This rock is more frequently pictured perhaps than any other rock in the world. It stands on the north side of the Straits of Gibraltar (j-brl´ tår) and at the southern tip of Spain. It does not, however, belong to Spain. It is a possession of Great Britain. The British have built great forts upon its sides so that it is now known as the key to the Mediterranean. No ship can pass from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic if the commander of Gibraltar objects. Of course this power is made use of only in war. The rock itself is almost 3 miles long and is from a half to three-quarters of a mile wide. It is about 1400 feet at its highest point. It is made up of limestone and is connected with Spain by a low flat stretch of sand one-half mile wide and less than two miles long. One of the peculiar things about the rock is that some of the slopes are covered with cactus. In these there lives a troop of apes said to be the only wild monkeys in Europe. There are rabbits and partridges here also such as one finds in Africa. How do you account for this? The town of Gibraltar, which you can see to the extreme right of the picture, contains about 30,000 people. These include the garrisons of the forts which, in times of peace, consist of about 6500 men. The town has a good harbor and is much used as a coaling station. The rock of Gibraltar was known to the ancients as one of the Pillars of Hercules. The Phoenician (f-nsh´ -ån) sailors were bold enough to sail beyond the pillars of Hercules (the other pillar is a similar rock on the south side of the Strait), and as far north as the shores of England. They founded a village on Gibraltar. The rock of Gibraltar has undergone thirteen famous sieges in its history. It is said to be now one of the strongest forts in the world. Keystone ID: 966 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.