La Línea de la Concepción

Homer records that the Pillars of Heracles were created when Heracles broke the mountain that had connected Africa and Europe. I walked around the British one, 5 km long and 1.2 km wide. Since we can't pronounce Jabal Tariq (Mount Tarik) as it was named after Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād captured the peninsula in 711, we now call it Gibralter.

How come a tiny bit of the Spanish coast is British? Well, it all started when the Spanish Hapsburg line expired with Charles II in 1701 and the childless King of Spain's cousins England, the Dutch Republic and France each claimed the inheritance. Unfortunately, there were no American lawyers to intervene and cash out the claims for themselves, so there was violent feuding between three.
In 1704, Admiral Sir George Rooke, (made a Vice-Admiral of England no less after the liberating the Spanish treasure fleet in Vigo Bay,) captured Gibraltar for the British and wouldn't let go of it.
After 13 years everybody got a bit tired of squabbling so a series of bilateral treaties, known collectively as the Treaty of Utrecht, were signed between the parties. Spain’s treaty with Britain (July 13 1713) gave Gibraltar, (“the town, castle and fortifications were to be held and enjoyed for ever without any exception or impediment whatsoever”) and Minorca to Britain.
The Treaty also granted the British South Sea Company an asiento entitling them to send 4,800 slaves to Spanish America annually for 30 years and to send one ship (navío de permiso) each year to engage in general trade. [It wasn't all one sided though, the taxman a.k.a. Spanish Crown demanded £34,000 for the first 4,000 slaves whether or not they were imported. And wars and stuff kept blocking access to the American markets.]

There is much discussion in the press about what to do with Gib after Brexit.
⦁ The British Government see no profit in it - rather like the Falklands - and hopes it will go away financially but still welcome British war ships and planes.
⦁ The Spanish hope it will go away financially but nominally become Spanish and pay airport landing taxes to Madrid.
⦁ The Gibralterians reckon they can survive on the sale of Duty free booze and the profits of S mini-bus tours and voted convincingly to remain under the British Crown; but see themselves as European whatever Mrs May wants.

The blocks of rubble in the foreground of the photo are the remains of the Fortelleza Santa Barbara. This formed one end of a chain of Spanish fortifications across the isthmus separating the Rock from the countryside that King Felipe V, the first Bourbon King ordered to contain the Brits during the Peninsular War. It was originally called La Linea de Contravalacion and was raised to the ground in a raid by the forces of the vegetarian Governor General Elliot just in case the French were to occupy it as was rumoured.
The town eventually became La Linea.Read more