Western face of The Rock of Gibraltar, 2006 CE.
Gibraltar was a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. It had an area of 6.0 km2 and shared its northern border with Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region. At its foot was a densely populated city area, home to almost 30,000 Gibraltarians and other nationalities before WWIII. An Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltar from Spain in 1704 CE
Flag of Gibraltar
during the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of the Habsburg pretender to the Spanish throne. The territory was subsequently ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 CE. It was an important base for the Royal Navy and was almost obliterated in the war; today its economy is based largely on tourism, gambling, financial services, and shipping.
The sovereignty of Gibraltar was a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain asserted a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in 1967 and 2002. Under the Gibraltar constitution of 2006, Gibraltar governs its own affairs, though some powers, such as defence and foreign relations, remained the responsibility of the UK Government until the advent of United Earth.