Place details
Place nameGibraltar
Other namesJabal Tariq, Jebel Tariq, Jabal-al-Tarik, Gebel-al-Tarik, Gibilterra, GIB, GI, ISO292, GI00, Gibraltar dependent state
Latitude36.133
Longitude-5.35
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Rocky, narrow peninsula of strategic importance, coextensive with British crown colony; was known to the Greeks & others as one of the Pillars of Hercules; fortified by Tariq the Moor in 711; retaken by Spanish in 1462, & conquered by Britain in 1704; official language is English, though Spanish is widely spoken.