Rock of Gibraltar
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The Rock of Gibraltar as seen from ground level |
The
Rock of Gibraltar, sometimes called the
Pillar of Hercules is located in
Gibraltar, off the southwestern tip of
Europe on the
Iberian Peninsula. It is 426 metres (1,396 feet) high.
The Rock of Gibraltar is a
monolithic
Jurassic limestone promontory. The geological formation was created when the African
tectonic plate collided tightly with Europe about 55 million years ago. The Mediterranean became a lake that, in the course of time, dried up during the
Messinian salinity crisis. About five million years ago the
Atlantic Ocean broke through the
Strait of Gibraltar, and the resultant flooding created the
Mediterranean Sea.
The inside of the Rock is criss-crossed by a great and complex system of underground fortifications, known as the Great Siege Tunnels. This network of tunnels was begun by the British in 1782, during the
Great Siege of Gibraltar by the Spanish. After the Siege, the fortifications were rebuilt. In the
1800s, the walls were lined with Portland stone which gave them their present white appearance. When
World War II broke out in
1939, the civilian population was evacuated to the
United Kingdom,
Jamaica, and
Madeira so that Gibraltar could be fortified against the possibility of a German attack. By
1942 there were over 30,000 British soldiers, sailors, and airmen on the Rock. The tunnel system was expanded and the Rock became a keystone in the defence of shipping routes to the Mediterranean.
On many occasions over the centuries Gibraltar has proved impervious to attack. Despite long sieges it seemed that there was nothing that could destroy the Rock or her people. This history has inspired the
simile "solid as the Rock of Gibraltar", which is used to describe a person or situation that cannot be overcome and does not fail. The motto of the
Royal Gibraltar Regiment,
Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti, reflects this famous invincibility; it is
Latin for "Conquered by No Enemy"
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Photos of Gibraltar
