23 fascinating things you probably didn't know about Gibraltar

With a Brexit row breaking out over the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, we've been inspired to uncover a few interesting facts about the little peninsula. 

1. It has the only wild monkey population in the whole of Europe

You may well know that Gibraltar is home to a troop of mischievous Barbary macaques, but did you realise that it is the only wild monkey population on the whole continent?

Around 300 of the furry troublemakers, descendants of North African populations and introduced to the area by the Moors, roam the Gibraltar Nature Reserve – and occasionally pinch food from tourists’ rucksacks.

2. John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married there

The peace and love couple tied the knot in Gibraltar. Why? “It is quiet, British and friendly,” said Lennon at the time. “We tried everywhere else first. I set out to get married on the car ferry and we would have arrived in France married, but they wouldn't do it. We were no more successful with cruise ships. We tried embassies, but three weeks' residence in Germany or two weeks' in France were required.” Prince Charles and Princess Diana, meanwhile, began their honeymoon there.

3. But it has one of the highest divorce rates in the world

For every 1,000 inhabitants on Gibraltar, three marriages meet an unhappy end each year. That’s a higher rate than all but seven places on Earth (Maldives, Russia, Aruba, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania and the US).

The Maldives is way out in front, with 10.97 divorces each year per 1,000 inhabitants. Why is the rate so high in the Indian Ocean idyll? Various reasons have been cited. Perhaps the most compelling is that, as in other Muslim societies, where premarital sex is taboo, many marry young, but, under the country's mixed Sharia and common law system, they can then secure a divorce relatively easily when things don't work out. Others have blamed a lack of childcare facilities combined with a rise in women entering the workforce.

4. It has the southernmost mosque in Europe

Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque was a £5-million gift from the King of Saudi Arabia and is one of the largest in a non-Muslim country. Many Gibraltarians were outraged when it was built, in 1997.

5. There’s only 29km of roads

As you’d imagine from such a titchy territory, there aren’t too many places to go for a spin. In fact, only two destinations - Tuvalu, and the Cocos Islands - possess less tarmac (based on figures found in the CIA's World Factbook). And they drive on the right over there, unlike Britain.

6. Bond has been there

Gibraltar has appeared in two films from the spy series. It is where Bond is supposedly buried at sea (but - surprise! - he’s not really dead) in You Only Live Twice, but is far more prominent in The Living Daylights. The pre-title sequence sees skydivers land on it, and shows a hijacked Land Rover speeding up and down the same small section of road atop the Rock (but shot from various angles to make it seem like a lengthier chase). One of those macaques even makes an appearance.

7. The Nazis wanted it

Operation Felix was the codename for the proposed nabbing of Gibraltar by Germany during the Second World War. Hitler held talks with General Franco about the idea, and a plan was approved, but Franco got cold feet. Hitler reportedly said of his chat with the Spanish ruler: "I would rather have four of my own teeth pulled out than go through another meeting with that man again!"

8. Its airport has one of the strangest runways in the world

A lack of flat means Gibraltar Airport’s only runway is bisected by its busiest road (Winston Churchill Avenue). The street closes whenever a plane lands or departs, with a pair of flimsy looking barriers the only thing preventing a nasty collision between a 747 and a Ford Orion. With the runway also extending out to sea, it’s certainly not one for nervous fliers.

9. Unwanted cars are rolled into the sea

Or, at least, they once were. Telegraph Travel’s Andrew Purvis, who grew up in Gibraltar, explains: “Unwanted cars are simply dumped into the sea off a cliff, down a chute - or at least they were for many years - with full government approval. We always watched as kids, and later I went diving among them.”

10. There’s an artificial reef - and an underwater shipwreck to explore

Speaking of diving, Purvis, who returned to Gibraltar last year, says: “In the Eighties, I dived with conservationist Dr Eric Shaw to help build an artificial reef from sunken barrels and old tyres. Since then, several small craft have been sunk nearby to attract marine life – among them Batty’s Barge and the 482M, a cable-laying vessel lying at a depth of 55ft and now teeming with silver bream and colourful reef fish.

“Not far from the reef is SS Rosslyn, a 350ft steamer driven onto rocks by a gale in 1916. It lies in 75ft of water. I had dived the wreck often in my 20s but it was thrilling to see the winches, steering pinion, rudder and propeller still intact, like underwater footage of the Titanic. Fish schooled around the encrusted handrail and we saw an octopus and a huge lobster.”

