Gibraltar Banknotes 5 Pounds banknote 2000 Millennium Commemorative Issue
Issued by The Government of Gibraltar
Obverse: The front of the note has the image of a dolphin, an ancient Egyptian vase from the Gibraltar Museum collection and the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Coat of arms of Gibraltar and Gibraltar candytuft (Iberis gibraltarica) at left. Dated 2000. Signature of Timothy J. Bristow (as Financial and Development Secretary). Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. as watermark. Windowed security thread on front. Two 6-digit serial numbers with double-letter prefix (MM) on front, the horizontal one with numerals of ascending size and the vertical one with numerals of the same size.
Reverse: Dolphins, a Barbary macaque and a view of the Rock from the marina plus an image of the Gondola of Gibraltar Cable Car that takes people to the top of the Rock where they can enjoy impressive views of the Strait of Gibraltar on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other.
Watermark: Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
Original size: 135 x 70 mm.
Printer: Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited, London England.
Gibraltar banknotes - Gibraltar paper money
1995-2006 Issue
5 Pounds 2000 Millennium Commemorative Issue
20 Pounds 2004 "Tercentenary of British Gibraltar" Commemorative Issue
Gibraltar Cable Car
Gibraltar Cable Car (Spanish: Teleférico de Gibraltar) is an aerial tramway in Gibraltar. The base station of the cable car is located near the southern end of Main Street, next to Alameda Gardens.
The Gibraltar Cable Car was built in 1966 by Swiss cable car experts Von Roll Holding, atop Signal Hill Battery. The battery was located alongside a Signal Station and was equipped with two 3-inch 30-cwt anti-aircraft guns and a 40-mm Bofors gun during World War II. Remains of an earlier cable station that was used to bring supplies (or a brave man) up to the top of signal hill via a rope are still evident. Besides the remains of earlier military buildings there is also a short tunnel that runs east to west under the station.
The last extensive renovation of the cable car took place in 1986 when the cable cars were replaced with the current day cabins. In 2007 the Top Station was refurbished and replaced with the current facilities including the Calpe Suite which is registered to conduct weddings.
From the base station, the cable car travels up the Rock of Gibraltar to the Ape's Den midway up the Rock, and then to the top of the Rock. Despite being called "top of the Rock", it is actually the second highest peak of the Rock at 412 metres (1,352 ft) above sea level. There are 673 metres (2,208 ft) between the two stations and the cars can take an attendant and 30 people up or down the cables. The cars travel between the three towers and the journey takes approximately six minutes at a speed of 5 metres (16 ft) per second.
During the journey, audio tour guides describe historical background on the sights of Gibraltar. At the top is a restaurant, café, toilet facilities, and terraces which offer views across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco, the Bay of Gibraltar towards Algeciras, and up the east coast towards Marbella. Bus number 2, 3 and 4 stop close by to the base station. Parking is available in Grand Parade next to the base station.
Barbary macaques in Gibraltar
Barbary macaques in Gibraltar Legend: A popular belief holds that as long as Gibraltar Barbary macaques exist on Gibraltar, the territory will remain under British rule. In 1942 (during World War II), after the population dwindled to just a handful of individuals (just seven monkeys), British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill ordered their numbers be replenished immediately from forest fragments in both Morocco and Algeria because of this traditional belief.
Another story links Gibraltar to Africa by a subterranean passage over 15 miles (24 km) long which begins at Lower St. Michael's Cave and passes under the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Gibraltar Barbary macaques entered The Rock from Morocco this way.
The Barbary macaque population in Gibraltar is the only wild monkey population in the European continent, and, unlike that of North Africa, it is thriving. At present, some 300 animals in five troops occupy the area of the Upper Rock area of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, though occasional forays into the town may result in damage to personal property. As they are a tailless species, they are also known locally as Barbary apes or rock apes, despite being monkeys (Macaca sylvanus). The local people simply refer to them as monos (English: monkeys) when conversing in Spanish or Llanito (the local vernacular).
All Gibraltar Barbary macaques are descended from North African populations of Barbary macaques. DNA evidence has established beyond doubt the present population is of relatively recent Algerian and Moroccan origin. No traces were found of a third source for their DNA, namely of any now-extinct ancient Iberian population. An earlier theory, now disproven by the DNA evidence, was that the original Gibraltar macaques were a remnant of populations that had spread throughout Southern Europe during the Pliocene, up to 5.5 million years ago. The Macaca sylvanus species is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List and is declining. About 75% of the total population is found in the Middle Atlas mountains.
During the Pleistocene, this species inhabited the Mediterranean coasts and Europe, reaching as far north as Germany and the British Isles. The species decreased with the arrival of the Ice Age, to extinction in the Iberian Peninsula 30,000 years ago. The skull of a Barbary macaque was discovered during excavation in the 1970s at the pre-Christian Navan Fort in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Carbon dating tests suggest it died there in the third century BC.
The macaque population had been present on the Rock of Gibraltar long before Gibraltar was captured by the British in 1704. The original introduction of the macaques was most likely orchestrated by the Moors (who occupied southern Iberia, including Spain and Portugal, between 711 and 1492), who kept them as pets.
Tourism
The Gibraltar Barbary macaques are considered by many to be the top tourist attraction in Gibraltar. The most popular troop is that of Queen's Gate at the Apes' Den, where people can get especially close to the monkeys. They will often approach and sometimes climb onto people, as they are used to human interaction. Nevertheless, they are still wild animals and will bite if frightened or annoyed.
The macaques' contact with large numbers of tourists was causing the integrity of their social groups to break down, as they began to become dependent on humans. This induced the monkeys to forage in the town, resulting in damage to buildings, clothing, and vehicles. For this reason, feeding the macaques in Gibraltar is now an offence punishable by law. Anyone caught feeding the monkeys is liable to be fined up to £4,000.
Military care
Gibraltar's barbary macaque population was under the care of the British Army and later the Gibraltar Regiment from 1915 to 1991, who carefully controlled a population that initially consisted of a single troop. An officer was appointed to supervise their welfare, and a food allowance of fruit, vegetables and nuts was included in the budget. Births were gazetted in true military fashion, and each new arrival was named. They were named after governors, brigadiers and high-ranking officers. Any ill or injured monkey needing surgery or any other form of medical attention was taken to Royal Naval Hospital Gibraltar and received the same treatment as would an enlisted service man. Following the withdrawal of the British garrison, the Government of Gibraltar took over responsibility for the monkeys.