The Strait of Gibraltar is the "last point on earth." Gibraltar: strait, port and overseas territory

Being in the very south of Spain, you can’t 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 allowed there even with a British visa; they needed a visa for the overseas territories of the United Kingdom. But starting this year, people began to be allowed into Gibraltar using Schengen multiple entry visas for up to 30 days. Once we found out, we were unstoppable.

As usual, at first we slept through everything, then took a long time to get ready and eventually arrived at the Gibraltar border at 10 am. We stood in line for another hour and a half; our plans for spotting at Gibraltar airport dissolved. The last normal plane departed towards the United Kingdom just at the moment when we received stamps for our passports.

Gibraltar, as a country, as a city, and as a peninsula, is one large rock and an isthmus connecting it to the mainland. Directly across this isthmus, from coast to coast, is the runway of Gibraltar Airport. To get into the country you must first go through the border and then cross this strip.

The 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 this below.

Today Gibraltar is overseas territory Great Britain. Gibraltar is a member European Union through UK membership. Gibraltar is not subject to the EU's common agricultural policy, Schengen agreements, and is not a common EU customs territory, so there is no VAT in Gibraltar. Since 2004, residents of Gibraltar can vote in elections to the European Parliament. All ~30 thousand citizens of Gibraltar are British and EU citizens. Gibraltar ceded to Great Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

The isthmus on which the airport and part of Gibraltar is located is still 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 side to interpret it in its own way.

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

The runway crossing at Gibraltar Airport has been closed. A private plane is preparing to take off. The local bus depot is in the background.

The board has left. British Airways operates regular flights from Gibraltar Airport once or twice a day. Usually this is an Airbus A319/A320 or a Boeing 737. EasyJet also flies during the season.

The crossing has been 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 Great Britain only owns the fortified perimeter of the city, and the treaty does not apply to other territories. Thus, from Madrid's point of view, this area was illegally occupied by 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 an airport in the disputed territories. Since Spain considers the Isthmus of Gibraltar to be illegally occupied, Spanish official documentation always uses the term "fence" instead of the word "border".

Still, the dispute isn't causing much disruption to the neighborhood. Every day thousands of Spaniards cross the border working in Gibraltar. Despite the official English, the main spoken language in Gibraltar is the local dialect of Andalusian Spanish.

The main residential areas and the port are located on the western coast of the peninsula, where the cliff has a gentler slope and the relief sea ​​day allows you to wash the shore. On the eastern shore, the cliff drops so sharply into the sea that in some places there wasn’t even room for a road. She goes through the tunnel. However, there are a number of houses there.

The first thing after passing the border we moved to the southernmost point of the peninsula, to look at the Strait of Gibraltar. Upon arrival, we found out that this place is called “Europa Point” and it is quite a tourist attraction.

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

WITH south side The rock is not that steep. There's a lot to look at.

Some are active, some have long been museums.

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

Europa Point is the only place in Gibraltar where we managed to park our car without any problems. It is difficult to move around Gibraltar without a car; not everywhere there is pedestrian infrastructure, and the distances are quite long. 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 in a paid parking lot, we had to cross the whole country several times :)

Trips around Gibraltar. Speeded up 10 times.

The first thing that struck me after crossing the border was the markings and signs. All inscriptions are in English, markings are British. There is only one difference: in Gibraltar, as in continental Europe, traffic is on the right.

Adjustable pedestrian crossing.

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

It turned out that “Europa Point” is not the best the best place to look at 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 on ships stationed in the roadstead and entering the Gulf of Algeciras/Gibraltar. Both respective ports are located in this bay.

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

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 from the direction of Barcelona, ​​Genoa or Marseille.

The dry docks are busy.

Immediately after Europe Point we went into the city. We wandered around looking for parking for about an hour and a half, and eventually left the city, climbed a cliff and looked at a couple of coastal artillery batteries. On a cliff, as in the city, parking a car is also not so easy. All roads are narrow, many 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 move along it on foot. We wanted to get to the Spanish city of Tarifa by sunset. Because of this, we did not visit a single cave, but there are many of them, and mainly tourists climb the rock for them.

The Rock of Gibraltar is a national park and there is an entry fee. Moreover, you pay not only for the car, but also for each passenger separately. We have not found out how the issue of payment for pedestrians and those going up the funicular is resolved.

