Where is Gibraltar located on the physical map of Africa. Gibraltar: strait, port and overseas territory

Located between the coasts of Europe and Africa strait of Gibraltar has been one of the most important transportation hubs for centuries. This gateway to the Mediterranean was necessary for all the major powers of the Old World to penetrate deep into the continents. Therefore, the lands and waters adjacent to it were the scene of fierce battles. Today, control of the strait remains with the British Overseas Territory.

Covered with myths and legends, the Strait of Gibraltar is the only place in continental Europe from where you can see the coast of Africa.

KEY TO THE ATLANTIC

Strait of Gibraltar gives way out mediterranean sea to the Atlantic Ocean - not without reason overseas territory Gibraltar is symbolized by the image of the keys: access to the ocean, and therefore all power over the neighbors in need of it, belongs to the one who owns the strait. Who just did not achieve this "key", for a long time it was also considered the key to another world.

Even the most ancient navigators knew about the Strait of Gibraltar, but then it was considered the real geographical end of the earth and the symbolic border between the world of people and unknown world. Some believed that if you stumble here, you can fall off the Earth, falling over its edge.

This mythical strait divides Europe and Africa and connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic. It is located on the European side at the southern tip Iberian Peninsula, and from Africa - off its northwestern shores. At its narrowest point, the strait reaches only 14 km, so that the coasts of two continents can be seen simultaneously.

The shores of the strait are rocky: Europe rises above the ocean in the form of a monolithic limestone rock of Gibraltar (426 m) located on the territory of Spain, and Africa - the Moroccan mountain Jebel Musa. These elevations in antiquity were perceived " last points mainland", and the strait itself was associated by sailors with a passage between the rocks. Thus, the concept of Gibraltar "pillars" that passed from people to people appeared in culture. By the name of their god - the patron saint of navigation - the Phoenicians designated this place as the "Pillars of Melkart". The Greeks also called him the "Pillars of Hercules" and believed that in this way their hero marked the edges of the Oikumene (that is, the part of the world mastered by mankind). The Romans nicknamed the rocks the "Pillars of Hercules". The legend says that along the edges of the strait, the tops of the rocks were crowned by two colossal statues standing on columns-steles - hence the word "pillars". The statues marked the transition to the world of the unknown.

The modern name appeared around the 8th century. and is associated with the name of the leader of the Arab troops who invaded here in 711, Tariq ibn Ziyad (670-720). The destruction of the legendary statues is attributed to the Arabs. They built a fortress, which was given the name of the leader - "Tariq Mountain", which in Arabic sounded like "Jebel-at-Tariq". Over time, this name was simplified to the variant "Gibraltar", from which it passed to the familiar "Gibraltar". Now this is the name of the strait, the mountain and the city.

The Arabs held their power over the strait until 1309, when the Spaniards briefly managed to liberate these lands. After the defeat of the Spaniards in 1333, the fortress again fell into the hands of the Moors. Until 1462, the Spaniards could not change the situation, and the Europeans fell into dependence: Arab and Berber (African) pirates founded the port of Tarifa and demanded tribute from everyone passing through the strait. According to one version, the word "tariff" came from the name of this town.

In 1469, the marriage of Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504) and Ferdinand II of Aragon (1452-1516) marked the beginning of the subsequent unification Spanish provinces into a single state, the Arabs were gradually ousted from the Pyrenees, and the remaining Muslim population was subjected to forced Christianization. Then Queen Isabella granted the city of Gibraltar, which grew around the fortress, a coat of arms with a symbolic image of a golden key, bequeathing to her descendants to keep Gibraltar at any cost. Charles V (1500-1558) fulfilled Isabella's will and really turned the Gibraltar fortress into an impregnable bastion, which allowed the Spaniards to hold it until the beginning of the 18th century. It is assumed that since that time in many languages the proverb “Impregnable, like a rock” has remained, in which this fortress is meant by “rock”.

Between Europe and Africa there was a huge paleoocean Tethys, the rest of which is the Mediterranean Sea. The Azor-Gibraltar tectonic zone passes through the Strait of Gibraltar - a fault that separated the Iberian and African tectonic plates. So this whole region is potentially seismically dangerous. In the meantime, about 100 thousand ships a year safely pass through the strait.

COUNTRY CITIES OF SPECIAL PURPOSE

The importance of the Strait of Gibraltar was reflected in the fate of the territories adjacent to it. On both sides of the strait are cities that have been the subject of disputes and armed clashes for centuries.

Given the importance of Gibraltar for the Spaniards, there is another version of the origin of its name. The word is divided into two parts: "Khiber", i.e. Iberia (future Spain) and "altar", meaning "altar", "altar". In this version, the meaning of the name acquires a different symbolism: "Iberian (i.e. Spanish) altar."

