Gibraltar

photography — Gibraltar, Great Brittain. Public Domain.

If you think, Gibraltar is in the southern part of Spain, you're absolutely right. Still, it belongs politically to Great Britain. In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the Grand Alliance sent a combined Anglo-Dutch fleet and captured the town of Gibraltar. On behalf of the Archduke Charles of Austria in his campaign to become King of Spain. The Grand Alliance failed in its objective of replacing Philip V with Charles III as King of Spain. But in the peace negotiations Gibraltar was ceded to Britain with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. That is the reason why Gibraltar is described on the Great Britain pages.

Gibraltar is full of natural caves and tunnels, some 150 natural caves have been counted until now. The sea was some 100 meters below the actual level during ice age. So many caves formed during the ice age are situated below the present-day sea-level. One of the caves of Gibraltar is a regular show cave.

The Upper Rock Nature Reserve or simply Gibraltar Nature Reserve is a protected area which covers the upper part of the Rock of Gibraltar. It is famous for the Barbary Apes, which have lived on the Rock for hundreds of years and are Europe's only free-roaming monkeys. According to legend, Gibraltar will cease to be British when the apes leave. The Reserve is also home to many species of birds and unique plant life.