After visiting the rock, we returned to the city and made a few more circles in search of parking. As a result, by some miracle we found a free place near the airport. It would have been almost as easy to leave the car in front of the border in Spain.

The city itself did not make any lasting impressions. A nice compact historical town with a lot of forts, nothing more. There is also a modern part of the city in Gibraltar. It looks very much like it was built on a reclaimed area. It contains hotels, apartment buildings and a large Morrisons supermarket. It was surprising to see such a large supermarket in such a small country. I wouldn’t be surprised if it occupies 1-2% of the territory of Gibraltar :)

Almost the entire coastline of Gibraltar is given over to the port. There are few beaches on east coast and southwestern coasts of the peninsula. The Strait of Gibraltar is deep and has strong currents. The water in it is always cold. However, there are plenty of resort hotels in Gibraltar.

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

This is a strait of international importance. Located between the northwestern coast of Africa and connects to the Mediterranean Sea. On the northern shore are Spain and Gibraltar (a British possession), in the south are Ceuta (a Spanish city) and Morocco.

The length of the strait is sixty-five kilometers, the width is from 14 to 44 kilometers, the greatest depth is up to 1181 meters. At different depths of the strait there are currents directed in opposite directions. This is a surface current, bringing water from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, and a deep current, bringing water from Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic. Along the banks of the strait there are steep cliffs. In ancient times, sailors called them

The Anlantropa project was created in 1920 by the German architect Zergel. He proposed blocking the strait with an electric dam, and the Dardanelles with a second dam, but of a smaller size. There was also an option where a second dam in the strait connected Africa with Sicily. At the same time, the water level in the Mediterranean Sea would approximately drop by one hundred meters. Thus, Hermann Zergel wanted not only to receive electrical energy in abundance, but also to supply fresh water to the deserts of Africa so that they become suitable for Agriculture. As a result of the creation of such a structure, Africa and Europe would become one continent, and instead of the Mediterranean Sea, another, artificial one, would appear. It would be called Saharan.

For a long time, Morocco and Spain jointly studied the issue of building a tunnel - road or rail. In 2003, a new research program began. A group of British and American builders were considering building a bridge across the Strait of Gibraltar. It was supposed to be the highest in the world (over 800 meters) and the longest (about fifteen kilometers). The science fiction writer described such a bridge in his romantic work "The Fountains of Paradise."

The international strait, separating Africa and Europe and providing access from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic, today, as hundreds of years ago, remains a strategic point. The length of the natural formation is 65 km, the depth in the fairway is 338 m, and the width is 14-44 km. The Strait of Gibraltar also serves as a Mecca for tourists who prefer the fabulous Pyrenees with architecture and ample opportunities to relax on the coast of the strait in the company of parading marine mammals, accustomed to constant attention. Be sure to visit.

From the Pillars of Hercules to the Strait of Gibraltar

In antiquity, the sea strait was called nothing less than the Pillars of Hercules. Want to know why? The fact is that, heading to the island of Erithia west of his native Greece, the son of Zeus reached a strait, beyond which, as he believed, was the end of the human world. To mark this place, the strongman erected Stella on both sides of the strait - the so-called pillars of Hercules.

The most daring historians suggest that before the famous hero of Greece appeared here, no strait existed at all. It’s as if Hercules cut a channel, pushing the rocks apart, thus giving direction to the water. Other amateurs ancient greek legends and myths, on the contrary, claim that Hercules narrowed the existing strait in order to protect Greece from the monsters of Poseidon, which swarmed the Atlantic. However, whales often visit here, debunking this myth.

Attractions of the Strait of Gibraltar

In the area of ​​the strait there are resort towns: on the Spanish side - Algeciras, Linea, Ceuta, on the Moroccan side - Tangier, as well as the naval base of Her Majesty the Queen of England, an ancient British fortress and, in fact, the city of Gibraltar.

The local cave of St. Michael is a rock formation of several chambers at a depth of up to 65 m. Stalactites and stalagmites, according to scientists, were formed 200 million years ago. They say that you can get to Africa exactly through this cave, but no one dares to check this version. In a unique natural system you can find a grotto and an underground lake. They previously housed a military hospital, and today a concert hall.

Gibraltar is the only place in the world where tailless macaques (barbary monkeys) are found. If you believe the legend, monkeys appeared here from Africa, and they came here without permission, through underground tunnels.

