History of Gibraltar
Did you know?
In 1856 an ancient skull was found in the Neander Valley near Dusseldorf in Germany. This skull is now more commonly known as that of the Neanderthal Man, named after the valley in Germany, and was thought to be the 'original' discovery of a neanderthal skull. Eight years previously, however, in 1848 an ancient woman's skull was found in Forbes' Quarry at the base of the Rock's north face. This skull can now be seen in the British Museum in London.
The name Gibraltar stems from the Spanish translation of the name Jabal Tāriq (جبل طارق), an arabic name that means mountain of Tariq. Tariq ibn Zeyad led the first advance into Iberia ahead of the main Moorish force in 711. However, Gibraltar, and its Moorish Castle, was not built by Tariq ibn Zeyad, instead founded by the Sultan of Morocco some 500 years later in 1160. Before the name Jabal Tāriq, Gibraltar was known as Mons Calpe, one of the Pillars of Hercules. Today, Gibraltar is known informally as ‘Gib’ or ‘The Rock’.
Gibraltar’s sovereignty
The sovereignty of Gibraltar has a complex history. In 1502, the Duke of Medina Sidonia lost control of Gibraltar to the Spanish crown, who gave Gibraltar its coat of arms – a red castle with a golden key. Territory fell to the British under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht which brought an end to the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1830 Gibraltar became a British garrison and was declared a colony. Spain has tried to recapture Gibraltar twice, both times with bloody sieges during the 18th century, but without success.
Ships and sailors
The Bay of Gibraltar has long sheltered ships and sailors. The ancient Greeks believed that Gibraltar marked the final point of the known world and to sail beyond would lead to a bottomless waterfall at the edge of the world. In the 19th century Gibraltar was an important staging point on the vital route to India. Gibraltar also had a significant role in the two World Wars. In World War II the naval fleet Force H was based at Gibraltar and it was from Gibraltar that Eisenhower organised the North Africa landings of 1942.
Relations between Spain & Gibraltar
Relations between Spain, Britain & Gibraltar over the last 300 years have been extremely difficult, due to the long-standing contentious issues of sovereignty and rule. In 1969 Franco closed the border between Spain and Gibraltar for 13 years. Since the death of Franco in 1975 and the return of democracy to Spain, relations between London and Madrid have improved hugely in most areas – except Gibraltar. The present Spanish position was first formed by Felipe Gonzalez, Spain’s Socialist premier in the 1980s, who suggested joint Anglo-Spanish sovereignty. The consecutive Spanish governments have sharpened the proposals, permitting possible EU or NATO involvement. The British have no major objection, providing they are guaranteed continued access to the military bases but have stated that they are committed to respecting the wishes of the Gibraltarians. The Gibraltarians, however, oppose any proposal of shared sovereignty. In 2002 the Gibraltar government led by Peter Caruana organised a referendum to assess how the people of Gibraltar felt. As expected, it returned a huge majority in favour of the status quo.
The Tripartite agreement
Relations between Gibraltar and Spain have however been improving in the last few years, following the signing in 2006 of the historic Tripartite Agreement between Britain, Spain and Gibraltar. In this agreement, which intended to improve living conditions for Gibraltar residents, Spain agreed to remove restrictions on air movements, to accelerate customs procedures, to put into operation international telephone dialling, and to allow mobile roaming agreements. Britain agreed to pay greater pensions to Spaniards who had worked in Gibraltar prior to the border being closed.
Gibraltar’s new airport
One of the main results of the Tripartite Agreement has been the opening of Gibraltar Airport to flights to and from Spain. This was a landmark move as no Spanish airline has flown to Gibraltar since 1979, because of its disputed status. The current airport at Gibraltar has not been able to cope with the increase in flights and hence they are currently building a new 20,000 m2 (220,000 sq ft), two storey terminal. The road across the runway will remain in situ, but will only be used in exceptional or emergency situations. Pedestrians will continue to cross the runway at the present location. A new dual carriageway will pass under the terminal and through a tunnel allowing cars to drive into Gibraltar. An artist’s impression of the new terminal is shown above.
