The Rock of Gibraltar – Monolithic Limestone Promontory

The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic limestone promontory located strategically in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, off the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. This is 1,398 feet high and covers most of the rock’s upper area. Which is beautifully covered by a nature reserve that is home to around 250 Barbary macaques. These macaques, as well as a labyrinthine network of tunnels, entice a large number of tourists every year.

The Rock of Gibraltar is the only landmark in the region. The foot is the densely populated city area, home to nearly 30,000 Gibraltarians and other nationalities, i.e., British, Moroccans, Indians, and Spanish. Gibraltar is famous worldwide for its dramatic rock because it is connected to Spain by a small isthmus and overlooks the Straits of Gibraltar. It is more interesting than Gibraltar, which is imposing but small and measures less than 6 square kilometers in total. A colony of the famous apes, the only ones in Europe to run free in a semi-wild state.

Gibraltar is a British self-governing overseas territory (colony). That is responsible for Gibraltar’s foreign affairs, defense, and the political stability of the colony. Though the Rock has its own Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, plus a House of Parliament and a government, which oversees the day-to-day affairs of the Rock,

The adjacent cliffs, along the eastern side of the rock, drop down to a series of wind-blown sand slopes. That dates to the glaciations, when sea levels were lower than they are today. The mineral that makes up limestone dissolves gradually in rainwater, but with the passage of time, this process can form caves, and consequently, the rock contains over one hundred caves, created during the history of Gibraltar.

St. Michael’s Cave is located halfway up the western slope and is the most protuberant and widespread cave. Britain has 300 years of sovereignty over the Rock and almost all of its populations want to remain of British nationality. It has a rock’n’roll history that collides with monkeys.

In ancient times, Gibraltar was one of the Pillars of Hercules, and it was recognized by the Greeks as Mons Calpe, the other pillar being Mons Abyla on the Moroccan side of the Strait. An exclusive feature of the Rock is the system of underground passages known as the Galleries or the Great Siege Tunnels.

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