Location and purpose of the Strait of Gibraltar

Geographical coordinates:
Latitude 36° 11′ N. latitude, longitude 5°22′w. d.
Purpose of the object:
Shipping connection between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea to ensure maritime maneuver. The Strait of Gibraltar is an important maritime facility of enormous strategic and economic importance. It is not for nothing that in the area of ​​the strait there are Spanish and Moroccan ports and even an English fortress ( military base Great Britain).

Legends and history of the Strait of Gibraltar

Legends:
In ancient times, there were many myths about the strait. It was believed that it is the gate between the human world and the world of complete unknown, the edge of the earth. AND rocky shores, fear-inducing confirmation of this. The banks were called the Pillars of Hercules.
History of origin and geographical features:
The first (scientific) hypothesis is that the Mediterranean Sea is the remains of a single (Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea) Tethys ocean, which decreased as a result of the movement of tectonic plates and as a result a narrow isthmus was formed.
The second (pseudo-scientific) hypothesis is that 5 million years ago, as a result of some influence, the waters of the Atlantic “rammed” a strait and formed the Mediterranean Sea.
There are two opposing currents in the strait. Surface current from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. Deep current into the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean Sea.

Travel, visa requirements, communications

The most preferred place for tourists is the cultural city of Gibraltar (UK territory) - You must have a valid Schengen multiple entry visa, or a standard 6-month UK visa.
Connection
Excellent signal level from all telecom operators.

Gibraltar Hotels

Sunborn Gibraltar
Rock Hotel
Callaghan Eliott Hotel
Marina Bay Gibraltar
Jasmine Coral Jay
Continental Hotel

Background information about the city of Gibraltar

Area 6.5 km²
Population 30,001 people.
Currency Pound sterling
Gibraltar pound
Dialing code 9567 (for Spain), 350
National domain gi
English language

Even the most ancient navigators knew about the Strait of Gibraltar, but then it was considered the real geographical end of the earth and a symbolic border between the human world and the unknown world. Some believed that if you stumbled here, you could fall off the Earth, falling over its edge.
This strait, which has given rise to many myths, separates Europe and Africa and connects them with. It is located on the European side at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, and on the African side - off its northwestern shores. At its narrowest point, the strait reaches only 14 km, so that the shores of two continents can be seen at the same time.
The shores of the strait are rocky: Europe rises above the ocean in the form of the monolithic limestone Rock of Gibraltar (426 m), located on the territory of Spain, and Africa - the Moroccan mountain Jebel Musa. In ancient times, these hills were perceived as the “last points of the continent,” and sailors associated the strait itself with a passage between the rocks. This is how the concept of Gibraltar “pillars” appeared in culture, passed from people to people. By the name of their god - the patron saint of navigation - the Phoenicians designated this place “The Pillars of Melqart”. The Greeks 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 conquered by humanity). The Romans nicknamed the rocks the “Pillars of Hercules.” Legend has it 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.