But in 1704 the fortress was captured by the British - during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). According to the Peace of Utrecht signed in 1713, the Gibraltar fortress was ceded to Great Britain. Fourteen times Spain tried to recapture the fortress, but failed. The most resounding British victory was the battle in 1805 at Cape Trafalgar at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. Then Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), who was mortally wounded in battle, led the British troops to victory over the combined Franco-Spanish fleet of Napoleon I (1769-1821).

The importance of this victory for the British can be judged by many facts: the legendary admiral, as a true hero of the nation, is buried in Westminster Abbey, central square London is called "Trafalgar".

Because of this centuries-old territorial dispute, relations between England and Spain were more than once complicated and even interrupted. In 1985, an agreement was entered into on the equality of the rights of Gibraltarians in Spain and Spaniards in Gibraltar, and at the same time the border between these states was opened.

The British have a sign: as long as rare Magot monkeys live on the Rock of Gibraltar, the dominion of England will not end here. After the remark of the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965) about the dangerous decrease in the population of monkeys, the post of "officer in charge of monkeys" was established.

Since air base Gibraltar November 8, 1942 began the operation of the Anglo-American troops to land on the coast North Africa called "Torch", i.e. "Torch". True, the Nazis managed to contain this pressure.

Today, the British position their base as a pan-European one, which is simply maintained by England. It hosts the western link of the chain of NATO Mediterranean naval bases.

The capital of the rock-state is the city of Gibraltar, which looks like a typical Mediterranean port, living with a mixture of different cultures; in architecture, buildings in Georgian and Victorian styles interrupt buildings with features of Spanish-Portuguese, Genoese and Moorish influences, and their own language locals ironically called "spanglish". Gibraltar offshore zone. The British presence is reminiscent of the names of streets and various establishments, an abundance of pubs, policemen in English uniforms and the currency - the Gibraltar pound.

On the opposite side from the British Gibraltar is the territory of Morocco. The most significant settlement in this part of the country is, of course, Tangier. The city has no less remarkable history than its neighbors on the other side of the strait. For half a century it constituted the international zone of Tangier. Territory with a special status, which in 1912-1956 was governed by several European states(France, Spain and UK). But during the Second World War, the balance of power changed. France occupied by the Germans could no longer control its section of Tangier, it was occupied by Spain. And at the end of the war Arab population"zones" began to gain weight and showed dissatisfaction with the presence of Europeans.

As a result, in 1956, the Moroccans annexed Tangier. Now it's big seaport retained its autonomy and strategic importance. It remains the most Europeanized in the country - the French, Spaniards, Germans, Italians, British and other Europeans (including a small Russian-speaking enclave) constantly live in it. Not only mosques are noticeable on the city skyline, but also Catholic, Protestant (Anglican and Lutheran) churches, synagogues and other places of worship.

During its history, the Strait of Gibraltar closed and opened at least 11 times. This happened, for example, 6 million years ago - the closure of the strait led to an increase in salinity in the Mediterranean Sea and the formation of a layer of evaporites (a product of evaporation of salt water) 2 km thick. Approximately 5.3 million years ago, the strait reopened, which allowed the Mediterranean Sea to "come to life". The movement of lithospheric plates will lead to another closure of the strait in a few million years.

CURIOUS FACTS

■ From time to time the idea arises of creating either a tunnel under the strait or a bridge across it - and then such a bridge would become the longest (15 km) and the highest (more than 900 m) in the world.

■ Heracles (or Hercules) pillars of the rocks of the Strait of Gibraltar were nicknamed because in different versions of the myth of the feat associated with his journey for the miraculous cows of the giant Geryon, Hercules is credited with either the creation of these pillars or their discovery on the edge of the Western world.

■ The waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean do not mix. They retain their distinct properties. Moreover, this was known in ancient times, and modern scientists simply managed to explain this fact by the presence of surface tension of water.

■ According to legend, bottle mail invented in the 3rd century BC e. the Greek philosopher Theophrastus, throwing several sealed vessels with messages across the Strait of Gibraltar for the sake of experience. So this naturalist was convinced that the water in the Mediterranean comes from the Atlantic: months later, one of the vessels was discovered in Sicily.

■ Another name for the strait, the Arabic Bab el Zakat, means "Gate of Mercy."

■ According to one version, the Pillars of Hercules became the prototype of two vertical lines in the symbolic image of the dollar, and the mythological serpent Python wrapped around them could turn into a winding "B"-shaped line.

■ During World War II, all German submarines that entered the Mediterranean through this strait were blown up there. Except for one - U-26.

■ Even during the travels of the Phoenicians, the Rock of Gibraltar became, as it were, a vast altar under open sky: sacrifices were made here before entering the waters of the Atlantic.

■ One ambitious project of power engineers of the 20th century. proposed to artificially lower the level of the Mediterranean Sea by 200 m in order to install dams with several power plants in the strait.

