According to the 2001 census, approximately 78.

1% of Gibraltarians are Roman Cat

holics.[68] The sixteenth century Saint Mary the Crowned is the cathedral church
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar, and also the oldest Catholic church
in the territory. Other Christian denominations include the Church of England (
7.0%), whose Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is the cathedral of the Anglican Bish
op of Gibraltar in Europe; the Gibraltar Methodist Church,[69] Church of Scotlan
d, various Pentecostal and independent churches mostly influenced by the House C
hurch and Charismatic movements, as well as a Plymouth Brethren congregation. Se
veral of these congregations are represented by the Gibraltar Evangelical Allian
ce. There is also a ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and
two congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses. 2.9% advised that they have no religi
on.
The third religion in size is Islam (4.0% of the population). There is also an e
stablished Hindu population (1.8%), members of the Bah' Faith and a long-establish
ed Jewish community, which, at 584 persons, accounts for 2.1% of the population.
[70] There are four functioning Orthodox synagogues in Gibraltar and several kos
her establishments.
Education[edit]
Main article: Education in Gibraltar
Comparison of school structures in Gibraltar and England.
Education in Gibraltar generally follows the English model, operating within a t
hree tier system. Schools in Gibraltar use the Key Stage modular approach to tea
ch the National Curriculum. Gibraltar has fifteen state schools, a MOD school, a
private school and a college of further education. As there are no facilities i
n Gibraltar for full-time higher education, all Gibraltarian students study else
where at degree level or its equivalent and also for certain non-degree courses.
[71] The Government of Gibraltar operates a scholarship/grant system to provide
funding for students studying in the United Kingdom. All Gibraltarian students u
sed to follow the UK student loans procedure, applying for a loan from the Stude
nt Loans Company which was then reimbursed in full by the Government of Gibralta
r. In August 2010, this system was replaced by the direct payment by the governm
ent of grants and tuition fees. The overwhelming majority of Gibraltarians conti
nue their studies at university level.
Health care[edit]
All Gibraltarians are entitled to health care in public wards and clinics at the
hospital and primary health care centre. All other British citizens are also en
titled to free of charge treatment on the Rock on presentation of a valid Britis
h passport during stays of up to 30 days. Other EU nationals are equally entitle
d to treatment on presentation of a valid European Health Insurance Card. Dental
treatment and prescribed medicines are free of charge for Gibraltarian students
and pensioners.[72] First-line medical and nursing services are provided at the
primary care centre, with more specialised services available at St Bernard's H
ospital. Psychiatric care is provided by King George V Hospital.[73]
Culture[edit]
Main article: Culture of Gibraltar
Tercentenary celebrations in Gibraltar.
The culture of Gibraltar reflects Gibraltarians' diverse origins. While there ar
e Spanish (mostly from nearby Andalusia) and British influences, the ethnic orig
ins of most Gibraltarians are not confined to these ethnicities. Other ethniciti
es include Genoese, Maltese, Portuguese, and German. A few other Gibraltar resid
ents are Jewish of Sephardic origin, Moroccan, or Indians. British influence rem
ains strong, with English being the language of government, commerce, education
and the media.
Gibraltar's first sovereignty referendum is celebrated annually on Gibraltar Nat
ional Day (10 September). It is a public holiday, during which most Gibraltarian
s dress in their national colours of red and white and 30,000 similarly coloured
balloons are released, to represent the people of Gibraltar. The 300th annivers
ary of Gibraltar's capture was celebrated in 2004 on Tercentenary Day (4 August)
, when in recognition of and with thanks for its long association with Gibraltar
, the Royal Navy was given the Freedom of the City of Gibraltar and a human chai
n of Gibraltarians dressed in red, white and blue, linked hands to encircle the
Rock. On 4 June 2012, the Gibraltar Diamond Jubilee Flotilla, inspired by the Th
ames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, celebrated sixty years of the Queen's reign.[74]
The Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation operates a television and radio station o
n UHF, VHF and medium-wave. The radio service is also internet-streamed. Special
events and the daily news bulletin are streamed in video. The other local radio
service is operated by the British Forces Broadcasting Service which also provi
des a limited cable television network to HM Forces. The largest and most freque
ntly published newspaper is the Gibraltar Chronicle, Gibraltar's oldest establis
hed daily newspaper and the world's second oldest English language newspaper to
have been in print continuously[75] with daily editions six days a week. Panoram
a is published on weekdays, and 7 Days, The New People, and Gibsport are weekly.
