click to enlarge

GEOGRAPHY

Area 6.5 sq.km. A strategically placed rocky peninsula on the south coast of Spain.

PEOPLES

Indigenous 76.4%. Gibraltarian of Italian, Maltese, British, Jewish, Spanish and Portuguese descent.

Other 23.6%. British 3,800; Moroccan 1,800 (many thousands more come for temporary work); Spanish 1,000; South Asian 500.

Literacy 90%. Official languages English and Spanish.

ECONOMY

The closing of the British naval dockyard and the reopening of the border with Spain has provoked radical changes. By 1990, there was an economic boom based on financial services and tourism. There are 27,000 registered companies. Income/person $13,500 (43% of USA).

POLITICS

A British colony since its capture in 1704. It was an important British military base until 1991. The local population has steadfastly resisted Spanish pleas, pressures and blockades to restore the Rock (Gibraltar) to Spain. Its future will likely be resolved within the context of the EU.

RELIGION

There is full religious freedom.

Challenges for Prayer

1 The majority of the population is Catholic. There is a minority of other mainline denominations (Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist). The evangelical witness is small with only 4 English and Spanish-speaking congregations (Brethren, Filadelphia Pentecostal [Roma], charismatic). Pray for revival and for God to inspire them with a new zeal for witnessing. The scarcity of churches in nearby North Africa and southern Spain make Gibraltar's Christians strategically placed for the gospel.

2 Specific outreach challenges – to the 6 million tourists, the 7,000+ Moroccan workers (with one small Arabic-speaking fellowship), the Jewish community and the South Asian-origin Hindus.

Internet Links