It has a population of around 30,000 people, most of whom want to remain British. That’s the bottom line. They want to remain British. It would be a betrayal of basic democratic principles to hand them over to Spain.
Strategically, it is in a significant location in controlling access to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic and from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. Britain is no longer the power it once was, but it’s still a significant location militarily and maintaining control of it is in the interest of Britain and her closest allies. It also gives Britain a mainland European port still under its control which while not all that important at the moment, certainly could be if a United Europe or something close to it ever decided to try and restrict British trade access.
should obviously read: Strategically, it is in a significant location in controlling access to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic and to the Atlantic from the Mediterranean.
Thank you for explaining. I had no idea that many people were living there. The Rock is not something that ever crosses my mind in a regular course of things. I would never pick it for a Jeopardy question.
I was in the Navy for a few years.
I recall passing it when I was on a wooden minesweeper back in 1979. We stopped in the Azores to refuel.
The Rock of Gibraltar is a grand and majestic sight to behold.