modate returning nationals who worked in the
cocoa plantations and escaped fighting in Cote d'Ivoire

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 35,653 (Liberia); 8,517 (Togo) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; major
transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and, to a
lesser extent, South American cocaine destined for Europe and the
US; widespread crime and money laundering problem, but the lack of a
well developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility
as a money laundering center; significant domestic cocaine and
cannabis use

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Gibraltar

Introduction
Gibraltar

Background:

Strategically important, Gibraltar was reluctantly ceded to Great
Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison
was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a referendum held in
1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British
dependency. The subsequent granting of autonomy in 1969 by the UK
led to Spain closing the border and severing all communication
links. A series of talks were held by the UK and Spain between 1997
and 2002 on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar.
In response to these talks, the Gibraltar Government called a
referendum in late 2002 in which the majority of citizens voted
overwhelmingly against any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since
the referendum, tripartite talks on other issues have been held with
Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar, and in September 2006 a three-way
agreement was signed. Spain agreed to remove restrictions on air
movements, to speed up customs procedures, to implement
international telephone dialing, and to allow mobile roaming
agreements. Britain agreed to pay increased pensions to Spaniards
who had been employed in Gibraltar before the border closed. Spain
will be allowed to open a cultural institute from which the Spanish
flag will fly. A new noncolonial constitution came into effect in
2007, but the UK retains responsibility for defense, foreign
relations, internal security, and financial stability.

Geography
Gibraltar

Location:

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links
the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern
coast of