Rock of Gibraltar Bashny.Net

Rock of Gibraltar - monolithic limestone rock 426 meters in height, located in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Strait of Gibraltar.




Rock is located on the territory of Gibraltar, British overseas territory. Known as one of the Pillars of Hercules, as evidenced by a monument in the southern part of the cliff. North African post is either Mount Acho in Ceuta or mountain Jebel Musa, located in the territory of Morocco.



Rock is also known as the rock of Tariq, Jabal al-Tariq (Djebel al-Tarik) after the Arab commander Tariq ibn Ziyad, the name of which was the name of Gibraltar.



The upper part of the mountain is allocated to the reserve, which is home to around 250 Barbary macaques - the only species of wild primates in Europe. Monkey and a maze of tunnels attract large numbers of tourists every year.



A unique feature of the cliff is a system of underground tunnels longer than 50 km



Calcite, of which the limestone, slowly eroded by water, and over time it formed the cave. Therefore, in the Rock of Gibraltar has more than 100 caves, the largest of which - the Holy Cave. Michael - located on the western slope of the mountain and is often visited by tourists.



Gorham's Cave, which is at sea level in the eastern part of the steeper cliffs, notable for the fact that archaeologists have found evidence of the presence in it of Neanderthals about 30 thousand. Years ago



Rock of Gibraltar was formed in the Jurassic period about 200 million years ago as a result of the collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. Mediterranean Sea was a lake and over time virtually dried up (Messina crisis). Atlantic Ocean broke through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean flooded. Rock of Gibraltar is part of the ridge Baetic System, located in the southeast of the Iberian



At present, the rock forms a peninsula jutting out into the Strait of about 5 km from the southern coast of Spain. From the north rock soars dramatically from the sea level to a height of 411, 5 m, where the battery Rock Gang. The eastern part of the rock breaks cliffs to sandy slopes that were formed during glaciation. On this piece of rock in 1903 was built a system collecting water, which is then fed through the channels on the two plants for desalination and treatment. This was done to a poor supply of natural sources of Gibraltar. At a gentle western slope of the mountain is located Reserve and the city itself.



According to Plato, on the Rock of Gibraltar and the rock Abil, were two statues on tall columns representing a gateway from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. In 711, Arab commander Tariq ibn Ziyad, who led a large army crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, ordered "to the glory of God" to destroy the statues together with columns.



At the height of the cliff, in a conservation area, live Barbary macaque - the only wild monkeys in Europe. Almost all the flora and fauna of the Rock of Gibraltar is unique.



Here live some representatives of relict animals, rare plants, which have moved to the European continent from Africa millions of years ago. They failed to spread across Europe, there is only on the rock.



Rare animals Rock of Gibraltar represented by such species as partridge Barbara. Here grows abundantly Gibraltar and Gibraltar kendichuft gerbil. Rock of Gibraltar is very popular among migratory birds. As a rule, birds use it as a place of temporary residence.









Source: bigpicture.ru