish Government are the cause of many problems concerning Gibraltar, there is no animosity to individuals and Spanish tourists and workers experience no problems.
Talk
Gibraltar residents speak English and Spanish (with a local dialect).
Eat
Irish Town, the road which runs parallel to Main Street has a number of bars, like The Clipper which has good food, friendly staff, and satellite television. They serve a hearty English breakfast for £3.50. There is also Corks which serves more substantial lunches
and Sacarello's Coffe Shop which also serves food.
If you prefer to sit outside and watch the world go by, head for Casemates Square where a number of pubs & restaurants serve fairly similar meals.
Biancas or Charlies at Marina Bay are also worth a visit, as are some of the places at Queensway Quay if you fancy dining waterside.
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