Background Strategically important, Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a 1967 referendum, Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. Spain and the UK are discussing the issue of Gibraltar and have set the goal of reaching an agreement by mid-2002.

NOTE: The information regarding Gibraltar on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Gibraltar Introduction 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Gibraltar Introduction 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.