■ In the Strait of Gibraltar, the currents are directed in different directions: the surface - to the east, and the deep - to the west.

■ In Gibraltar, on Casemates Square, the ceremony of handing over the keys is still held, because before the gates of the fortress were really locked with a key.

■ The latest women's world record belongs to 49-year-old Penny Palfi, who in 2010 swam across the Strait of Gibraltar in 3 hours and 3 minutes.

■ The Strait of Gibraltar is open to civil and military vessels of all countries. And also for the passage of all civil aircraft

ATTRACTIONS

■ Natural Park the Gulf of Gibraltar (Tarifa, Spain); artificial tunnels from different times in the Rock of Gibraltar and Observation deck on it; Cave of Saint Michael (Gibraltar);
■ Gibraltar: Moorish castle (since the 11th century), Church of Our Lady of Europe (middle of the 15th century), Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned, Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (1825), St. Andrew's Church (1854). Great Synagogue (1724); Museum of Gibraltar;
■ Tangier: Old city, Dar el-Makhzen Palace (XVII century). American Mission Building, Gran Socco and Petit Socco (large and small squares), great mosque Tangira, Kasbah Mosque. Anglican Cathedral of St. Andrew, hotel "Continental".
■ Landscape: Grottoes of Hercules (in the caves near Cape Spartel), beaches from Cape Spartel (length 47), Remilla Park, Slukja Terrace.

Atlas. The whole world is in your hands #141

Being in the very south of Spain, one cannot afford not to go to such a geographically and historically significant place like Gibraltar. Until recently, it was not so easy for Russian citizens to get there. They weren't even allowed in British visa, needed a visa for the overseas territories of the United Kingdom. But from this year, for up to 30 days, they began to let Gibraltar on Schengen multivisas. When we found out, we were unstoppable.

As usual, at first we overslept everything, then we got ready for a long time and eventually arrived at the Gibraltar border by 10 in the morning. We stood in line for another hour and a half, plans for spotting at the Gibraltar airport disappeared. The last normal flight left for the United Kingdom just at the moment when we received the stamps in the passport.

Gibraltar, as a country, as a city, and as a peninsula, is one big rock and the isthmus connecting it to the mainland. Directly across this isthmus, from coast to coast is located runway strip Gibraltar airport. To get into the country, you must first pass the border, and then cross this lane.

Isthmus connecting the Gibraltar peninsula with mainland Spain. Please note that there are no permanent buildings on the isthmus, and the building density is very different from the main part of Gibraltar. More on that below.

Gibraltar today is overseas territory Great Britain. Gibraltar is a member European Union through UK membership. Gibraltar is not covered by the EU common agricultural policy, Schengen agreements, and is not a common customs territory of the EU, so there is no VAT in Gibraltar. Since 2004, residents of Gibraltar have been able to participate in elections to the European Parliament. All ~30 thousand citizens of Gibraltar are citizens of the UK and the EU. Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

The isthmus on which the airport and part of Gibraltar is located is still a disputed territory. The fact is that the Treaty of Utrecht does not contain maps or specific descriptions of the territories received by the British Crown, which allows each of the parties to interpret it in their own way.

Border close-up. View from the cliff. Most people, including tourists, cross the border on foot. It's faster.

The runway crossing at the Gibraltar airport was closed. A private jet is getting ready to take off. In the background is the local bus depot.

The board is gone. Once or twice a day from Gibraltar Airport regular flights performs airlines british airways. Usually it is Airbus A319/A320 or Boeing 737. EasyJet also flies during the season.

The passage was opened. In addition to regular flights, up to ten charter flights per day can be operated during the season. These are Monarch, Thomas Cook, etc.

Spain does not recognize British sovereignty over Gibraltar, believing that the UK owns only the fortified perimeter of the city, and the treaty does not apply to other territories. Thus, from the point of view of Madrid, this area was illegally occupied by Great Britain in 1815, when British barracks began to be erected on the isthmus, which "contradicts the principles international law". Later, in 1938, while in Spain there was Civil War Britain built on disputed territories airport. Since Spain considers the Isthmus of Gibraltar illegally occupied, Spanish official documentation always uses the term "barrier" instead of the word "border".

However, the dispute doesn't really get in the way of the neighborhood. Thousands of Spaniards working in Gibraltar cross the border every day. Despite the official English, in Gibraltar the main spoken language is the local dialect of Spanish Andalusian.

The main residential areas and the port are located on west coast peninsulas, here the rock has a more gentle slope and the relief sea day allows you to wash the shore. On east coast the rock breaks so abruptly into the sea that in some places even the road did not fit. She goes through the tunnel. However, there are a number of houses there.

First of all, after passing the border, we moved to the very southern point peninsulas, look at the Strait of Gibraltar. Upon arrival, we found out that this place is called "Europa Point" and this is quite a tourist attraction.

Minaret and coastal artillery battery (O'Harra's Battery). View from Europa Point.

