Michelle Smith, age 11, of Utica, N.Y., for her question:
WHO OWNS THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR?
Gibraltar, as well as the famous huge limestone mass called the Rock of Gibraltar, is a British dependency. It is located on the southern coast of Spain. The Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow body of water that connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, is to Gibraltar's south.
Gibraltar is a British Crown Colony. It has great military value and an important British military base is located there. Since the early 1700s, the British have used Gibraltar to keep enemy ships from entering or leaving the Mediterranean Sea.
The Rock of Gibraltar is 1,398 feet high and it covers about two square miles. Gibraltar's total area is only 2.3 square miles, so you can see the rock dominates the location.
Rainfall hits a special concrete slope that has been installed against one of the giant rock's massive surfaces. The water then flows into reservoirs and is stored for the use of the people who live in Gibraltar.
Moors from North Africa settled near the giant rock in A.D. 711 and held the area for almost 600 years. The Spaniards conquered Gibraltar in 1309 but lost it to the Moors again in 1333. The Spaniards reconquered the peninsula in 1462 and held it until 1704, when a British naval force captured it.
The Treaty of Utrecht, signed in 1713, gave Gibraltar to Great Britain. According to the Treaty of Utrecht, Britain must offer Gibraltar to Spain if Britain decided to give up the dependency.
In 1964, Britain considered granting independence to Gibraltar. Spain objected and started a campaign to force Britain to return it to Spain. In 1965, the United Nations supported Spain's claim to Gibraltar. But Britain decided in 1967 to keep the dependency after the people voted for continued British control.
During World War II in 1942, the Allies launched an attack from Gibraltar against German and Italian forces in North Africa.
A governor, appointed by the British Crown, heads Gibraltar's government. The Gibraltar Council, made up of five leading officials and four members of the House of Assembly, assists him.
The 15 members of the House of Assembly are elected by the people to four year terms. Eight members make up a Council of Ministers that advises the House.
The Supreme Court is Gibraltar's highest court.
Gibraltar has a population of about 35,000, 5,000 of which are British servicemen and their families. Most of the civilians are descended from Italian, Maltese, Portuguese and Spanish settlers. Others are descended from British military men.
Almost all of the people live in small apartments in the town of Gibraltar. Some live in 16 story apartment buildings erected by the government.
Gibraltar imports all its food because it has no farmland.
Most of the workers are employed by the Gibraltar government, the British military base, a dockyard or in jobs connected with the tourist industry.