11. It has its own language

Llanito, spoken in Gibraltar, is a bizarre mix of Andalusian Spanish and English, along with spatterings of Portuguese and Maltese words, others of Genoese medieval dialect, and even some of Hebrew origin.  Speakers seem to switch languages mid-sentence, making it nearly impossible for those who speak only English or Spanish to understand.

Destinations that are stuck in a time warp

12. Despite its size, it has a World Heritage Site...

Gorham's Cave, part of a complex of four sea caves, is one of the newest additions to Unesco’s ever-expanding list, having been inscribed in 2016. It is one of the last known habitations of the Neanderthals in Europe and contains 39,000-year-old etchings, described as one of the earliest examples of abstract art.

13. ...and other underground attractions

Andrew Purvis explains: “The Great Siege Tunnels, meanwhile, were blasted by the British in the 1780s as a conduit for conveying heavy guns to “The Notch” – a ledge on Gibraltar’s north face which overlooked French and Spanish troops as they tried to recapture the Rock. Today, the tunnels are filled with tableaux of wax mannequins and plaques explaining the finer points of 18th-century ordnance. It’s all rather dry.”

14. They even crown their beauty queens in a cave

“Gail Francis-Tiron, a former Miss Gibraltar and a well-known artist, showed us Upper St Michael’s Cave, a natural concert hall decorated with floodlit stalagmites and stalactites, where she had won her Miss Gibraltar crown,” adds Purvis.  

15. It's heaven for birdwatchers

More than 300 species pass Gibraltar while travelling between Africa and Europe.

16. It’s crowded

Gibraltar is just 2.6 square miles in size and, with a population of about 33,000 people, has the 5th highest density of any country or territory in the world (behind only Macau, Monaco, Singapore and Hong Kong). 

17. Sporting success is somewhat lacking

Its football side is joint 206th (and bottom) in the FIFA world ranking (level with Anguilla, The Bahamas, Eritrea, Somalia and Tonga) and while it isn't represented in the Olympics, it does take part in the Commonwealth Games – but has never won a single medal. It is, however, big on darts, and a stop on the European Tour circuit, with matches played at Victoria Stadium.

18. There are red phone boxes

Gibraltar really is a slice of Britain in the sun, with red phone boxes, Bobbies on the beat, branches of UK high street retailers, and more greasy spoon cafes than you can shake a saveloy at. 

19. But they've adopted some Mediterranean tastes

If you tire of full English breakfast and chips in gravy, there's proper Gibraltarian cuisine to enjoy. Calentita, a simple baked pastry, is the national dish, or else plump for rosto – penne pasta in tomato sauce with beef, veg and grated cheese. 

20. There’s a giant floating hotel...

Billed as a “five-star superyacht hotel”, Sunborn Gibraltar occupies a static, seven-deck, 465ft cruise ship. It’s a far cry from the old-fashioned image of Gibraltar. “The vibe is cruise ship-meets-Bulgari Hotel, with a giant disco ball above reception, wavy driftwood sculptures, marble floors, cream leather sofas in the bar, and chrome fittings everywhere,” says our reviewer. “Guests enter via a covered gangway with a red carpet, an aspirational theme continued in the glass cabinets showcasing Swarovski crystal and Krug champagne.”

21. ...but for nostalgia, stay elsewhere

The Rock Hotel, to be precise. “You almost expect to bump into David Suchet sipping a White Lady at the retro cocktail bar in the lounge, a luminous space to drink in the views through a colonnade of Art Deco window,” says Belinda Beckett, our reviewer. “Warm wood and sepia tones create a vintage photograph look to match those in the Guests’ Hall of Fame, some dating back to Errol Flynn’s heartthrob days.” She adds: “Afternoon tea on the Wisteria Terrace is a time-honoured tradition. Silver cake-stands heaped with finger sandwiches, home-baked cakes and scones with clotted cream are served under a canopy of twisted vines which sprout purple blossoms twice-yearly.”  

22. Betting is big business

The 20 or so online betting and gaming companies licensed or based in Gibraltar (including 888.com, Ladbrokes, Betfair) employ 3,000 people - amost a tenth of the population.

23. It's dry

There are no rivers or streams. Rainwater used to be collected from the catchments, vast concrete slopes on the east side of the Rock, and held in an undergound reservoir.