The Rock of Gibraltar, also known as the Jabel-al-Tariq (named after the Berber commander who conquered Spain), is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.[3] It is 426 m (1,398 ft) high. Most of the Rock's upper area is covered by a nature reserve, which is home to around 300 Barbary macaques. These macaques, as well as a labyrinthine network of tunnels, attract many tourists each year.

The Rock of Gibraltar, one of the two traditional Pillars of Hercules, was known to the Romans as Mons Calpe, the other pillar being Mons Abyla or Jebel Musa on the African side of the Strait. According to ancient myths fostered by the Greeks and the Phoenicians[3], and later perpetuated by the Romans[4], the two points marked the limit to the known world. Actually, the Phoenicians had sailed beyond this point into the Atlantic, both northward and southward.[4]

The Mediterranean Sea surrounds Gibraltar.