Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces

GIBRALTAR

 (dependent territory of the UK) 

@Gibraltar:Geography

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

 Map references: Europe

 Area:
 total area: 6.5 sq km
 land area: 6.5 sq km
 comparative area: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington,
 DC

 Land boundaries: total 1.2 km, Spain 1.2 km

 Coastline: 12 km

 Maritime claims:
 territorial sea: 3 nm

 International disputes: source of occasional friction between Spain
 and the UK

 Climate: Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers

 Terrain: a narrow coastal lowland borders The Rock

 Natural resources: negligible

 Land use:
 arable land: 0%
 permanent crops: 0%
 meadows and pastures: 0%
 forest and woodland: 0%
 other: 100%

 Irrigated land: NA sq km

 Environment:
 current issues: limited natural freshwater resources, so large
 concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rain water
 natural hazards: NA
 international agreements: NA

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

@Gibraltar:People

 Population: 31,874 (July 1995 est.)

 Age structure:
 0-14 years: 24% (female 3,757; male 3,835)
 15-64 years: 63% (female 9,730; male 10,485)
 65 years and over: 13% (female 2,360; male 1,707) (July 1995 est.)

 Population growth rate: 0.62% (1995 est.)

 Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Death rate: 8.85 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Infant mortality rate: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

 Life expectancy at birth:
 total population: 76.61 years
 male: 73.7 years
 female: 79.48 years (1995 est.)

 Total fertility rate: 2.29 children born/woman (1995 est.)

 Nationality:
 noun: Gibraltarian(s)
 adjective: Gibraltar

 Ethnic divisions: Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, Spanish

 Religions: Roman Catholic 74%, Protestant 11% (Church of England 8%,
 other 3%), Moslem 8%, Jewish 2%, none or other 5% (1981)

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

 Literacy: NA%

 Labor force: 14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers)
 note: UK military establishments and civil government employ nearly
 50% of the labor force

@Gibraltar:Government

 Names:
 conventional long form: none
 conventional short form: Gibraltar

 Digraph: GI

 Type: dependent territory of the UK

 Capital: Gilbraltar

 Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)

 Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)

 National holiday: Commonwealth Day (second Monday of March)

 Constitution: 30 May 1969

 Legal system: English law

 Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects resident
 six months or more

 Executive branch:
 chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
 represented by Governor and Commander in Chief Gen. Sir John CHAPPLE
 (since NA March 1993)
 head of government: Chief Minister Joe BOSSANO (since 25 March 1988)
 Gibraltar Council: advises the governor
 cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed from the elected members of
 the Assembly by the governor in consultation with the chief minister

 Legislative branch: unicameral
 House of Assembly: elections last held on 16 January 1992 (next to be
 held January 1996); results - SL 73.3%; seats - (18 total, 15 elected)
 number of seats by party NA

 Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal

 Political parties and leaders: Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party (SL),
 Joe BOSSANO; Gibraltar Labor Party/Association for the Advancement of
 Civil Rights (GCL/AACR), leader NA; Gibraltar Social Democrats, Peter
 CARUANA; Gibraltar National Party, Joe GARCIA

 Other political or pressure groups: Housewives Association; Chamber of
 Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization

 Member of: INTERPOL (subbureau)

 Diplomatic representation in US: none (dependent territory of the UK)

 US diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)

 Flag: 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

 Overview: Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade and
 offshore banking. The British military presence has been severely
 reduced and now only contributes about 11% to the local economy. The
 financial sector accounts for 15% of GDP; tourism, shipping services
 fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. Because more
 than 70% of the economy is in the public sector, changes in government
 spending have a major impact on the level of employment.

 National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $205 million (1993
 est.)

 National product real growth rate: NA%

 National product per capita: $6,600 (1993 est.)

 Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1988)

 Unemployment rate: NA%

 Budget:
 revenues: $116 million
 expenditures: $124 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
 (1992-93)

 Exports: $57 million (f.o.b., 1992)
 commodities: (principally re-exports) petroleum 51%, manufactured
 goods 41%, other 8%
 partners: UK, Morocco, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, US, FRG

 Imports: $420 million (c.i.f., 1992)
 commodities: fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs
 partners: UK, Spain, Japan, Netherlands

 External debt: $318 million (1987)

 Industrial production: growth rate NA%

 Electricity:
 capacity: 47,000 kW
 production: 90 million kWh
 consumption per capita: 2,539 kWh (1993)

 Industries: tourism, banking and finance, construction, commerce;
 support to large UK naval and air bases; transit trade and supply
 depot in the port; light manufacturing of tobacco, roasted coffee,
 ice, mineral waters, candy, beer, and canned fish

 Agriculture: none

 Economic aid:
 recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $800,000;
 Western (non-US) countries and ODA bilateral commitments (1992-93),
 $2.5 million

 Currency: 1 Gibraltar pound (#G) = 100 pence

 Exchange rates: Gibraltar pounds (#G) per US$1 - 0.6350 (January
 1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658 (1993), 0.5664 (1992), 0.5652 (1991),
 0.5603 (1990); note - the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British
 pound

 Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

@Gibraltar:Transportation

 Railroads:
 total: NA km; 1.000-m gauge system in dockyard area only

 Highways:
 total: 50 km
 paved: 50 km

 Pipelines: none

 Ports: Gibraltar

 Merchant marine:
 total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 419,707 GRT/721,110 DWT
 ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 3, chemical tanker 1, container 2, oil
 tanker 14

 Airports:
 total: 1
 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

@Gibraltar:Communications

 Telephone system: 9,400 telephones; adequate, automatic domestic
 system and adequate international radiocommunication and microwave
 facilities
 local: NA
 intercity: NA
 international: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station

 Radio:
 broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0
 radios: NA

 Television:
 broadcast stations: 4
 televisions: NA

@Gibraltar:Defense Forces

 Branches: British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force

 Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK


________________________________________________________________________