The Coolidge examiner., 1935-11-22
Prepared by National Geographic Society.
WRshingtnn- d C--MNII SerNice

I)IBRALTAR, western gateway
u r to the Mediterranean, and
~ Malta, the mid-Mediterrane-
an sentinel, both Britishowned,
have been brought into the news
spotlight because of the ItaloEthi
Opian political situation.
The fortified rock of Gibraltar,
long the symbol of strength, rears
its lofty summit above the north
bank of the 14-mile-wide Strait of
Gibraltar. 1t is known to every
school child; yet there is, at its
base, city named for the rock,
that is, perhaps, known to but few.
Gibraltar is a British city if the
traveller confines his observations
to British soldiers who, are every
where, British Boobies" who ap-
pear as If they had just emerged
from a London police station, Brit
ish flags that top the masts of mu-
nicipal and government buildings,
and British warships and CONNER
cial vessels that outnumber all 9TH
ers anchored in the harbor.
But a glance at the street crowds
and the city's buildings reveals a
strange mixture. Most Gibraltar
buildings are Spanish In design.
Its narrow streets are crowded with
bustling throngs from many parts
of the world. Scotchmen IN kits
brush past turbaned Moors from
the other side of the strait; Span
iards from Madrid, Malaga, and Ca
diz mingle with sturdy Greeks;
ruddy-skinned Hindus and Egyp-
tians jostle Levantine Jews in ga
berdines; and dusky Senegal ne
groes rub elbows with Chinese from
Canton. And weaving In and out
of the human mass are hundreds
OF foreign seamen from boats that
come to Gibraltar for fuel, trade.
and repairs. The mixture of races
has become even more noticeable in
recent years since Gibraltar has in
creased in popularity as a pleas
ure resort for European and Amer
lean vacationists.
The shops also present an inter-
national aspect. On their shelves
the traveller finds carved ivory or
naments from Ceylon and the At
rican east coast, trinkets from the
cramped factories that line the mar
row streets of Foochow, China, OBJ
jects of carved teak from Burma
and bolts of cloth from Manchester
and New York. Baghdad, Samar-
kand. Baltimore, and Timbuktu also
are represented in the display of
merchandise.
Town Climbs the Rock.
The town begins at the shore of
the broad bay and rises $50 feet up
the north side of the rock. Long
flights of steps lead to the upper
portion of the town, making wheeled
traffic impossible on many streets.
The Mediterranean, or south side
of the rock, is almost a sheer cliff.
Fishermen have built, however.
small villages in the few recesses
which are reached by narrow paths.
Between Spain and the British
territory Is a narrow strip Of land
called the neutral zone where trav-
elers get the best land view of the
rock. The giant mass of stone was
one of the Pillars of Hercules of
ancient times.
The rocks highest point is more
than twice the height of the Wash
ingtOn monument or about 100 feet
higher than the worlds talleSt
building. Since the MOOrs first oc-
cupied Gibraltar centuries ago, its
face has frequently undergone
treatment" A fortified castle dat
ing back to Moorish occupation still
stands in one of its recesSeS, sharp
ly contrasting with the more mod
ern British ramparts. Tunnels have
been bored, paths dynamited and
in places it's rough "cOuntenance"
has been given an application of ce-
ment upon which rainwater is
caught and drained into reservoirs
Of the town. In natural caves In
the rock live the famous Gibraltar