WITH south side the rock is not so steep. It has a lot to look at.

Something active, something has long been a museum.

Europa Point has an excellent playground. The child had to be pulled out by the leg.

Europa Point is the only place in Gibraltar where we were able to park our car without any problems. It is difficult to move around Gibraltar without a car, not everywhere there is a pedestrian infrastructure, and the distances are rather big. And parking a car is extremely problematic, no matter how much you are willing to pay.

We spent a huge amount of time looking for parking. To find a free space paid parking, we had to cross the whole country several times :)

Traveling around Gibraltar. Accelerated 10 times.

The first thing that rushed after crossing the border was markings and signs. All inscriptions in English, British markings. There is only one difference, in Gibraltar, as in continental Europe, right-hand traffic.

Adjustable pedestrian crossing.

It became clear why there are so many cars with British numbers in the south of Spain. Turns out, most of of them not British, but Gibraltar. Outwardly, they are exactly the same, only the inscription GB is replaced by GBZ.

It turned out that "Europa Point" is not the most the best place to see the Strait of Gibraltar. Firstly, the strait in this place is much wider than in Tarifa, and secondly, it is better to look at the strait from above. However, from there best review to ships in the roadstead and entering the Algeciras / Gibraltar Bay. Both respective ports are located in this bay.

Port of Gibraltar. Everything beyond the “water” is Spain. There on the right is La Linea de la Concepción, on the left is Algeciras.

Let's take a closer look. Independence of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) and MV Horizon (the smaller one, Pullmantur Cruises).

On the other side, in the Spanish city of Algeciras, there is one of the world's largest container terminals.

The container ship is coming from somewhere in the direction of Barcelona, Genoa or Marseille.

The dry docks are busy.

Right after "Europe Point" we went to the city. For about an hour and a half we were spinning around in search of parking, in the end we left the city, climbed a rock and looked at a couple of coastal artillery batteries. On the rock, as in the city, parking a car is also not so easy. All roads are narrow, many of them are one-way because of this. There are several parking lots, but not all of them. interesting places. If you climb the rock for the whole day, then it is better to walk along it. We wanted to catch the sunset in the Spanish city of Tarifa. Because of this, we did not visit a single cave, but there are many of them, and mostly tourists climb the rock for them.

The Rock of Gibraltar is a national park and there is an entry fee. Moreover, it is paid not only for the car, but also for each passenger separately. We did not find out how the issue of payment with pedestrians and those climbing the funicular is being solved.

After visiting the cliff, we returned to the city and wound a few more circles in search of parking. As a result, by some miracle we found a free place near the airport. Almost with the same success it was possible to leave the car in front of the border, in Spain.

The city itself did not impress. Nice compact historic town with big amount forts, nothing more. There is also a modern part of the city in Gibraltar. It is very similar to the fact that it was built on the reclaimed territory. It contains hotels, apartment buildings and a large Morrisons supermarket. It was amazing to see such a big supermarket in such a small country. I won’t be surprised if it occupies 1-2% of the territory of Gibraltar :)

Almost the entire coastline of Gibraltar has been given over to the port. There are few beaches east coast And southwest coasts peninsulas. The Strait of Gibraltar is deep, with a strong current. The water in it is always cold. Nevertheless, resort hotels(resorts) in Gibraltar is enough.

The main street in Gibraltar is pedestrian. That's what it's called, Main street.

Speaking of the Mediterranean Sea, one cannot miss its gateway to the Atlantic. I mean the Strait of Gibraltar.

If, going around the Iberian Peninsula, move first along the Spanish, and then the Portuguese shores, to about 37 degrees north latitude, and then turn east, the ship will soon be in front of the gates of the Mediterranean - the Strait of Gibraltar.

A deep fault trough separates Eurasia from Africa here. The distance between the two continents is only twenty kilometers, and in the narrowest place from the captain's bridge you can see both coasts.

In the old sailing directions of the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea, compiled by the hydrograph of the English fleet John Purdy, translated by Lieutenant I. Shestakov and published

Check out the good and wonderful article:

Noah in our city of Nikolaev in 1846, it is written: “The huge rock of Gibraltar, 1400 feet high, suddenly rises from the abyss of waters and proudly towers over Spain and Africa ... Fortifications and spacious galleries carved into limestone rock amaze with surprise. The place, according to the most skillful strategists, is decidedly impregnable.

In ancient times, the peoples who lived along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea called the rocks near the Strait of Gibraltar (according to Roman myths) Pillars of Hercules and considered the edge of the world, beyond which sailors cannot go, because there they will face imminent death. The ancient Greeks and Romans were well aware famous rock and called it Calpe. But the importance of its strategic importance was first appreciated by the Arabs around the 8th century, when they invaded from Africa to Spain. They founded a fortress on its steep slopes, which they named after their commander Tariq ibn Seyid Jebel-at-Tariq (that is, "Mountain of Tarik"). Over time, this name was distorted and turned into Gibraltar ...

