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Gibraltar has the authentic appeal of the bizarre, looming physical attendance of its rock, and the uncertain one of its preservation as one of Britain's last remaining settlements. For most of its history it has survived in a midpoint between two worlds without being fully part of either, which makes it an inquisitive place to visit, not least to witness the bizarre process of its opening to mass tourism from the Costa del Sol.
Ironically, this threatens both to destroy Gibraltar's extremely individual cross society and at the same time to make it much more British, after the fashion of the emigrant communities and huge resorts of the Costa. In recent years the economic boom Gibraltar enjoyed throughout the 1980s, following the reopening of the border with Spain, has started to diminish, and the likely future of the colony - whether its population agrees to it or not - is almost certain to involve closer ties with Spain.
Strategically important, Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was officially declared a settlement in 1830. In referendums held in 1967 and 2002, Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted overpoweringly to remain a British dependence.
Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference centre. The British military presence has been harshly reduced and now contributes about 11% to the local economy. The financial sector accounts for 20% of GDP; tourism (almost 6 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also produce revenue. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a private sector economy, but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the level of employment.
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