A few interesting things about the history of Gibraltar

As a visitor to the Indigo (http://www.indigo.gi) website, it’s understandable that you are likely to have come here in search of cold, hard facts about the cold, hard aspects of moving to Gibraltar. Chances are that you’ll want to know about things like tax and pensions, the local economy and the affordability and availability of accommodation, but it would be remiss of us to not also highlight the fascinating past of one of Europe’s longest-inhabited places.

Yes, you read that correctly: with a past of some 100,000 years, Gibraltar has a richer heritage than most inhabited places, whether on this continent or elsewhere. The Neanderthals became extinct some 24,000 years ago, and it is thought that Gibraltar was one of their last settlements. The recorded history of the area began in around 950 BC with the Phoenicians, with the Carthaginians and Romans also visiting and supposedly building shrines, but not settling.

The area was briefly subject to Visigothic rule after the demise of the Roman Empire, and was a conquest for the Moors in 711 AD. It was annexed by the Kingdom of Castile in 1309, regained in 1462 and subsequently saw incorporation into the unified Kingdom of Spain. This period of Spanish rule lasted until 1704, with its capture by an Anglo-Dutch fleet. After the death of Habsburg ruler Charles VI, Spain ceded the territory to the British, marking the start of centuries of sovereignty disputes that bring strong opinions from those living in Gibraltar to this day.

It does have to be said, though, that such opinions have been pretty one-sided, with referendums in 1967 and 2002 both bringing hugely overwhelming results in favour of continued British sovereignty. Nor are such verdicts surprising to anyone who has opted to move to Gibraltar, as the territory retains a distinct ‘home from home’ feel for British expats. The official language is English, double decker buses are visible on the roads, post and telephone boxes are distinctly British and the Queen’s head even adorns Gibraltar currency notes.

Certainly, the 21^st century has seen improved relations between Gibraltar and Spain, with the historic Tripartite Agreement having even been signed in 2006 between Spain, Gibraltar and Britain. This agreement aimed to improve residents’ living conditions, and involved Spain removing restrictions on air movements. The Agreement brought flights to and from Spain back to Gibraltar. Developments like this, plus a healthy and increasingly diversified economy, have only increased the number of people interested in relocation to Gibraltar.

And of course, much of this history can be experienced very much first-hand when you successfully relocate to Gibraltar with the assistance of Indigo’s (http://www.indigo.gi) experts. Sites like the Moorish Castle, St. Michael’s cave and the Rock of Gibraltar itself remain big draws for visitors as part of a resurgent local tourist industry.

Editor’s Note: Indigo (http://www.indigo.gi) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.