Bizarre Borders - Gibraltar

Samanyu Ram

May 05, 2023

Though it may not seem like it at first, five countries exist in the Iberian Peninsula. France, Andorra, Spain, and Portugal are the ones you can see at first glance, but hidden in the shadows is the United Kingdom. This small plot of land exists on the southern tip of Spain and is named Gibraltar.

Gibraltar takes up an area of about 2.6 square miles, comparable to Nauru or Monaco. It boasts a population of about 35,000 residents and holds a GDP of 1.7 billion USD. In 1700, the king of Spain, Charles II, died without kids and a clear line of succession. This led to the enthronement of Philip, the grandson of Louis XIV, which angered many European nations. Since Philip was in such a close relationship with France, and the vast Spanish Empire was under the influence of France, this led to the War of Spanish Succession, in which France and Spain were fighting the rest of Europe. In 1704, the English landed in Gibraltar and seized it to ensure the British had easy access to the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar. Along with the peace treaty at the end of the war came the secession of Gibraltar to the British. Its population eventually grew, and Gibraltar became home to an important naval base. Then, during the Anglo-Spanish War of 1727, Spain repeatedly laid siege to Gibraltar because it was a strategic British position. During the American Revolutionary War, Spain gave its maximum effort to destroy and starve out the tiny territory. Although the United Kingdom was embarrassed by the American Revolutionaries, their empire was still mighty and strong. This allowed them to keep Gibraltar after their loss and is what scared Spain away from taking advantage of a sulking Britain. Then in 1936, with the Spanish Civil War, Britain built an airfield and bamboozled Spanish leadership. Spain's new leader, Francisco France, was dead-set on conquering Gibraltar, but when given the choice to join the Axis powers in World War II, he declined. Joined on the side of the Axis could lead to bombings and naval blockades, which wouldn't help with Spain's diminishing state. In 1967, the government of Gibraltar held a referendum for its people to determine whether it should stay a British Overseas Territory or join the country of Spain. The results were quite astonishing as 99% of the population voted to remain part of the British Empire. Since then, relations between the two countries have improved, and Gibraltar remains a vital overseas territory of the United Kingdom.