The Rock of Gibraltar is some 1400 feet high and it is situated annexed to Southern Spain at the western extremity of the Mediterranean. As the gateway from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean, it is approximately 3 square miles in size and has a population of about 30,000 people of which about 27,000 are Gibraltarians.
A British Territory since 1704, Gibraltar enjoys a great measure of self-government. It has a written constitution in the form of the Gibraltar Constitution Order 2006. This, apart from embodying the fundamental freedoms, sets up a Westminster-style democratic Government. It also defines the responsibilities of the government. Gibraltar´s legal system mirrors that of England. It is a common law jurisdiction that applies the principles of Equity. Gibraltar´s statute law consists of Acts passed by the Gibraltar Parliament and very few English Acts of Parliament made applicable to Gibraltar by Orders in Council. The Gibraltar Parliament normally enacts the statute laws of Gibraltar. The statute law of Gibraltar normally follow the pattern of English and now European Union legislation.
In descending order of jurisdictional superiority, the courts of Gibraltar are the following:
- The Privy Council (IN LONDON)
- The Court of Appeal
- The Supreme Court
- The Court of First Instance
- The Magistrates Court
- The Coroner´s Court