Map of Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a country in Europe with its capital at Gibraltar, home to about 40,126 people across 7 km². The interactive map below plots 1 cities and towns and 1 mountain summits recorded for Gibraltar in YearMaps.
- Population
- 40,126
- Area
- 7 km²
- Capital
- Gibraltar
- Continent
- Europe
Interactive Map of Gibraltar
Centred on Gibraltar at 36.1324° N, 5.3781° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Gibraltar
Gibraltar ( jih-BRAWL-tər, -BROL-, Spanish: [xiβɾalˈtaɾ]) is a British Overseas Territory and city located near the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean (Strait of Gibraltar). It has an area of 6.8 km2 (2.6 sq mi) and is bordered to the north by Spain (Campo de Gibraltar). The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar, at the foot of which is a densely populated town area. Gibraltar is home to around 38,000 people, primarily Gibraltarians.
Gibraltar was founded as a permanent watchtower by the Almohads in 1160. It switched control between the Nasrids, Castilians and Marinids in the Late Middle Ages, acquiring larger strategic clout upon the destruction of nearby Algeciras c. 1375. It became again part of the Crown of Castile in 1462. In 1704, Anglo-Dutch forces captured Gibraltar from Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession, and it was ceded to Great Britain in perpetuity under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It became an important base for the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars and World War II, as it controlled the narrow entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar, with half the world's seaborne trade passing through it.
The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum, and for shared sovereignty in a 2002 referendum. Nevertheless, Gibraltar maintains close economic and cultural links with Spain, with many Gibraltarians speaking Spanish as well as a local dialect known as Llanito.
Gibraltar's economy rests on online gambling, financial services, tourism and the port. With one of the world's lowest unemployment rates, the largest part of the labour force are resident in Spain or non-Gibraltarians, especially in the private sector.
Since Brexit, Gibraltar is not a member of the European Union: a draft treaty was negotiated in June 2025 that would allow the territory to participate in the Schengen Agreement and the European Union customs union. In July 2026, the UK, Spain, Gibraltar and the EU signed the treaty, removing border controls with Spain.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Gibraltar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Gibraltar
Spain reluctantly ceded the strategically important Gibraltar to Great Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, and the British garrison at Gibraltar was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a referendum held in 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. After the UK granted Gibraltar autonomy in 1969, Spain closed the border and severed 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 2002 in which the majority of citizens voted overwhelmingly against sharing sovereignty with Spain. Since 2004, Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar have held tripartite talks to resolve problems that affect the local population, and work continues on cooperation agreements in areas such as taxation and financial services, communications and maritime security, legal and customs services, environmental protection, and education and visa services. A new noncolonial constitution came into force in 2007, and the European Court of First Instance recognized Gibraltar's right to regulate its own tax regime in 2008. The UK retains responsibility for defense, foreign relations, internal security, and financial stability. Spain and the UK continue to spar over the territory. In 2009, for example, 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. Spain renewed its demands for an eventual return of Gibraltar to Spanish control after the UK’s 2016 vote to leave the EU, but London has dismissed any connection between the vote and its sovereignty over Gibraltar.
- Location
- Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain.
- Climate
- Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers.
- Terrain
- A narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar.
- Highest point
- Rock of Gibraltar 426 m.
- Lowest point
- Mediterranean Sea 0 m.
- Coastline
- 12 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 1.2 km; border countries: Spain 1.2 km.
- Natural resources
- None.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.); forest: 0% (2022 est.); other: 100% (2022 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Occasional droughts; no streams or large bodies of water on the peninsula (all potable water comes from desalination)
- Geographic note
- Strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
- Languages
- English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese.
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 72.1%, Church of England 7.7%, other Christian 3.8%, Muslim 3.6%, Jewish 2.4%, Hindu 2%, other 1.1%, none 7.1%, unspecified 0.1% (2012 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Gibraltarian 79%, other British 13.2%, Spanish 2.1%, Moroccan 1.6%, other EU 2.4%, other 1.6% (2012 est.)
- Economy
- British territorial high-income economy; Brexit caused significant economic disruption to longstanding financial services, shipping, and tourism industries; ongoing negotiations to rejoin EU Schengen Area; independent taxation authority.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Gibraltar in Numbers
- Population
- 40,126
- Life expectancy
- 83.6 years
- Population growth
- 2.01% a year
- Population density
- 3,933 per km²
- Urban population
- 100.0%
- Surface area
- 10 km²
- Forest cover
- 0.0%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 94.4%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Gibraltar in Depth
History
Evidence of Neanderthal habitation in Gibraltar from around 50,000 years ago has been discovered at Gorham's Cave. The caves of Gibraltar continued to be used by Homo sapiens after the final extinction of the Neanderthals. Stone tools, ancient hearths and animal bones dating from around 40,000 years ago to about 5,000 years ago have been found in deposits left in Gorham's Cave.
Numerous potsherds dating from the Neolithic period have been found in Gibraltar's caves, mostly of types typical of the Almerian culture found elsewhere in Andalusia, especially around the town of Almería, from which it takes its name. There is little evidence of habitation in the Bronze Age when people had largely stopped living in caves.
Geography
Gibraltar's territory covers 6.8 km2 (2.6 sqmi) and shares a 1.2 km (0.75 mi) land border with Spain. The town of La Línea de la Concepción, a municipality of the province of Cádiz, lies on the Spanish side of the border. The Spanish hinterland forms the comarca of Campo de Gibraltar (literally "Countryside of Gibraltar"). The shoreline measures 12 km (7.5 mi) in length. There are two coasts ("Sides") of Gibraltar: the East Side, which contains the settlements of Sandy Bay and Catalan Bay; and the Westside, where the vast majority of the population lives. Gibraltar has no administrative divisions but is divided into seven Major Residential Areas.
