Gibraltar's position at the southernmost tip of the Iberian peninsula, coupled with its dominance over the entrance to the Mediterranean, has given it a long and turbulent history and an influence on world events out of all proportion to its size and population.

It's name is a legacy of the 8th century Arab invasion of mainland Spain. when the Moorish leader Tarik based his troop-ships there. The name is derived from Gibel Tarik - the mountain of Tarik. Although it was captured and held briefly by the Kingdom of Castile between 1333 and 1339 the Rock remained as a symbol of Moslem domination of the Western Mediterranean until finally regained by Spain in 1462. Britain captured the Rock in 1704 during the war of the Spanish Succession. It's cession to Great Britain in perpetuity was confirmed by the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 when Gibraltar became a British possession.

Gibraltar has harboured successive waves of immigrants from widely differing cultural backgrounds. The establishment of British rule brought about the departure of the Rock's Spanish inhabitants and their place was taken by a miscellaneous collection of immigrants including Moroccans, Jews and Portuguese who combined with British settlers to form a heterogeneous community.

The Rock has now about 30,000 inhabitants. of which 26,000 are native Gibraltarians the balance being made up mainly of British expatriates. English is the official language but most Gibraltarians speak both English and Spanish.

Constitutionally, Gibraltar is a British Dependent Territory with internal self-government, the United Kingdom being responsible for defence, foreign affairs, financial stability and national security. It has its own House of Assembly which consists of thirteen elected members and two nominated members. There is a Council of Ministers, which consists of the Chief Minister and seven other Ministers, who are responsible for "defined" domestic matters such as trade, economic development, education, public works and services and housing.

Other matters are dealt with by the Gibraltar Council, which consists of the Governor, the Chief Minister, four other Ministers, the Deputy Governor, the Attorney General. the Financial and Development Secretary and the Commander of the British Forces.

Gibraltar is a member of the EU, having joined as an associate member with the United Kingdom in 1973 under the provisions of the Treaty of Rome relating to European dependent territories. However, it is excluded from the Common Customs Tariff, the Common Agricultural Policy and the requirement to levy Value Added Tax. Subject to these explicit exceptions, all legislation adopted by the European Community since 1973 has been applicable to Gibraltar and Gibraltar's parliament (House of Assembly) has transposed applicable Directives.

Gibraltar offers excellent professional expertise within the financial services industry, which is rapidly developing as a major element of the local economy. A range of international banks provide both domestic and offshore banking facilities on the Rock.

Banking confidentiality is guaranteed by Statute. Bank accounts may be maintained in any generally recognised currency and interest accruing to non-residents is exempt from Gibraltar taxes. Gibraltar enjoys virtually full employment and also provides jobs for blue and white collar workers commuting from Spain. In addition to this type of economic activity, Gibraltar has a great attraction for both long stay tourists and day trippers, and is an active port for cruise liners, bunkering and crew changes. In the year 2000 Gibraltar received over 7 million visitors.