Gibraltar is a territory in Southern Europe, and it is not a sovereign state in its own right. Unlike most entries, its formal name adds nothing to the short one. The capital is Gibraltar, the same name as the territory, which is the usual sign of a city-state.
The population is about 39,329, placing it 218th of 250 by population — between the British Virgin Islands above it and Monaco below. Measured only against its own subregion, it is 9th of 10 in size and 8th in population.
The land area is 6 km², which ranks it 248th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Tokelau and just ahead of Monaco. Put next to a territory most people can picture, it is about three times the size of Monaco.
The lie of the land
The coordinates the dataset gives are 36.1° N, 5.3° W, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 4,022 km from the equator, in what geographers would call temperate latitudes.
China, the United States and Japan sit at almost exactly the same latitude on other parts of the globe.
It borders 1 neighbour: Spain.
With both a coast and land borders, it has the trade options a landlocked territory does not.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
The people of Gibraltar
Population divided by land area gives roughly 6,555 people per square kilometre, which makes it among the most densely populated places on earth. For comparison, the median entry on this list sits near 90 per square kilometre.
Officially it is monolingual: English. Another 90 entries list English too — among them American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda and Australia.
Someone from Gibraltar is a Gibraltar.
Against Europe as a whole it is the 48th most populous of 53 entries, and it accounts for under 1% of everyone living in Southern Europe.
Useful reference details
The currency is the Gibraltar pound (£, GIP). It is issued for Gibraltar alone.
Its internet country code is .gi. To phone it from abroad you dial +350. Standard country codes: gi and GIB.
Gibraltar is not a UN member state. The dataset does not record which state administers it, so this page does not guess. Of the 250 entries here, 57 are territories or observers rather than member states.
Neighbouring countries
Gibraltar shares borders with 1 country:
Fun facts about Gibraltar
- The capital shares its name with the territory itself.
- It lies about 4,022 km from the equator, in temperate latitudes.
- It is 218th of 250 by population, with about 39,329 residents.
- China and the United States sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
- English is official here and in 90 other entries worldwide.
- Websites based there use the .gi domain.
- Within Southern Europe it is the 9th largest of 10.
Gibraltar — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Gibraltar?
- The capital of Gibraltar is Gibraltar. The city and the territory share a name, which is typical of a city-state.
- Which countries border Gibraltar?
- Gibraltar borders 1 country: Spain.
- Is Gibraltar a country?
- Not in the political sense. Gibraltar is a dependent territory rather than a sovereign state, and it is not a UN member. It appears on this site because it has its own flag, codes and statistics, but it does not have a seat at the United Nations.
- Where is Gibraltar located?
- Gibraltar is in Southern Europe, part of Europe. Its reference coordinates are 36.1° north and 5.3° west, roughly 4,022 km from the equator in temperate latitudes.
- What is the population of Gibraltar?
- Gibraltar has a population of about 39,329, which makes it the 218th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. The British Virgin Islands sits just above it and Monaco just below.
- What language is spoken in Gibraltar?
- The official language of Gibraltar is English. It is also official in 90 other entries on this list.
- What currency does Gibraltar use?
- Gibraltar uses the Gibraltar pound, written £ (currency code GIP). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- How big is Gibraltar?
- Gibraltar covers 6 km², ranking 248th of 250 by land area. That makes it about three times the size of Monaco.
