The Rock of Gibraltar lies at the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula. It covers seven square kilometres dominated by the famous limestone rock which rises to 425m above sea-level at its highest point and towers above the Strait of Gibraltar, the strategic waterway which connects the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean.Africa lies directly opposite just 9 miles away and the Moroccan City of Tangier is 32 miles away at the western end of the Straits.
The name Gibraltar is derived from the Arabic name Jabal Tariq meaning “mountain of Tariq”, or from Gibel Tariq, meaning “rock of Tariq”. It refers to the geological formation, the Rock of Gibraltar, and the Berber Umayyad general Tariq ibn-Ziyad, who led the initial incursion into Iberia in advance of the main Moorish force in 711. Earlier, it was known as Mons Calpe, one of the Pillars of Hercules.
The Pillars of Hercules has its origin in Greek mythology, named after the ancient Greek hero Heracles (Hercules in Latin).
By doing so, he connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and formed the Strait of Gibraltar. One part of the split mountain is Gibraltar and the other is either Monte Hacho .
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