Gibraltar

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Gibraltar


The National Arms of Gibraltar	The National Flag

Description

Gibraltar is a British Crown Colony on the southern part of the Iberic peninsula.

Ecclesiastical heraldry

Arms of Gibraltar

The arms were officially granted on July 10, 1502 by Queen Isabella I of Castille. When the city changed to English rule, the arms remained in use. At the same time the Spanish refugees from Gibraltar that settled in San Roque also claimed the arms, and the arms of the municipality is still identical to those of Gibraltar.

The arms are supposed to signify the important strategic location of Gibraltar for access to the Mediterranean Sea, with a strong fortress, guarding the Straits. The fortress thus was the key to the Mediterranean.

The motto : Montis Insignia Calpe means Of the mountain called Calpe. Mons Calpe was the name of the rock in Roman times.

The arms on the original grant (source)	The arms on a tobacco card from 1910.
The arms in the Continentale Verlags-Anstalt album, +/- 1910	The arms on a 1907 tobacco card
The arms on a Dutch trade card, 1940s	The arms in the Abadie albums