Economy
Gibraltar's economy is dominated by four main sectors: financial services, online gambling, maritime services (including ship repairs and fuel supply services), and tourism, which includes duty-free retail sales to visitors. The British military traditionally dominated Gibraltar's economy, with the naval dockyard providing the bulk of economic activity. This, however, has diminished over the last 20 years and is estimated to account for only seven per cent of the local economy, compared to over 60 per cent in 1984. The territory also has a small manufacturing sector, representing a bit less than two per cent of the economy.
Gibraltar's labour market employs around thirty thousand workers, 80% in the private sector and 20% in the public sector.
Demographics
Gibraltar is one of the most densely populated territories in the world, with a usually-resident population in 2012 of 32,194 equivalent to approximately 4,959/km2 (12,840/sq mi). The growing demand for space is being increasingly met by land reclamation; reclaimed land makes up approximately one-tenth of the territory's total area, but houses over 40% of its population (2012 Census).
According to the 2012 Gibraltar census, 25,444 people (79.0%) were eligible for "Gibraltarian" status. Of the rest, 4249 (13.2%) were "other British", 675 (2.1%) were Spanish, 522 (1.6%) were Moroccan and 785 (2.4%) had other EU nationalities.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Gibraltar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Gibraltar: Key Facts
| Currency | Gibraltar pound |
|---|---|
| Official language | British English |
| Head of state | Charles III |
| Head of government | Fabian Picardo |
| Calling code | +350 |
| Internet domain | .gi |
| Established | 1704 |
Facts from Wikidata Q1410 (CC0).
Visiting Gibraltar
Gibraltar, colloquially known as The Rock or Gib, is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Spain to the north, while Morocco is a short distance across the strait to the south. Gibraltar has a population of 34,000 as of 2020.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Gibraltar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Gibraltar
1 city recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gibraltar | 187,083 | Gibraltar | Admin-0 region capital |
Highest Mountains in Gibraltar
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rock of Gibraltar | 426 m | 1,398 ft | Europe |
Rock of Gibraltar
Mountain · 426 m
Rock of Gibraltar is a mountain rising to 426 metres (1,398 ft) in Gibraltar and the United Kingdom, in the Europe region. The summit stands on the border between them. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..
The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic limestone mountain 426 m (1,398 ft) high dominating the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea at the Strait of Gibraltar. It is situated near the end of a narrow 9-kilometre-long (5.6 mi) promontory stretching due south into the Mediterranean Sea and is located within the British territory of Gibraltar. The rock is 27 km northeast of Tarifa, Spain, the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The rock serves as a fortress and contains a labyrinthine network of man-made tunnels known as the Tunnels of Gibraltar. Most of the Rock's upper area comprises a nature reserve which is home to about 300 Barbary macaques. It is a major tourist attraction.
The Rock of Gibraltar, the northern of the two historic Pillars of Hercules, was known to the Romans as Mons Calpe ("Mount Calpe"); the southern Pillar of Hercules on the African side of the Strait of Gibraltar was known as Mons Abila, with a modern name of either Monte Hacho or Jebel Musa. According to an ancient legend fostered by the Greeks and the Phoenicians and later adopted by the Romans, the two pillars marked the western limit of the known world.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Rock of Gibraltar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 426 m (1,398 ft)
- Global rank
- #614 of 641 indexed
- Region
- Europe (#74)
- Countries
- Gibraltar, United Kingdom
- Coordinates
- 36.1301°, -5.3400°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Rock of Gibraltar ranks #614 by elevation, below Balaneshty (429 m) and above Pic du Paradis (420 m).
- Ranges:
- Er Rif (Africa), Sierra Morena (Europe)
- Settlements below:
- Gibraltar (3 km)
More about Rock of Gibraltar
Geology
The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic promontory. The Main Ridge has a sharp crest with peaks over 400 metres (1,300 ft) above sea level, formed by Early Jurassic limestones and dolomites. It is a deeply eroded and highly faulted limb of an overturned fold. The sedimentary strata composing the Rock of Gibraltar are overturned, with the oldest strata overlying the youngest strata. These strata are the Catalan Bay Shale Formation (youngest), Gibraltar Limestone, Little Bay Shale Formation (oldest), and Dockyard Shale Formation (age unknown). These strata are noticeably faulted and deformed.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Rock of Gibraltar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Rock of Gibraltar: Key Facts
| Mountain range | Baetic System |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q690347 (CC0).
Countries Bordering Gibraltar
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Europe
Gibraltar: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Gibraltar?
- The capital of Gibraltar is Gibraltar.
- What is the population of Gibraltar?
- Gibraltar has a population of about 40,126, the #213 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Gibraltar?
- Gibraltar covers 7 km², ranking #223 by area, with about 5,732 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Gibraltar in?
- Gibraltar is in Europe.
- Which countries border Gibraltar?
- Gibraltar shares a land or maritime border with Spain.
- What is the largest city in Gibraltar?
- Gibraltar is the largest city in Gibraltar, with a metropolitan population of about 187,083.
- What is the highest mountain in Gibraltar?
- The highest summit recorded for Gibraltar in YearMaps is Rock of Gibraltar at 426 m (1,398 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.