In 1309 Castilian troops besieged the fortress. At that time, the Reconquista was going on in the Iberian Peninsula. The peoples who have inhabited these lands for a long time, captured by Arabs and Berbers (the last local population called the Moors), rose to fight for liberation, captured the fortress and, by order of the king, turned it into a prison - they settled criminals there.

Gibraltar changed hands several times. Such persistence is understandable. The fortress stood at the very junction of sea roads.

In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, an Anglo-Dutch squadron captured Gibraltar. The Spaniards failed to recapture the fortress, and nine years later, according to the Utrecht Peace Treaty, Gibraltar was finally assigned to the British, becoming a stronghold of Great Britain.

We don't know much about Gibraltar, so I thought I'd put in a note talking about it. interesting region and its inhabitants.

Gibraltar has been a self-governing British colony since 1713, a possession of Great Britain. At the end of the War of the Spanish Succession under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, Spain “ceded” the peninsula to Great Britain.

On May 23, 1967, Queen Elizabeth II granted Gibraltar a constitution, self-government in all matters except internal and external security and foreign policy.

In 1973, Gibraltar, along with the UK, joined the EU, receiving a special status. And in 2006, Britain and Spain signed the Cordoba Agreement, which ended all disputes regarding the ownership of the region. About 30 thousand people live permanently on the peninsula, most of them are descendants of immigrants from the British islands, Spain, Italy, Malta, Portugal, the countries of the British Commonwealth and the Maghreb. They call themselves "llanitos" ("dwellers of the valleys"). In addition, about 10-15 thousand people, citizens of other states, live on the peninsula. Some of them have double citizenship. The main occupation of the residents is serving tourists and business. Gibraltar is an offshore zone.

For tourism, the peninsula is, of course, very interesting. But it's not easy to get through. Although the roads are in good condition, they are extremely narrow, so that not everywhere two oncoming cars can pass. In addition, there are many walkers and monkeys in the protected area. And if tourists walk along the roadsides, then the monkeys run freely, not recognizing any restrictions, not only on the territory of the entire peninsula, but also on mountain roads and along urban outskirts.

The importance of Gibraltar increased even more when the Suez Canal was built. Through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea, and then through the Suez Canal, the shortest water route from the Atlantic to Indian Ocean. This circumstance received not only commercial significance, but also military.

In the First and Second World Wars, Gibraltar was a British military base. It would seem that even a small fish cannot slip through so that acoustics do not detect it. Nevertheless, fascist submarines easily hosted on both sides of the Pillars of Hercules. How could it be?

Back in the 19th century, Russian Admiral S. O. Makarov discovered that a lot of water evaporates from the surface of the Mediterranean Sea due to the hot climate. Few rivers flow into the sea. And the level of the Mediterranean Sea is constantly below the level of the Atlantic Ocean. Naturally, the waters from the Atlantic flow in a continuous stream through the Strait of Gibraltar, creating a rather powerful current.

But even more surprising was the fact that at a depth, under this current, there is a countercurrent that goes from the sea to ocean.

These currents were very cleverly used by the commanders of fascist submarines. At the entrance to the strait in the Atlantic Ocean, they plunged to a shallow depth at night and turned off the engines. The current silently carried them to

The sea past unsuspecting English speakers. Underwater raiders acted in the same way when leaving the sea into the ocean. Only they plunged deeper and used not the current, but the countercurrent.

Gibraltar is a strait between the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and the northwestern coast of Africa, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with Atlantic Ocean.

Length - 65 km, width 14-44 km, depth in the fairway up to 338 m ( greatest depth 1181 m).

In the Strait of Gibraltar at different depths, the currents are directed towards opposite sides. The surface current, on average, brings from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea 55,198 km³ of water per year (at an average temperature of 17 ° C and salinity above 36 ‰). The deep current brings 51,886 km³ to the Atlantic Ocean (at an average temperature of 13.5 ° C and a salinity of 38 ‰). The difference of 3,312 km³ is due in large part to evaporation from the surface of the Mediterranean Sea.

Along the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar are steep rock masses, which in ancient times were called the Pillars of Hercules: the Rock of Gibraltar in the north and Jebel Musa in the south.

The Strait of Gibraltar is of great strategic and economic importance. In the area of the strait are Spanish ports Ceuta, La Linea, Algeciras, Moroccan Tangier and the British fortress and naval base of Gibraltar.

In the 1920s, the German architect Hermann Sörgel proposed the Atlantropa project - to block the Strait of Gibraltar with a hydroelectric dam, and with a second smaller dam - to block the Dardanelles. There was also an option where a second dam connected Sicily with Africa. As a result, the water level in the Mediterranean would drop by about 100 meters. Thus, it was supposed not only to receive electricity in abundance, but also to supply desalinated sea water into the Sahara to make it suitable for agriculture. Europe and Africa would become one continent - Atlantrope, and instead of the Mediterranean Sea, an artificial sea would appear - the Sahara.

