What comes to mind when you think of Gibraltar?
If you’re like most people in Britain, probably not much. You might not even realise this tiny peninsula on the southern tip of Spain is still part of the UK – a 2019 survey found that half of Britons don’t know Gibraltar’s status at all.
When I finally spent some time there, I discovered a place that’s both familiar and foreign — British in many ways, Spanish in many others, yet completely its own.
If you’re planning a visit to the Rock, or if you’re just curious to learn more about the place, here are 10 fascinating and surprising facts about Gibraltar.
1. Gibraltar has its own dialect
Walk around Gibraltar, and you’ll hear people talking in a mix of English and Spanish – seamlessly switching between the two, often on the same sentence. This is Gibraltar’s main dialect – Llanito.
It’s mainly made up of Spanish and British English. But Llanito also has words borrowed from Hebrew, Maltese, Portuguese and Arabic – reflecting Gibraltar’s melting-pot history.
Sadly, the dialect is at risk. English is increasingly the dominant language spoken by younger people, and it’s the language younger generations speak in at school.
2. Gibraltar has been British longer than America has been American
Despite its location on the Iberian Peninsula, Gibraltar’s British roots run deep. Deeper than just red post boxes and fish and chips. Gibraltar has been part of Britain since 1713 – recently celebrating its 300th anniversary. That means it has been British longer than America has been American.
Of course, there’s been lots of turmoil in between then and now. Spain tried multiple times throughout the centuries to retake the Rock, most famously in the Great Siege of 1779, which is commemorated in tunnels you can visit today. Even today Gibraltar is a controversial topic. Spain don’t acknowledge British sovereignty over Gibraltar, and it’s a source of tension between the two allies.
As for the people of Gibraltar themselves, they voted overwhelmingly to stay British in a 2002 referendum. They also voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU in the Brexit referendum 14 years later.
3. Gibraltar has one of Europe’s most integrated historic Jewish communities
When we arrived in Gibraltar, we were half expecting to be surrounded by British ex-pats and holidaymakers. It does, of course, have a ‘Brits abroad’ stereotype. And alongside its proud Gibraltarian community, there are of course a lot of ex-pats and tourists.
But we were also surprised to find a very visible Jewish presence – with men wearing kippahs a common sight, and a synagogue that goes back 300 years. In fact, Gibraltar’s Jewish community makes up one of its largest religious minorities, and it has been for centuries.
A Jewish community in Gibraltar was first recorded in the 14th century. But in the 15th century, Jews were banished from all of Spain (which then had sovereignty of Gibraltar). Historic Jewish communities, like in Córdoba’s Judería, were forced to abandon their religion or leave.
When Gibraltar was ceded to the British in the 18th century, Jews were granted the right to permanent settlement. By 1754, more than 500 Jews lived in Gibraltar – around a third of the whole population! You can still visit the oldest synagogue in Gibraltar, Congregation Sha’ar HaShamayim, which dates back to that time.
Since then, Gibraltar’s Jewish community has been a vital part of its culture, economy and development. There are around 800 Jews in Gibraltar nowadays – which means that as a proportion of its population, Gibraltar has the highest population of Jews outside of Israel (source).
4. The name ‘Gibraltar’ comes from Arabic
Gibraltar has a long and fascinating history. But did you know that Gibraltar’s longest period of occupation wasn’t by the British, but the Moors?
From the 8th Century to the 15th, Gibraltar was part of Islamic Al-Andalus. You can see a visual reminder of this history every time you enter Gibraltar, from the Moorish Fortress which looks down on the town. But the name also comes from this era, too.
‘Gibraltar’ comes from the Arabic name ‘Jabal Tariq’, meaning ‘mountain of ‘Tariq’ – a general who led the initial Moorish advance into Iberia.
5. The Rock of Gibraltar used to be thought of as the end of the world
In Greek mythology, the Rock of Gibraltar was known as one of the two Pillars of Hercules – the other being Jebel Musa, a mountain in Morocco, on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar.
