Defensive military constructions at the Rock of Gibraltar
A 5.25 inch quick-firing dual-purpose gun at Princess Anne's Battery, Gibraltar
Part of a series on the
History of Gibraltar
Prehistory
Prehistoric Iberia
Neanderthals of Gibraltar
Gibraltar 1
Gibraltar 2
Medieval
Umayyad conquest of Hispania
Al-Andalus
Moorish Gibraltar
Reconquista
First Siege of Gibraltar
Second Siege of Gibraltar
Third Siege of Gibraltar
Fourth Siege of Gibraltar
Fifth Siege of Gibraltar
Sixth Siege of Gibraltar
Seventh Siege of Gibraltar
Early modern
Eighth Siege of Gibraltar
Ninth Siege of Gibraltar
Tenth Siege of Gibraltar
Catholic Monarchs
Marquisate of Gibraltar
War of the Spanish Succession
Capture of Gibraltar
Twelfth Siege of Gibraltar
Treaty of Utrecht
Thirteenth Siege of Gibraltar
Great Siege of Gibraltar
19th century
Royal Calpe Hunt
20th century
Military history of Gibraltar during World War II
Evacuation of the Gibraltarian civilian population during World War II
Operation Felix
First sovereignty referendum
First constitution
Border closure
Operation Flavius/Death on the Rock
Modern Gibraltar
Second sovereignty referendum
Cordoba Agreement, 2006
Second constitution
See also
History of nationality in Gibraltar
Political development in modern Gibraltar
Fortifications of Gibraltar
Timeline
Gibraltar portal
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The Gibraltar peninsula, located at the far southern end of Iberia, has great strategic importance as a result of its position by the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. It has repeatedly been contested between European and North African powers and has endured fourteen sieges since it was first settled in the 11th century. The peninsula's occupants – Moors, Spanish, and British – have built successive layers of fortifications and defences including walls, bastions, casemates, gun batteries, magazines, tunnels and galleries. At their peak in 1865, the fortifications housed around 681 guns mounted in 110 batteries and positions, guarding all land and sea approaches to Gibraltar.[1] The fortifications continued to be in military use until as late as the 1970s and by the time tunnelling ceased in the late 1960s, over 34 miles (55 km) of galleries had been dug in an area of only 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2).
Gibraltar's fortifications are clustered in three main areas. The densest fortifications are in the area where historically Gibraltar was under the most threat – at the north end of the peninsula, the North Front, facing the isthmus with Spain. Another group of fortifications guards the town and the harbour, referred to as the West Side. The southern end of the town is guarded by the South Land Front. Few fortifications exist on the east side, as the sheer cliff of the Rock of Gibraltar is a virtually impassable obstacle. Further fortifications occupy the plateaus of Windmill Hill and Europa Point at the southern end of the peninsula. Lookout posts and batteries on the summits of the Rock provide a 360° view across the Strait and far into Spain. Although Gibraltar is now largely demilitarised, many of the fortifications are still intact and some, such as the Great Siege Tunnels and the Charles V Wall – where many of Gibraltar's population of Barbary macaques live – have become tourist attractions.
^Hughes & Migos, p. 91
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