1981 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1981 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Airfields
14 total, 12 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m DEFENSE FORCES
Area
6.5 km2
Civil air
7 major transport aircraft
Coastline
12 km
Inland waterways
Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers provide 235 km of perennial navigation for launches and lighters; additional routes navigable seasonally by small craft; Lake Volta reservoir provides 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways
Land boundaries
1.6 km
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
3 nm
Military manpower
males 15-49, 2,752,000; 1,532,000 fit for military service; 134,000 reach military age (18) annually
Pipelines
refined products, 3 km
Ports
2 major (Tema, Takoradi), 1 naval base (Sekondi)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
mostly Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, and Spanish descent
Labor force
approx. 14,800, including non-Gibraltar laborers
Language
English and Spanish are primary languages; Italian, Portuguese, and Russian also spoken; English used in the schools and for all official purposes
Literacy
illiteracy is negligible
Nationality
noun — Gibraltarian; adjective — Gibraltar
Organized labor
over 6,000
Population
30,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 0.8%
Religion
predominantly Roman Catholic
Government
Branches
parliamentary system comprised of the Gibraltar House of the Assembly (15 elected members and 3 ex officio members), the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister, and the Gibraltar Council; the Governor is appointed by the Crown
Capital
none
Communists
negligible
Elections
every five years; last held in February 1980 Political parties and leaders: Association for the Advancement of Civil Rights (AACR), Sir Joshua Hassan; Democratic Party of British Gibraltar (DPBG), Peter Isola; Socialist Labor Party, Joe Boscano
Government leaders
Governor and Commander in Chief Gen. Sir William JACKSON; Chief Minister Sir Joshua HASSAN GIBRALTAR (Continued)
Legal system
English law; constitutional talks in July 1968; new system effected in 1969 after electoral inquiry
Official name
Gibraltar
Other political or pressure groups
the Housewives Association; the Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization
Suffrage
all adult Gibraltarians, plus other UK subjects resident six months or more
Type
British colony
Voting strength
(February 1980) AACR, 8 seats; DPBG, 6 seats; Socialist Labor, 3 seats
Economy
Budget
(1978-79) revenue $56 million, expenditure $64.7 million
Electric power
40,000 kW capacity (1981); 80 million kWh produced (1981), 2,760 kWh per capita
Exports
$41.3 million (1979); principally reexports of tobacco, petroleum, and wine
Imports
$11.7 million (1979); principally manufactured goods, fuels, and foodstuffs; 69% from UK
Major trade partners
UK, Morocco, Portugal, Netherlands
Monetary conversion rate
1 Gibraltar pound =1 pound sterling=US$2.3263 (1980)
Communications
Airfields
1 with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439
Civil air
1 major transport aircraft
Highways
56 km, mostly paved
Military manpower
males 15-49, about 8,000; about 4,000 fit for military service Defense is responsibility of United Kingdom
Ports
1 major (Gibraltar)
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
adequate international radiocommunication facilities; automatic telephone system serving 9,000 telephones (30.3 per 100 popl.); 1 AM, 1 FM, and 3 TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station DEFENSE FORCES