Native Gibraltarians have produced some literature of note. The first in fiction
was probably Hctor Licudi's 1929 novel Barbarita, written in Spanish,[76] chroni
cling the largely autobiographical adventures of a young Gibraltarian man. Throu
ghout the 1940s and 1950s, several anthologies of poetry were published by Leopo
ldo Sanguinetti, Albert Joseph Patron and Alberto Pizzarello. The 1960s were lar
gely dominated by the theatrical works of Elio Cruz and his two highly acclaimed
Spanish language plays La Lola se va p Londre and Connie con cama camera en el c
omedor.[citation needed] In the 1990s, the Gibraltarian man-of-letters Mario Arr
oyo published Profiles (1994), a series of bilingual meditations on love, loneli
ness and death. Of late there have been works by the essayist Mary Chiappe, such
as her volume of essays Cabbages and Kings (2006) and by M. G. Sanchez, author
of the books Rock Black: Ten Gibraltarian Stories (2008) and Diary of a Victoria
n Colonial (2009). Mary Chiappe and Sam Benady have also published a series of d
etective books centred on the character of the nineteenth-century Gibraltarian s
leuth Bresciano.
Musicians from Gibraltar include Charles Ramirez, the first guitarist invited to
play with the Royal College of Music Orchestra,[77] successful rock bands like
Breed 77, Melon Diesel and Taxi. Albert Hammond had top 10 hits in the UK and US
and has written many songs for international artists such as Whitney Houston, T
ina Turner and Julio Iglesias.[78]
The cuisine of Gibraltar is the result of the rich diversity of civilisations wh
o held the Rock during its history; from the Berbers of North Africa to the Anda
lusians and British. The culinary influences include those from Malta, Genoa, Po
rtugal and Andalusia. This marriage of tastes has given Gibraltar an eclectic mi
x of Arabic, Mediterranean and British cuisines. Calentita, a baked bread-like d
ish made with chickpea flour, water, olive oil, salt and pepper, is considered G
ibraltar's national dish.
Sport[edit]
Main article: Sport in Gibraltar
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve th
is article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be ch
allenged and removed. (July 2011)
In 2007, there were eighteen Gibraltar sports associations with official recogni
tion from their respective international governing bodies. Others have submitted
applications for recognition which are being considered. The government support
s the many sporting associations financially. Gibraltar also competes in the bi-
annual Island Games, which it hosted in 1995. Football is a popular sport in Gib
raltar. The Gibraltar Football Association applied for full membership of UEFA,
but their bid was turned down in 2007 in a contentious decision.[citation needed
] Following another application, Gibraltar was confirmed as UEFA's 54th member o
n 24 May 2013.[79] Cricket enjoys massive popularity in Gibraltar. The Gibraltar
national cricket team won the European Cricket Championship Division Two in 200
0 and 2002. Rugby union is fairly popular and one of the fastest growing team sp
orts, Gibraltar Rugby Union Football Union has now applied for membership of Eur
ope's governing body for rugby and await a decision. A complaint has been receiv
ed from the Spanish Federation.
The Gibraltar Rifle Association (GRA) was Gibraltar's most successful team at th
e 2009 Island Games, earning four gold medals. The first was won by Heloise Mana
sco and Stephanie Piri in the ISSF 10 m Air Rifle Team event. Manasco later went
on to win a second gold in the individual competition. Wayne Piri and Adrian Lu
gnani took the gold medal in the ISSF 50 m Small Bore Team event with Wayne winn
ing the fourth gold for Gibraltar in the individual competition of the same even
t.
Darts is also a popular sport, with the Gibraltar Darts Association (a full memb
er of World Darts Federation since 1977) running leagues and other regular tourn
aments. In 2010, Gibraltar hosted and won the Mediterranean Cup, competing again
st France, Italy, Turkey, Malta and Cyprus.[citation needed]
Gibraltar were given full UEFA membership in May 2013, have only played two offi
cial matches so far, a 0-0 draw against Slovakia and a 1-4 defeat to the Faroe I
slands (which saw Gibraltar score its first ever official goal). On 23 February
2014, Gibraltar were drawn in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group D with Germany, Po
land, Georgia, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.
Communications[edit]
-