ARTICLE · 10 OCTOBER 1997
General Background To Gibraltar For Business
INTRODUCTION
Gibraltar is a peninsula with an area of 2.75 square miles linking to the southern tip of Spain, facing the northern coast of Africa and dominating the entrance to the western Mediterranean. One of the world's famous landmarks, the Rock of Gibraltar rises to approximately 1,300 feet and has been a key strategic site for many centuries. Gibraltar's position has therefore given it a long and turbulent history and an influence over world events out of all proportion to its size and population.
Its name is a legacy of the 8th century Arab invasion of mainland Spain, when the Moorish leader Tarik based his troop-ships there. The name is derived from Gibel Tarik - the mountain of Tarik. Although it was captured and held briefly by the Kingdom of Castile between 1309 and 1333, the Rock remained as a symbol of Moslem domination of the Western Mediterranean until finally regained by Spain in 1462. Britain captured the Rock in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession.
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