For many years, Spain and Morocco have jointly studied the creation of a railway and/or road tunnel under the strait, similar to the one that connects France and Great Britain under the English Channel.

A group of American and British builders, for their part, considered building a bridge across the strait. Such a bridge was supposed to be the highest (over 900 meters). Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke described such a bridge in his novel The Fountains of Paradise.

Thus, the notion of Gibraltar pillars, passed from people to people, appeared in culture. By the name of their patron god of navigation, the Phoenicians designated this place as the Pillars of Melkart. The Greeks also called him the Pillars of Hercules and believed that in this way their hero marked the edges of the Oikumene (that is, the part of the world mastered by mankind). The Romans called the rocks the Pillars of Hercules. The legend says that along the edges of the strait, the tops of the rocks were crowned by two colossal statues that stood on columns-steles, hence the word pillars. The statues marked the transition to the world of the unknown.

The modern name appeared around the 8th century. and is associated with the name of the leader of the Arab troops who invaded here in 711, Tariq-ibn-Ziyad (670−720). The destruction of the legendary statues is attributed to the Arabs. They built a fortress, which was given the name of the leader of Gor Tariq, which in Arabic sounded like Jabal-at-Tariq. Over time, this name was simplified to the Gibraltar variant, from which it passed to the familiar Gibraltar. Now this is the name of the strait, the mountain and the city.

Given the importance of Gibraltar for the Spaniards, there is another version of the origin of its name. The word is divided into two parts: Khiber, i.e. Iberia (future Spain) and altar, meaning altar, altar. In this version, the meaning of the name acquires a different symbolism: the Iberian (i.e., Spanish) altar.

In 1704, the British captured the fortress of Gibraltar during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). According to the Peace of Utrecht signed in 1713, the Gibraltar fortress was ceded to Great Britain. Fourteen times Spain tried to recapture the fortress, but failed. The most resounding British victory was the battle in 1805 at Cape Trafalgar at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. Then Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), who was mortally wounded in battle, led the British troops to victory over the combined Franco-Spanish fleet of Napoleon I (1769-1821).

The importance of this victory for the British can be judged by many facts: the legendary admiral, as a true hero of the nation, is buried in Westminster Abbey, the central square of London is called Trafalgar Square.

The British have a sign: as long as rare Magot monkeys live on the Rock of Gibraltar, the dominion of England will not end here. After the remark of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965) about the dangerous decrease in the population of monkeys, the post of officer responsible for the safety of monkeys was established.

Today, the British position their base as a pan-European one, which is simply maintained by England. It hosts the western link of the chain of NATO Mediterranean naval bases.

The capital of the rock-state is the city of Gibraltar, which looks like a typical Mediterranean port, living with a mixture of different cultures: in the architecture, buildings in Georgian and Victorian styles are interrupted by buildings with features of Spanish-Portuguese, Genoese and Moorish influences, and the locals ironically call their language Spanglish. Gibraltar is an offshore zone. The British presence is reminiscent of the names of streets and various establishments, an abundance of pubs, policemen in English uniforms and the currency - the Gibraltar pound.

On the opposite side from the British Gibraltar is the territory of Morocco. The most significant settlement in this part of the country is, of course, Tangier. The city has no less remarkable history than its neighbors on the other side of the strait. For half a century it constituted the international zone of Tangier. Territory with a special status, which in 1912-1956. was ruled by several European states (France, Spain and Great Britain). But during the Second World War, the balance of power changed. France occupied by the Germans could no longer control its section of Tangier, it was occupied by Spain. And after the end of the war, the Arab population of the zone began to gain weight and showed dissatisfaction with the presence of Europeans.

As a result, in 1956 the Moroccans annexed Tangier. Now it is a major port city that has retained its autonomy and strategic importance. It remains the most Europeanized in the country, with French, Spaniards, Germans, Italians, British and other Europeans (including a small Russian-speaking enclave) permanently residing in it. Not only mosques are noticeable on the city skyline, but also Catholic, Protestant (Anglican and Lutheran) churches, synagogues and other places of worship.

During its history, the Strait of Gibraltar closed and opened at least 11 times. This happened, for example, 6 million years ago. The closure of the strait led to an increase in salinity in the Mediterranean Sea and the formation of a layer of evaporites (a product of the evaporation of salt water) 2 km thick. Approximately 5.3 million years ago, the strait reopened, which allowed the Mediterranean Sea to come to life. The movement of lithospheric plates will lead to another closure of the strait in a few million years.

General information about the Strait of Gibraltar

Countries: Spain, Morocco and Gibraltar (overseas territory of Great Britain).

