Gibraltar

Definition

a large rock at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea, connected to the south coast of Spain. There is a small town and a large military base on Gibraltar, which is owned by Britain but claimed by Spain. It used to be an important centre for the Royal Navy and the RAF, guarding the area where the Mediterranean flows into the Atlantic, but many of the armed forces have left Gibraltar, and tourism is becoming a more important industry. Many monkeys, called Barbary apes, live on the Rock of Gibraltar, and there is a legend that the British will leave Gibraltar when the monkeys die or stop living there.