The 426 metre high Rock of Gibraltar was created around 200 million years ago when the African tectonic plate collided with the Eurasian plate.
Since then the Rock has been subject to centuries of conflict. For instance, the Muslim’s invasion of Europe began in Gibraltar when the Moorish commander, Tariq Ibn-Ziyad, captured the Rock. After over seven centuries of Gibraltar being under Moorish control it was then taken back by the Spanish in 1462. Then with Dutch help, English troops seeded Gibraltar in 1704. Finally under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, Gibraltar was ceded to Britain, and although there has been many attempts by Spain to regain control of Gibraltar, it has proudly remained British.
The history of Gibraltar is largely reflected in the language used there today. Gibraltarians tend to speak a mixture of Spanish and English, together with some original words of their own. For example, the word ‘shuni’ means cute, and they have given multiple meanings to the English word ‘heavy’, which they use in replacement of words such as ‘loads’, ‘deep’, ‘very’ and so on. They call their language ‘Llanito’ and despite the languages low profile, there even exists a Llanito dictionary.
The Rock’s caves also serve as a prominent part of Gibraltar’s history. The Rock houses over one hundred caves, such as St Michael’s Cave, Gorham’s Cave and Leonora’s Cave. It has been said that when Spain tried to re-conquer Gibraltar in 1704 around 500 Spanish troops climbed the Rock and spent the night in St Michael’s Cave. Furthermore, during the Second World War the cave was made into an emergency hospital. In fact, there have been recent findings in Gorham’s Cave, where researchers have discovered tooth marks on pigeon bones which date back to the Neanderthal times. These findings mean that the Neanderthals, who lived in Gibraltar for almost 100,000 years, fed on pigeons. Therefore, adding evidence to the existing theory that the Neanderthals did not only hunt large mammals. For example, the Neanderthals living in Gibraltar also left tooth marked bones from seals and dolphins.
Today however, the caves serve as a huge tourist attraction. This may be due to the mysterious legend that the Rock is linked to Africa by an under-sea passage, which supposedly ends in Leonora’s Cave. It has even been argued that this passage is how the Barbary Macaque monkeys arrived in Gibraltar.
The monkeys are also a huge tourist attraction as there are over 250 living within the Rock of Gibraltar. Being the only free-to-roam apes in Europe and having no fear of humans, these cheeky apes have been known to steal food from any passing member of the public, and are often seen as far from the Rock as Casemates Square.
Coming down from the Rock itself, there are also many areas to explore. For example, the King’s Bastion leisure centre is often a popular site which includes a cinema, ice skating rink, arcade, disco and several bowling alleys. There are also numerous nightclubs and bars open in the evenings, such as All’s Well and Latinos situated in Casemates Square. In addition, the locals are blessed with the variety of food Gibraltar has available. For example, various places serve traditional Spanish cuisine, whilst there is also the well-known Pizza Hut and Pizza Express allocated in Gibraltar. In fact, Gibraltar’s a haven for expatriates who live in Spain as it is full of English products and places that are unheard of in Spain. Therefore, providing the English with a sense of “home from home”.
However, (luckily) what Gibraltar does not share with England is its weather. In fact for such a small destination, Gibraltar surprisingly has six beaches and many waterfront restaurants. These can be enjoyed throughout the year, since Gibraltar’s Mediterranean/Subtropical climate gives the lucky locals dry hot summers and only mild winters. Consequently, making the annual average temperature of Gibraltar 18.4 degrees Celsius.
Over all, Gibraltar’s Mediterranean climate, beautiful beaches, caves and people make it a wonderful place to visit. Therefore, it is no surprise that many have chosen to move there. For example, at the end of 1999 when electronic access to the financial markets was introduced, countless independent traders took up the opportunity to move to Gibraltar. This resulted in Gibraltar becoming hugely involved in trading, and although the world’s economic market has recently resulted in many leaving the profession, there is still numerous small financial trading companies established in Gibraltar. The Trading Room is possibly the largest of these, offering electronic access to markets for independent traders.
However, the gaming companies are still thriving in Gibraltar. In fact there are around 15 gaming companies allocated in Gibraltar. Some of which transferred from other countries, for example, 888.com arrived in Gibraltar in 2002 from Antigua. This is largely due to the fact that Gibraltar is one of the few places where it is realistically possible to achieve a gaming license. In addition, many of the gaming businesses are currently flourishing because of the fact people are able to access online gaming from the comfort of their own home. In fact, people can game anywhere at any time on their mobile or tablet. In other words, it is the convenience of the gaming world that allows it to flourish.
Beauty is also quite a prominent aspect of Gibraltar. For instance, every year families and friends get together to watch Miss Gibraltar. In fact, the winner of Miss Gibraltar 2009, Kaiane Aldorino, also won Miss World and as a result Gibraltar was recognised on the map for the first time. On a smaller level there are numerous beauty pageants active in Gibraltar for a variety of different age groups, and over 4 beauty salons offering a wide variety of treatments are also allocated in the area.
Over all, it is no surprise that every year on the 10th of September the locals of Gibraltar gather together to celebrate their home. This is an all-day event which has been named National Day, and it is a celebration of Gibraltar’s freedom and sovereignty. National Day was sparked by the 1967 referendum, where for the first time Gibraltarians voted on their sovereignty. As a result, 99 percent choose to remain British, whilst only 44 people wished to be part of Spain. Usually the celebrations involve a concert held in Casemates Square where the local dancers and singers perform, and at 1pm around 30,000 red and white balloons are let lose in Piatza, each balloon representing one of the 30,000 individuals living in Gibraltar. The balloons themselves are not only a symbol of freedom and liberation for the Gibraltarians; they are also a spectacular sight for both locals and tourists to enjoy. In addition to the balloons, the locals also dress in red and white as they are the national colours of Gibraltar, which you will find on the flag of Gibraltar.