Extreme points: Capes Trafalgar and Carnero (Europe), Cape Spartel and Jebel Musa (Africa).

Languages: Gibraltar - English (as well as Janito or Lla Nito/Janito Andalusian Spanish combined with English and elements of Italian, Maltese, Arabic and Hebrew); Spain - Spanish; Morocco - Moroccan dialect of Arabic and Berber.

Ethnic composition: Gibraltar - English 27%, Spaniards 24%, Genoese and other Italians about 20%, Portuguese 10%, Maltese 8%, Jews 3%, others (Moroccans, French, Austrians, Chinese, Japanese, Poles, Danes and illegal migrants Indians, Pakistanis) 8%. More than 83% of the population consider themselves Gibraltarians; Spain - predominantly Spaniards; Moroccan-Moroccans (Arabs and Berbers) and Europeans (French, Spanish, Portuguese).

Religions: Gibraltar - Catholicism 70%, Islam 8%, Anglicanism 8%, other (including Judaism, atheism) 11%; Spain is predominantly Catholic; Morocco - Islam (Sunnism).

Monetary units: Gibraltar pound (Gibraltar), euro (Spain), Moroccan dirham (Morocco).

The most important ports: Gibraltar (Great Britain), La Linea, Ceuta, Algeciras (Spain), Tangier (Morocco).

Airports: international Airport Gibraltar (Gibraltar), Ibn Batuta International Airport (Tangier).

From Europe to Africa, a ferry runs through the Strait of Gibraltar (35 min).

Average January temperature: +13C.
Average July temperature: +24C.
Average annual rainfall: 767 mm.

ATTRACTIONS
■ Natural Park of the Gulf of Gibraltar (Tarifa, Spain), artificial tunnels of different times in the Rock of Gibraltar and an observation deck on it, Cave of St. Michael (Gibraltar);
■ City of Gibraltar: Moorish castle (since the 11th century), the Church of Our Lady of Europe (middle of the 15th century), the Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned, the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (1825). St. Andrew's Church (1854), Great Synagogue (1724), Gibraltar Museum;

■ City of Tangier: Old City, Dar el Makhzen Palace (XVII century), American Mission building, Grand Socco and Petit Socco (large and small squares), Tangier Grand Mosque, Kasbah Mosque, St. Andrew, Hotel Continental.
■ Landscape: Grottoes of Hercules (in the caves near Cape Spartel), beaches from Cape Spartel (length 47), Remilla Park, Slukja Terrace.

CURIOUS FACTS

■ According to one version, the Pillars of Hercules became the prototype of two vertical lines in the symbolic image of the dollar, and the mythological serpent Python wrapped around them could turn into a winding S-shaped line.
■ During World War II, all German submarines that entered the Mediterranean through this strait were blown up there. Except one - U-26.
■ Even during the travels of the Phoenicians, the Rock of Gibraltar became, as it were, a vast open-air altar: sacrifices were made here before entering the waters of the Atlantic.
■ One ambitious project of power engineers of the 20th century. proposed to artificially lower the level of the Mediterranean Sea by 200 m in order to install dams with several power plants in the strait.
■ In the Strait of Gibraltar, currents are directed in different directions: surface to the east, and deep to the west.
■ In Gibraltar, on Casemates Square, the ceremony of handing over the keys is still held, because before the gates of the fortress were really locked with a key.
■ The latest women's world record belongs to 49-year-old Penny Palfi, who in 2010 swam across the Strait of Gibraltar in 3 hours and 3 minutes.
■ The Strait of Gibraltar is open to civil and military vessels of all countries. And also for the flight of all civil aircraft.
■ The idea of creating either a tunnel under the strait or a bridge across it periodically arises, and then such a bridge would become the highest (over 900 m) in the world.
■ Heracles (or Hercules) pillars of the rocks of the Strait of Gibraltar were nicknamed because in different versions of the myth of the feat associated with his journey for the miraculous cows of the giant Geryon, Hercules is credited with either the creation of these pillars or their discovery on the edge of the Western world.
■ The waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean do not mix. They retain their distinct properties. Moreover, this was known in ancient times, and modern scientists simply managed to explain this fact by the presence of surface tension of water.

■ According to legend, he invented bottle mail in the 3rd century. BC. the Greek philosopher Theophrastus, throwing several sealed vessels with messages across the Strait of Gibraltar for the sake of experience. So this naturalist was convinced that the water in the Mediterranean comes from the Atlantic: months later, one of the vessels was discovered in Sicily.
■ Another name for the strait: the Arabic Bab-el-Zakat, means the Gate of Mercy.

Gibraltar is a member of the European Union through the membership of the UK (in 1973 the UK joined the EU along with Gibraltar (but without the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) in accordance with Article 299 (4) of the Treaty on the European Community. After the ratification and entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon 2007 this Treaty became known as the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union). It is not covered by the common agricultural policy of the EU, the Schengen agreements, and it is not a common customs territory of the EU, so there is no VAT.

