September 10 – Gibraltar National Day

Gibraltar-as-British-territory is a peninsula of land that juts out from Spain. Spain ceded the territory to Britain in 1713, after a war—but of course now Spain wants it back. However, the people who live in the area—about a quarter of whom are ethnic Britons and a quarter of whom are ethnic Spaniards—want to remain associated with the UK rather than change to Spanish rule (at least, 99% of them want that, according to the latest referendum).

Look how close Europe and Africa are at the strait of Gibraltar!

• The only wild monkeys in Europe are the Barbary macaques of Gibraltar.

• The most famous landmark in Gibraltar is the Rock of Gibraltar (also known simply as The Rock), which is a monolithic chunk of limestone that towers over the land and sea.
  

• The Rock of Gibraltar is famous for having been carved into by the British military for use during World War II. Check out the plans for the “Stay Behind Cave”!!
  

• The Rock of Gibraltar is one of the two “Pillars of Hercules.” Hercules was an ancient Greek hero who supposedly connected the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean by smashing through a mountain that separated these two bodies of water. In other words, the story claims that Hercules formed the strait with his mighty whackings and crackings.
  
  The story goes on to say that two promontories on either side of the strait were all that was left of the original mountain—the Rock of Gibraltar, on one side, and either Monte Hacho or Jebel Musa, on the other. (A promontory is a large mass of land that overlooks flatter land or a body of water.)

• Here is a glossary of geographic terms, including peninsula and strait, meant for fairly young children. 

Also on this date:

Teacher’s Day in China