According to legend, these two ‘pillars’ were once joined, as one mountain. As part of his famous twelve labours, Hercules smashed through the mountain, leaving the mountain split in two – Gibraltar on one side, Jebel Musa on the other, and the Strait of Gibraltar running in between, connecting the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
In ancient times, these pillars were thought to mark the end of the habitable world. They’re such an important symbol that you can actually see them on Spain’s flag, two pillars supporting the coat of arms.
If you’re planning to visit Gibraltar, make sure to read my travel guides:
6. The Rock of Gibraltar is home to Europe’s only wild monkey population
Okay, this one isn’t particularly unknown. But it is cool. Around 300 Barbary macaques live on the Rock, the only free-living monkeys you’ll find in Europe!
7. But no one knows how they go there
GIbraltar’s monkeys have been there for centuries – long before it was British. But no one knows how they got there. There are plenty of legends about this. One says that they travelled from North Africa to Gibraltar through an undersea tunnel, which led them to St Michael’s Cave on the Rock.
More likely, they were introduced – perhaps by Gibraltar’s Moorish inhabitants. But maybe we’ll never know how Gibraltar’s most famous inhabitants came to be there.
8. They were kept alive by the British
A couple of paragraphs up, I said the monkeys are wild. This isn’t strictly true – because although they are wild in the sense they’re totally free to go where they want, they wouldn’t survive on their own. There’s not enough natural sources of food on the Rock.
When the British captured Gibraltar, they quickly protected the monkeys – putting in a rule to prevent soldiers shooting them. The monkeys were given names – such as Winston – and cared for by the British authorities. During World War Two, Winston Churchill even ordered more monkeys from Morocco as he was worried about their dwindling numbers. If it wasn’t for the British authorities’ peculiar affection to their primate cousins, there would be no monkeys on Gibraltar.
9. There are more tunnels inside the Rock than there are roads in all of Gibraltar
The Rock of Gibraltar is an amazing geological formation. But it’s also a nearly impenetrable fortress. This is why it has been such a desired prize for centuries by many different nations.
And because of this, miles of tunnels were built inside the Rock – mainly by the British Army, over the course of 200 years.
The tunnels gave the British army a safe place to keep supplies and soldiers, as well as a way to travel around Gibraltar and between different artillery points without being seen by the enemy.
They were a vital asset during a number of conflicts, including the Great Siege of Gibraltar in the 18th Century, and during World War Two when tunnels were expanded, turning the rock into a huge underground fortress, able to accommodate 16,000 soldiers. There are 34 miles of tunnels inside of the rock – almost twice the length of its entire road network.
10. Gibraltar has a Micro-climate – and it makes for some dramatic photos
It’s an easy joke to make, that when the British came to Gibraltar they brought the weather with them. Interestingly, it has a microclimate which actually means it is often cooler and cloudier than neighbouring Spain. The Rock protects it from freezing (and boiling) temperatures, which can mean its weather is often a bit colder than in Spain next door.
Most interesting, though, is the Levanter cloud – which creates an almost cartoonish effect, with British Gibraltar covered by a cloud, even when there are blue skies just a mile away on the other side of the border.
The Levanter is formed by an Easterly wind, which turns into a cloud when it’s forced to rise over the Rock. Meteogib has written a blog about why it forms here.
Overall, Gibraltar is a fascinating place, full of surprises. Another fascinating aspect of the peninsula is its architecture, a mishmash of styles reflecting its history. You can read about this here.
And if you’re planning on visiting Gibraltar, you can find my guides at the bottom of this page, and use the tools below to find accommodation and book activities.
Read my other Gibraltar guides
Thanks for visiting my blog! This post may contain affiliate links - which means if you make a purchase, I'll receive a small commission, at no extra cost to yourself. This helps me keep this site running for free.