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Rock of Gibraltar

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

   The Rock of Gibraltar as seen from ground level
   Enlarge
   The Rock of Gibraltar as seen from ground level

   The Rock of Gibraltar, sometimes called the Pillar of Hercules is
   located in Gibraltar, off the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian
   Peninsula. It is 426 meters (1,396 feet) high.

Geology

   The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic Jurassic limestone promontory. 36
   08'43"N 05 20'35"W The geological formation was created when the
   African tectonic plate collided tightly with Europe about 55 million
   years ago. The Mediterranean became a lake that, in the course of time,
   dried up during the Messinian salinity crisis. About five million years
   ago the Atlantic Ocean broke through the Strait of Gibraltar, and the
   resultant flooding created the Mediterranean Sea.

Fortification

   The inside of the Rock is criss-crossed by a great and complex system
   of underground fortifications, known as the Great Siege Tunnels. This
   network of tunnels was begun by the British in 1782, during the Great
   Siege of Gibraltar by the Spanish. After the Siege, the fortifications
   were rebuilt. In the 1800s, the walls were lined with Portland stone
   which gave them their present white appearance. When World War II broke
   out in 1939, the civilian population was evacuated to the United
   Kingdom, Jamaica, and Madeira so that Gibraltar could be fortified
   against the possibility of a German attack. By 1942 there were over
   30,000 British soldiers, sailors, and airmen on the Rock. The tunnel
   system was expanded and the Rock became a keystone in the defence of
   shipping routes to the Mediterranean.

Simile

   On many occasions over the centuries Gibraltar has proved impervious to
   attack. Despite long sieges it seemed that there was nothing that could
   destroy the Rock or her people. This history has inspired the simile
   "solid as the Rock of Gibraltar", which is used to describe a person or
   situation that cannot be overcome and does not fail. The motto of the
   Royal Gibraltar Regiment, Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti, reflects this
   famous invincibility; it is Latin for "Conquerable by No Enemy".
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Gibraltar"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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