Gibraltar
Gibraltar names 3 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below. 1 of them is described by more than one encyclopedia.
Gibraltar a rocky peninsula near the southern point of Spain
Described by 2 of the 6 encyclopedias.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a rocky peninsula near the southern point of Spain. It is situated eastward from the narrowest point of the strait. Its southern point is about fifteen miles from the mainland of Africa. The rock lies between the Mediterranean on the east and a deep inlet or bay on the west, in which shipping finds a fine harbor. The population of the town which nestles by the harbor at the west foot of the crag is 25,000. Gibraltar was wrested from Spain by Great Britain during the war of the Spanish Succession. Its possession was secured to England by the treaty of Utrecht, 1713. Immense sums of money have been spent in converting it into the strongest fortress in the world. The rock itself is about two miles long and three-fourths of a mile in width. The summit is 1,439 feet, a quarter of a mile, above sea level. The northern and the eastern faces are almost perpendicular. The southern shore consists of tremendous precipices; the western shore is not quite so steep, but it has been fortified with batteries of the heaviest guns in the world. The rock consists for the greater part of limestone. There are many natural caves. Not less than three miles of galleries large enough for the passage of carriages have been tunneled. Enormous rock cisterns have been constructed to store up rain water for the use of the garrison. The barracks are provided with stores of provisions and ammunition sufficient to withstand a siege of several years. Gibraltar is not without vegetation. There are small groves, clumps of shrubs, and many little glens in which the almond, olive, orange, lemon, pomegranate, fig, and a profusion of wild flowers grow. The rock shelters rabbits, partridges, pigeons, and woodcocks. If not extinct, there are still a few Barbary apes, the only animal of the sort in Europe, clambering over the cliffs. Millions of dollars have been expended in improving the harbor of Gibraltar. It now has a naval dockyard in which the largest ships may be repaired. Enormous supplies of food and coal are kept here for sale to merchant steamers on their outward and homeward bound voyages. While, of course, Great Britain has no natural right to the ownership of Gibraltar, the government has no idea whatever of relinquishing it. Spain has made several efforts to retake the rock. The last siege, undertaken during our Revolutionary War, lasted for four years. In 1827 Spain offered to buy the fortress back for $10,000,000 but England refused to sell. Quebec has been called the "Gibraltar of America"; Aden, Arabia, the "Gibraltar of the East." See Aden ; Quebec
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a town and strongly fortified rocky peninsula near the S. ex- Ambassador of tremity of Spain, belonging to Great Britain. It is connected with the mainland by a low sandy isthmus, 1½ miles an long and 34 mile broad, known as the "neutral ground," with Gibraltar Bay on the W., the open sea on the E. and S. The highest point of the rock is about 1,400 feet above sea-level; its N. face is almost perpendicular, while its E. side exhibits tremendous precipices. On its S. side it is almost inaccessible, making approach approach from seaward impossible; the has made many W. side, again, although very rugged and precipitous, slopes toward the sea; and here the rock is secured by extensive and powerful batteries, rendering it apparently impregnable. Vast sums of money and an immense amount of labor have been spent in fortifying this celebrated stronghold. و The town of Gibraltar is situated on the W. side of the peninsula, terminating in Europa Point, and thus fronts the bay. It consists chiefly of one spacious street about half a mile in length, lined with shops, and paved and lighted. The principal cipal buildings are the governor's and lieutenant-governor's houses, the admiralty, naval hospital, etc. Its water
Gibraltar BAY OF supply is derived from the rainfall
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
BAY OF supply is derived from the rainfall. Gibraltar is a free port, and has a considerable shipping trade. The chief export is wine. The administration is vested in the governor, who is also commander-in-chief of the troops. Pop. (1919), 16,096. It was ultimately taken by the Spaniards from the Moors in 1462, fortified in the European style, and so much strengthened that the engineers of the 17th century considered it impregnable. It was taken, however, after a vigorous bombardment in 1704 by a combined English and Dutch force under Sir George Rooke and Prince George of Darmstadt, and was secured to Great Britain by the peace of Utrecht in 1713. Since then it has remained in British hands, notwithstanding some 14 desperate efforts on the part of Spain and France to retake it. In 1779, Great Britain being then engaged in a war with its revolted colonies and with France, a last grand effort was made by Spain to recover Gibraltar. The siege lasted for nearly four years. It was heroically and successfully defended, however, by General Elliott (afterward Lord Heathfield) and the garrison. Since that time, in the various British and Spanish and also French wars, Gibraltar has only been blockaded on the land side.
Gibraltar BAY OF, an inlet of the sea formed by the headland of Cabrita and Europa Point
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
BAY OF, an inlet of the sea formed by the headland of Cabrita and Europa Point, 4 miles distant from each other, and is spacious and well adapted for shipping, being protected from all the more dangerous winds; the extreme depth within the bay is 110 fathoms. To increase the security of the harbor, two moles have been constructed, which respectively extend 1,100 and 700 feet into the bay. The Spanish town and port of Algeciras lie on its W. side.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Aiton's confidence in 1910 that Britain "has no idea whatever of relinquishing it" has held: Gibraltar is still a British Overseas Territory, and its people have twice voted overwhelmingly to keep it that way or Spanish sovereignty in 1967 and against even shared sovereignty with Spain in 2002, by about 99 per cent each time. What has gone is the fortress. The great gun batteries are museum pieces, the naval dockyard was largely run down after 1984, and the economy now rests on financial services, online gambling, ship bunkering and tourism, with a population of roughly 32,000. Two things the old accounts would not recognise: an airport runway laid across the "neutral ground" isthmus during the Second World War, and Spain's total closure of that frontier by Franco from 1969 to 1985 or and since the 2016 Brexit vote, in which Gibraltar voted about 96 per cent to remain, the status of that border has been negotiated all over again. The Barbary macaques Aiton's thought might be near extinct are still there, a protected troop of a couple of hundred.
Written for this edition, 2026.