About Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory. It was ceded to the United Kingdom under the treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Gibraltar is a peninsula adjoined to Southern Spain and can be accessed by foot, car, aircraft and boat. It is approximately 3.6 square kilometres in size and has a population of around 30,000 people. The official language is English, but Spanish is widely spoken.

Gibraltar is self-governing with elections every 4 years. The elected parliament has responsibility for all aspects of running the territory including taxation, education, health, policing etc. It is self financing and only relies on the United Kingdom for defence and foreign policy.

Gibraltar became a member of the European Union in 1973 by virtue of article 299 of the treaty of accession. Gibraltar is subject to EU regulation albeit with some exceptions. These exceptions include the Common Agricultural Policy and the Customs Union policy. The Government of Gibraltar is required to transpose all EU directives into Gibraltar the law, such as the Market in Financial Instruments Directive ("MIFID"), directives relating to undertakings for Collective Investment in transferable Securities ("UCITS") and the alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive ("AIFMD").

Gibraltar's economy is founded on a wide range of industries. In addition to a strong and growing financial services sector there is a large tourism industry. Tourism in Gibraltar is afforded by its longstanding establishment as a destination for cruise ships and daily visitors from Spain.

In recent years Gibraltar has become a major centre for online gaming attracting many of the leading companies in the sector. There is also a thriving ship bunkering industry. The currency of Gibraltar is the Gibraltar Pound which has parity with British Sterling.

Gibraltar has daily flight connections to London and Manchester. A new air terminal will be opened later this year increasing capacity and providing the opportunity for flights to other EU travel hubs. In addition the Málaga and Jerez airports situated in Spain are only one hour's drive away from Gibraltar, providing easy access to most European countries and North America.