A History of Gilbraltar

In classical antiquity, Gibraltar inspired the original idea that the Earth was divided into distinct continents. Sailors, poets, and geographers saw Gibraltar as a natural marker separating the Mediterranean from the Atlantic and Europe from Africa. This idea had lasting global ramifications, and the geography of the Strait of Gibraltar helped create the pattern of European imperialism and the trajectory of the slave trade. Historian Geoffrey Plank traces Gibraltar’s story from its connections across the Mediterranean to its role as a symbolic boundary between continents, cultures, and religions.