Gibraltarians
     | ||||||
| Total population | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Over 40,000 | ||||||
| Regions with significant populations | ||||||
| ||||||
| Languages | ||||||
| English · Spanish Llanito (vernacular) | ||||||
| Religion | ||||||
| Christianity (mostly Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism) · Islam · Judaism · Hinduism | ||||||
| Related ethnic groups | ||||||
| Andalusian · British · Genoese · Maltese · Portuguese | ||||||
The Gibraltarians (colloquially Llanitos), are a Southern European nation[3][4] and cultural group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterranean sea.
Origins
Gibraltarians are a racial and cultural fusion of the many European immigrants who came to the Rock of Gibraltar over three hundred years. They are the descendants of economic migrants that came to Gibraltar after the majority of the Spanish population left in 1704. The few Spaniards who remained in Gibraltar in August 1704 left in 1727 when Gibraltar was subjected to its second Spanish siege.
Genoese (who arrived to work for the garrison and later went on to form the basis of Gibraltar's civilian police force) and Catalans (who arrived in the fleet with Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt, possibly some two hundred in all), became the core of Gibraltar's first civilian population under a Dutch flag, soon replaced by the flag of England. Jews from Tetouan in Morocco, who had previously been suppliers to the English territory of Tangier, started supplying fresh produce to Gibraltar from 1704.
In 1728 the settlement of Jews in Gibraltar was such that by 1755 they formed 50% of the 1300 civilian population together with the Genoese. In 1888 the construction of the new harbour at Gibraltar started in order to provide an additional coaling station on the British routes to the East. This resulted in the importation of Maltese labour both to assist in its construction, and to replace striking Genoese labour in the old coaling lighter-based industry. Maltese, and Portuguese people formed the majority of this new population. Other groups include British colonists in Minorca (forced to leave the islandes[5][6] when it was returned for the tird time in a century to Spain under the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, and after 4 years of British occupation), Sardinians, Sicilians and other Italians, French, Germans, and the British.
Immigration from Spain and intermarriage with Spaniards from the surrounding Spanish towns was a constant feature of Gibraltar's history until General Francisco Franco closed the border with Gibraltar, cutting off many Gibraltarians from their relatives on the Spanish side of the frontier. The Spanish socialist government reopened the land frontier, but other restrictions remain in place.
Nationality
Gibraltarians are British, albeit with a distinct identity of their own.
noun: Gibraltarian(s) adjective: Gibraltar
| Rank | Nationality | Proportion (%) of the population[7] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gibraltarian | 83.22% |
| 2 | Other British | 9.56% |
| 3 | Moroccan | 3.50% |
| 4 | Spanish | 1.19% |
| 5 | Other | 1.54% |
| 6 | Other EU | 1.00% |
Culture
Religion
Gibraltarians' main religion is Christianity, with the majority of Gibraltarians belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. Other Christian denominations include the Church of England, the Gibraltar Methodist Church,[8] Church of Scotland, various Pentecostal and independent churches mostly influenced by the House Church and Charismatic movements, as well as a Plymouth Brethren congregation. There is also a ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Jehovah's Witnesses. There are also a number of Hindu Indians, a Moroccan Muslim population, members of the Bahá'í Faith[9] and a long-established Jewish community.[10][11]
| Rank | Religion | Proportion (%) of Gibraltarians[7] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roman Catholic | 78.09% |
| 2 | Church of England | 6.98% |
| 3 | Muslim | 4.01% |
| 4 | Other Christian | 3.21% |
| 5 | None | 2.86% |
| 6 | Jewish | 2.12% |
| 7 | Hindu | 1.79% |
| 8 | Other or unspecified | 0.94% |
Languages
English (used in schools and for official purposes) and Spanish are the main languages of Gibraltar. Most Gibraltarians converse in Llanito, an Andalusian Spanish based creole. It consists of an eclectic mix of Andalusian Spanish and British English as well as languages such as Maltese, Portuguese, Italian of the Genoese variety and Haketia. Among more educated Gibraltarians, it also typically involves code-switching to English. Arabic is spoken by the Moroccan community, just like Hindi and Sindhi are spoken by the Indian community of Gibraltar. Maltese is still spoken by some families of Maltese descent.
References
- ^ Intute - World Guide - Gibraltar
- ^ "Country-of-birth database". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ Gold, Peter (July 2001). "Is Gibraltar a Nation?". International Journal of Iberian Studies. 14 (2). ISSN 1364-971X. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
- ^ GSLP-LIBS EXPRESS OPPOSITION TO NATIONAL DAY “DOWNGRADE”
- ^ Sloss, Janet,Exit Britannia; Britain’s Last Conquest of Menorca 1798 - 1802, Bonaventura Press, 2002
- ^ Gregory, Desmond, Minorca, the illusory prize : a history of the British occupations of Minorca between 1708 and 1802, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, London, 1990
- ^ a b Census of Gibraltar 2001
- ^ "Gibraltar Methodist Church". The Methodist Church. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
- ^ "The Bahá'í Community in Gibraltar". Gibnet. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
- ^ "People". Official Government of Gibraltar London website. 2005. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
- ^ Jacobs, Joseph. "Gibraltar". JewishEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
See also
- List of Gibraltarians
- Gibraltarians in the United Kingdom
- Spanish Gibraltarians
- Gibraltarian Australian
- Gibraltarian status
- Demographics of Gibraltar
- History of Nationality in Gibraltar
