"text":"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. The subsequent granting of autonomy in 1969 by the UK led Spain to close the border and sever all communication links. Between 1997 and 2002, the UK and Spain held a series of talks on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar. In response to these talks, the Gibraltar Government called a referendum in late 2002 in which the majority of citizens voted overwhelmingly against any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since late 2004, Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar have held tripartite talks with the aim of cooperatively resolving problems that affect the local population, and work continues on cooperation agreements in areas such as taxation and financial services; communications and maritime security; policy, legal and customs services; environmental protection; and education and visa services. Throughout 2009, a dispute over Gibraltar's claim to territorial waters extending out three miles gave rise to periodic non-violent maritime confrontations between Spanish and UK naval patrols and in 2013, the British reported a record number of entries by Spanish vessels into waters claimed by Gibraltar following a dispute over Gibraltar's creation of an artificial reef in those waters. A new noncolonial constitution came into effect in 2007, and the European Court of First Instance recognized Gibraltar's right to regulate its own tax regime in December 2008. The UK retains responsibility for defense, foreign relations, internal security, and financial stability."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain"
},
"Geographic coordinates":{
"text":"36 08 N, 5 21 W"
},
"Map references":{
"text":"Europe"
},
"Area":{
"total":{
"text":"6.5 sq km"
},
"land":{
"text":"6.5 sq km"
},
"water":{
"text":"0 sq km"
}
},
"Area - comparative":{
"text":"more than 10 times the size of The National Mall in Washington, D.C."
"text":"limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for drinking water) and adequate desalination plant"
},
"Geography - note":{
"text":"strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea"
"text":"Chief Minister Fabian PICARDO (since 9 December 2011)"
},
"cabinet":{
"text":"Council of Ministers appointed from among the 17 elected members of the Parliament by the governor in consultation with the chief minister"
},
"elections/appointments":{
"text":"the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed chief minister by the governor"
}
},
"Legislative branch":{
"description":{
"text":"unicameral Parliament (18 seats; 17 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by majority vote and 1 appointed by Parliament as speaker; members serve 4-year terms)"
"text":"Court of Appeal (consists of at least 3 judges, including the court president); Supreme Court of Gibraltar (consists of the chief justice and 3 judges); note - appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judges appointed by the governor upon the advice of the Judicial Service Commission, a 7-member body of judges and appointees of the governor; tenure of the Court of Appeal president based on terms of appointment; Supreme Court chief justice and judge normally appointed until retirement at age 67, but can be extended 3 years"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"Court of First Instance; Magistrates' Court; specialized tribunals for issues relating to social security, taxes, and employment"
}
},
"Political parties and leaders":{
"text":"Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA] ++ Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD [Daniel FEETHAM] ++ Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Fabian PICARDO] ++ Progressive Democratic Party [Nick CRUZ]"
},
"Political pressure groups and leaders":{
"text":"Chamber of Commerce ++ Gibraltar Representatives Organization ++ Women's Association"
},
"International organization participation":{
"text":"ICC (NGOs), Interpol (subbureau), UPU"
},
"Diplomatic representation in the US":{
"text":"none (overseas territory of the UK)"
},
"Diplomatic representation from the US":{
"text":"none (overseas territory of the UK)"
},
"Flag description":{
"text":"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; the design is that of Gibraltar's coat of arms granted on 10 July 1502 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain; the castle symbolizes Gibraltar as a fortress, while the key represents Gibraltar's strategic importance - the key to the Mediterranean"
},
"National symbol(s)":{
"text":"Barbary macaque; national colors: red, white, yellow"
},
"National anthem":{
"name":{
"text":"\"Gibraltar Anthem\""
},
"lyrics/music":{
"text":"Peter EMBERLEY"
},
"note":{
"text":"adopted 1994; serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the United Kingdom, \"God Save the Queen\" remains official (see United Kingdom)"
"text":"Self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference center. Tax rates are low to attract foreign investment. The British military presence has been sharply reduced and now contributes about 7% to the local economy, compared with 60% in 1984. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a private sector economy, but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the level of employment. ++ ++ The financial sector, tourism (over 11 million visitors in 2012), gaming revenues, shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. The financial sector, tourism, and the shipping sector contribute 30%, 30%, and 25%, respectively, of GDP. Telecommunications, e-commerce, and e-gaming account for the remaining 15%."
"text":"Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) provides TV and radio broadcasting services via 1 TV station and 4 radio stations; British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) operates 1 radio station; broadcasts from Spanish radio and TV stations are accessible (2008)"
"text":"defense is the responsibility of the UK; the Royal Gibraltar Regiment replaced the last British regular infantry forces in 1992"
}
},
"Transnational Issues":{
"Disputes - international":{
"text":"in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any \"shared sovereignty\" arrangement; the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar even greater autonomy"