Story

The modern name appeared around the 8th century. and is associated with the name of the leader Arab troops, who invaded here in 711, Tariq ibn Ziyad (670-720). The Arabs are credited with destroying the legendary statues. They built a fortress, which they gave the name of the leader - “Mount Tariq”, which in Arabic sounded like “Jebel al-Tariq”. Over time, this name was simplified to the variant “Gibraltar”, from which it passed to the familiar “Gibraltar”. Now this is what they call the strait, the mountain and the city.
The Arabs maintained their control 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 became dependent: 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 of the Spanish provinces into single state, the Arabs were gradually driven out of the Pyrenees, and the remaining Muslim population was subjected to forced Christianization. Then Queen Isabella gave the city of Gibraltar, which grew up around the fortress, a coat of arms with a symbolic image of a golden key, bequeathing to her descendants to hold 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 believed that since that time, the saying “Unapproachable like a rock” has remained in many languages, in which “rock” means this particular fortress.
Considering the importance of Gibraltar for the Spaniards, there is another version of the origin of its name. The word is divided into two parts: “Heber”, i.e. Iberia (future Spain) and “altar”, meaning “altar”, “altar”. In this version, the meaning of the name takes on 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 transferred to Great Britain. Fourteen times Spain tried to recapture the fortress, but failed. The most famous 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 the battle, led 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”.
Because of this centuries-old territorial dispute, relations between England and Spain were more than once complicated and even interrupted. In 1985, an agreement entered into on the equal 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 monkeys of the Magot breed live on the Rock of Gibraltar, the rule of England will not end here. Following British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's (1874-1965) remark about the dangerous decline in the monkey population, the position of “monkey officer” was created.
It was from the Gibraltar air base that on November 8, 1942, the operation of Anglo-American troops to land on the coast began North Africa called “Torch”, i.e. “Torch”. True, the Nazis managed to contain this pressure.
Today the British are positioning their base as a pan-European one, which is simply supported by England. The western link of NATO's chain of Mediterranean naval bases is located here.
The capital of the rock state is the city of Gibraltar, which looks like a typical Mediterranean port, living in a mixture of different cultures: in the architecture, buildings in the Georgian and Victorian styles interrupt buildings with features of Spanish-Portuguese, Genoese and Moorish influences, and its own language local residents ironically called "Spanglish". Gibraltar is an offshore zone. The British presence is reminiscent of the names of streets and various establishments, the abundance of pubs, police officers in English uniforms and the currency - the Gibraltar pound.
On the opposite side from British Gibraltar is the territory of Morocco. The most significant settlement in this part of the country is, of course, . The city has no less remarkable history than its neighbors across the strait. For half a century he was international zone Tangier. A territory with a special status, which in 1912-1956 was governed by several European states (France, Spain and Great Britain). But during the Second World War, the balance of power changed. German-occupied France 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's big seaport, retaining its autonomy and strategic importance. It remains the most Europeanized in the country - the French, Spaniards, Germans, Italians, English and other Europeans (including a small Russian-speaking enclave) permanently live in it. Not only mosques are visible on the city skyline, but also Catholic, Protestant (Anglican and Lutheran) churches, synagogues and other places of worship.
Throughout its history, the Strait of Gibraltar has been 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. About 5.3 million years ago, the strait reopened, allowing the Mediterranean Sea to come to life. Movement lithospheric plates will lead to another closure of the strait in a few million years.

general information

Countries: Spain, Morocco and Gibraltar (UK Overseas Territory).

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

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

Ethnic composition: Gibraltar: English - 27%, Spanish - 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 Spanish; Morocco: Moroccans (Arabs and Berbers) and Europeans (French, Spanish, Portuguese).
Religions: Gibraltar: Catholicism - 70%, Islam - 8%, Anglicanism - 8%, others (including Judaism, atheism) - 11%; Spain: predominantly Catholic; Morocco: Islam (Sunnism).

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

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

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

Numbers

Width: 14-44 km.

Fairway depth: up to 338 m.

Greatest depth: 1181 m.

Average amount of incoming Atlantic water: 55,198 km 3 per year.

Average Atlantic water temperature:+17°C.
Average salinity of Atlantic water: more than 36%.
Average amount of Mediterranean water lost: 51,886 km 3 per year.

Average Mediterranean water temperature:+13.5°C.

Average salinity of Mediterranean water: about 3%.

A ferry runs from Europe to Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar (35 min).

Economy

Industry: naval shipyard, shipbuilding and ship repair.

Electric power industry.

Service sector: tourism, transportation (shipping), trade.

Climate and weather

Average January temperature:+ 13°C.
Average temperature in July:+24°C.
Average annual precipitation: 767 mm.

Attractions

Curious facts

■ In the Strait of Gibraltar, currents are directed in different directions: surface currents to the east, and deep currents to the west.
■ In Gibraltar, the ceremony of handing over the keys is still held on Casemates Square, because previously the gates of the fortress were actually locked with a key.
■ The latest world record in women's swimming belongs to 49-year-old Penny Palfi. which 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 civilians aircraft.

■ 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.
■ The rocks of the Strait of Gibraltar were nicknamed the Pillars of Heracles (or Pillars of Hercules) because different options myth about the feat associated with his journey for the wonderful cows of the giant Geryon, Hercules is credited with either the creation of these pillars or their discovery on the edge Western world.
■ The waters of the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean don't mix. They retain their different properties. Moreover, this was known in ancient times, and modern scientists were simply able to explain this fact by the presence of surface tension of water.
■ According to legend, he invented bottle mail in the 3rd century. BC. Greek philosopher Theophrastus, throwing several sealed vessels with messages beyond the Strait of Gibraltar for the sake of experiment. So this naturalist became convinced that water enters the Mediterranean Sea 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.”