Dhekelia (2005) | Gibraltar (2008) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 17.2% (male 2,460/female 2,343)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 9,470/female 9,070) 65 years and over: 16.5% (male 2,090/female 2,534) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | none |
Airports | - | 1 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total: 130.8 sq km
note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves |
total: 6.5 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC | a little less than one half the size of Rhode Island |
Background | By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers in total: Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area. | 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 to Spain closing the border and severing all communication links. A series of talks were held by the UK and Spain between 1997 and 2002 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 the referendum, tripartite talks on other issues have been held with Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar, and in September 2006 a three-way agreement was signed. Spain agreed to remove restrictions on air movements, to speed up customs procedures, to implement international telephone dialing, and to allow mobile roaming agreements. Britain agreed to pay increased pensions to Spaniards who had been employed in Gibraltar before the border closed. Spain will be allowed to open a cultural institute from which the Spanish flag will fly. A new non-colonial constitution came into effect in 2007, but the UK retains responsibility for defense, foreign relations, internal security, and financial stability. |
Birth rate | - | 10.69 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $455.1 million
expenditures: $423.6 million (2005 est.) |
Capital | Episkopi Cantonment; located in Akrotiri | name: Gibraltar
geographic coordinates: 36 08 N, 5 21 W time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Climate | temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters | Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers |
Coastline | 27.5 km | 12 km |
Constitution | - | 5 June 2006; came into force 2 January 2007 |
Country name | conventional long form: Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Dhekelia |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gibraltar |
Death rate | - | 9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $NA |
Dependency status | overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | - | 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 |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
Economy - overview | Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Dhekelia. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. | Self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference center. The British military presence has been sharply reduced and now contributes about 7% to the local economy, compared with 60% in 1984. The financial sector, tourism (almost 5 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. The financial sector, the shipping sector, and tourism each contribute 25%-30% of GDP. Telecommunications accounts for another 10%. 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. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 141 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | - | 141 million kWh (2005) |
Elevation extremes | - | lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m |
Environment - current issues | netting and trapping of small migrant songbirds in the spring and autumn | limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for drinking water) and adequate desalination plant |
Ethnic groups | - | Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North Africans |
Exchange rates | - | Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)
note: the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Maj. Gen. Peter Tomas Clayton PEARSON (since 9 May 2003); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defence elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Sir Robert FULTON (since 27 October 2006)
head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 17 elected members of the Parliament by the governor in consultation with the chief minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor |
Exports | - | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | - | (principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8% |
Exports - partners | - | UK 30.8%, Spain 22.7%, Germany 13.7%, Turkmenistan 10.4%, Switzerland 8.3%, Italy 6.7% (2006) |
Fiscal year | - | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | the flag of the UK is used | 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 |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 7% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 34 59 N, 33 45 E | 36 08 N, 5 21 W |
Geography - note | British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus | strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | - | 24,350 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | - | fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | - | Spain 23.4%, Russia 12.3%, Italy 12%, UK 9%, France 8.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, US 4.7% (2006) |
Independence | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | none | tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 4.98 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 2.9% (2005) |
International organization participation | - | Interpol (subbureau), UPU |
Irrigated land | - | NA |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
Labor force | - | 12,690 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (2001) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture: negligible
industry: 40% services: 60% (2001) |
Land boundaries | total: NA; note - boundary with Cyprus is being resurveyed | total: 1.2 km
border countries: Spain 1.2 km |
Land use | - | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
Languages | English, Greek | English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese |
Legal system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral Parliament (18 seats: 17 members elected by popular vote, 1 for the Speaker appointed by Parliament; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 11 October 2007 (next to be held not later than October 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 49.3%, GSLP 31.8%, Gibraltar Liberal Party 13.6%; seats by party - GSD 10, GSLP 4, Gibraltar Liberal Party 3 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 79.93 years
male: 77.05 years female: 82.96 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: NA
total population: above 80% male: NA female: NA |
Location | on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta | 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 | Middle East | Europe |
Maritime claims | - | territorial sea: 3 nm |
Merchant marine | - | total: 216 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,422,155 GRT/1,866,572 DWT
by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 5, cargo 117, chemical tanker 39, container 31, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 201 (Belgium 3, Cyprus 5, Denmark 9, Finland 3, France 1, Germany 117, Greece 8, Iceland 1, Italy 1, Netherlands 11, Norway 27, Sweden 10, UAE 2, UK 3) registered in other countries: 7 (Liberia 7) (2007) |
Military - note | includes Dheklia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway | defense is the responsibility of the UK; the Royal Gibraltar Regiment replaced the last British regular infantry forces in 1992 |
Military branches | - | Royal Gibraltar Regiment |
National holiday | - | National Day, 10 September (1967); note - day of the national referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or go with Spain |
Nationality | - | noun: Gibraltarian(s)
adjective: Gibraltar |
Natural hazards | - | NA |
Natural resources | - | none |
Net migration rate | - | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | - | Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA]; Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Joseph John BOSSANO] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Women's Association |
Population | no indigenous personnel
note: approximately 2,200 military personnel are on the base; there are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military personnel or civilian staff on both the bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus citizens work on the base, but do not live there |
27,967 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 0.129% (2007 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | - | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Religions | - | Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other Christian 3.2%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 0.9%, none 2.9% (2001 census) |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.044 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.825 male(s)/female total population: 1.005 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal; and British citizens who have been residents six months or more |
Telephone system | - | general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities
domestic: automatic exchange facilities international: country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 24,512 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 9,797 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 1 (plus 3 repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | - | a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar |
Total fertility rate | - | 1.65 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 3% (2005 est.) |