One of the areas in Europe I wanted to see for a long time was the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Its history and its geographic marvel - the rock of Gibraltar - is unique in Europe. Gibraltar lies on the southern shore of Spain in Andalusia and, although it is completely surrounded by Spain's Andalusian province, it actually belongs to the UK for almost exactly 300 years (it was ceded to Britain permanently in 1713). On only 6 km2, Gibraltar is home of approx. 30.000 people. Gibraltar has its own economy that is mainly based on tourism, online (game) businesses, financial services, and shipping businesses.
When approaching the area, one can easily spot the only landmark in the area, the huge (!) rock of Gibraltar, in an area that is almost completely flat. As Gibraltar is a different country than Spain, there is a border control between the closest Spanish town La Linea and Gibraltar. A good idea when traveling by car is to park it somewhere in La Linea and then cross the border by foot, as there can be a long line when crossing the border via car.
The Rock of Gibraltar as seen form La Linea.
The first thing noticeable when crossing the border is that one is walking on an airport runway (!). Yes, the actual start and landing runway of the Gibraltar airport. Due to scarcity of space in Gibraltar, the airport was build right next to the border to Spain. The only way to get in and out of Gibraltar on ground is actually by crossing the runway of the airport. Whenever an airplane arrives or wants to take of, immigration and emigration comes to a halt. I have never seen anything like this before.
Gibraltar airport as seen from the rock. Behind the runway lies Spain. The road to the left is the only way to get in and out of Gibraltar on ground.
Next to the rock of Gibraltar, Gibraltar is also famous for its population of Barbary macaques, apes that originated from northern Africa. Most of them are living high on the rock, but some of them are also present within the city at the feet of the mountain.
A macaque walking on the gates to a cemetery in Gibraltar.
A macaque overseeing the city of Gibraltar from the rock.
The macaques are worshipped by the taxi drivers (no surprise, as without them there would be less tourism) and I saw this plate high up on the viewing spot.
View to the south. Mountains seen in the far dust are Africa already.
The rock itself is simply stunning. If not short on schedule, I recommend hiking up and down, rather than taking a taxi or the cable car. It is an easy and rewarding hike.
Inside the rock are many caves and tunnels, some of them were created naturally like the St. Michael's Cave (pictured above - also used as a concert hall due to the acoustic benefits), others are man-made, such as the Great Siege Tunnels.
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