Since 2004, residents of Gibraltar have been able to participate in elections to the European Parliament. Gibraltar citizens are UK and EU citizens.

Exempt companies have ceased to exist in Gibraltar since 2011. The current corporate tax rate has been reduced to 10% since July 1, 2009, which allows it to compete with Ireland, and possibly with Cyprus, in contrast to which Gibraltar has no obligations to Russia in the field of tax cooperation.

Strait of Gibraltar. To the left - Spain, to the right - Morocco.

The Strait of Gibraltar (Spanish Estrecho de Gibraltar, English the Strait of Gibraltar) is an international strait between the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and the northwestern coast of Africa, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Length 65 km, width 14-44 km, waterway depth up to 338 m (maximum depth 1181 m). (True length 59 km).

In the Strait of Gibraltar, at different depths, the current is directed in opposite directions. In the surface current directed to the Mediterranean Sea, an average of 55,198 km³ of Atlantic water flows per year ( average temperature 17 °C, salinity above 36‰). In the deep current directed to the Atlantic Ocean, 51,886 km³ of Mediterranean water flows (average temperature 13.5 ° C, salinity 38 ‰). The difference of 3312 km³ is mainly due to evaporation from the surface of the Mediterranean Sea. Along the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar are steep rock masses, which in ancient times were called the Pillars of Hercules - the Rock of Gibraltar in the north and Musa in the south.

Due to its convenient geographical position, the Strait of Gibraltar is of great economic and strategic importance, it is under the control of the English fortress and the naval base of Gibraltar. The Spanish ports of Ceuta, La Linea, Algeciras, as well as the Moroccan Tangier are located in the strait area.

A group of American and British builders, for their part, considered building a bridge across the strait. Such a bridge was supposed to be the highest (over 900 meters) and the longest (15 km) existing in the world. Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke described such a bridge in his novel The Fountains of Paradise (1979).

Strait of Gibraltar regime

The Strait of Gibraltar is the most important route of communication between the Mediterranean powers and the Atlantic Ocean. The significance of this strait increased even more after the construction of the Suez Canal in 1869, when not only Mediterranean communication routes, but also routes to East Africa, India, China and the Far East.

The strait is convenient for swimming. Its length is about 90 km, width from 14.2 to 45 km, depth from 366 to 1180 m. The exceptionally great economic and strategic importance of the strait predetermined for many centuries the struggle between England, Spain and France for dominance and control over it. Only in 1704, as a result of a long war for the Spanish inheritance, England managed to capture the very strategically convenient peninsula of Gibraltar with an area of 5 square meters. km, on which a naval base and a fortress were then built.

Gibraltar is a massive rock up to 429 m high. The length of the rock is 4.5 km, the width is up to 1.4 km. A significant part of the fortifications is carved inside the rock and is well protected both from the air and from the sea. long time Gibraltar was one of the most important strongholds of English naval power.

With the appearance in the Mediterranean of the 6th American fleet, the former naval power of England in this area was actually lost. As a British colony, Gibraltar is governed by a British governor who is also commander of the colony's armed forces.

The regime of the strait from 1904 to 1907 was regulated by the bilateral "Treaty of Morocco" between England and France, to which Spain joined in 1907. The agreement provided that the strait was open for unhindered navigation of ships and vessels of all countries.

In 1907, England, France and Spain concluded a new agreement, which declared the demilitarization of the Strait of Gibraltar and confirmed the unlimited freedom of navigation for ships and ships of all countries. This principle was approved by the majority of states, and the strait was considered by all states as part of the high seas.

Currently, any ships and warships can pass through the strait without any restrictions. Even at its narrowest point, the strait is not completely blocked by the territorial waters of Spain and Morocco. As you know, Spain has 6-mile territorial waters. However, according to existing international rules, it does not have the right to distribute them beyond the median line of the strait.

The width of the territorial waters of Morocco is 3 miles. Therefore, in the narrowest part, south of the median line of the strait between the territorial waters of Spain and Morocco, there is a strip of high seas 1.2 to 2.5 miles wide, not blocked by the territorial waters of coastal states.

Based on the principles of modern international law on the freedom of navigation on the high seas, enshrined in the Geneva Conventions of 1958, the claim of any state to a dominant position in the strait should be considered a gross violation of international law, since the strait connects huge open water basins, is of exceptionally great economic importance as the most important transport artery and is part of the open sea. In the interests of all mankind, the Strait of Gibraltar must always be free for the navigation of ships and vessels of all nations.

IN last years Spain insists on the return of Gibraltar, captured by England 260 years ago. In October 1964, the dispute between Spain and England was considered at the UN in a special Committee of 24. At the meeting of the Committee, the representative of the USSR made a proposal to liquidate military base NATO in Gibraltar and turn it into a demilitarized zone.