Gibraltar

A tiny British Overseas Territory, Gibraltar is just under seven square kilometers at the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula, neighboring Spain. It is dominated by its namesake landmark, the Rock of Gibraltar, from the Arabic Jabal Tariq, or “Mountain of Tariq,” a limestone edifice rising some 426 meters (1,398 feet) above sea level. It was previously known as Mons Calpe, one of the Pillars of Hercules, flanking the passage to the Mediterranean Sea.
Gibraltar has been a British possession for centuries, originally a vital naval base, although its importance has diminished considerably in recent decades. Its people are British citizens, although Spain also asserts a claim to the territory, an occasional point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations. The local culture is a unique mix of English and Spanish, with elements of Moroccan, Arabic, and other cultures, and many speak Llanito, a vernacular unique to Gibraltar, that mixes English and Spanish, along with other loan-words. Gibraltans often refer to themselves as Llanitos.
The Rock of Gibraltar holds the ruins of an ancient Arab fortress, and is honeycombed with tunnels, some initially cut in the 1700s, and expanded upon during the Second World War as part of Gibraltar’s use as a naval base and fortress. It was a test-bed for “Project: Tin Soldier,” a prototype robotic soldier, sealed for decades in a secret chamber in one of the unused tunnels.
Presently, most of the Rock is set aside as a nature preserve, home to the unique species of wild Barbary macaques, the so-called “Apes of Gibraltar.” Local legend has it that if the apes ever all depart Gibraltar, so will the British. Professor Jackanapes once sought to test this story with an arcane ritual, but Britannia and Matador put a stop to it. Jackanapes claimed the Rock was a potential power-spot for certain kinds of magic. In fact, his incomplete ritual stirred up a vortex of elemental power that lies dormant, waiting to potentially empower someone with a measure of the Rock’s legendary immovability.

Type

Geopolitical, Country