Gibraltar has an interesting cultural mix of people because of its close ties with both Britain and Spain. The people, who have lived on the rock for while, certainly look Spanish and many have Spanish sounding names, but they most often refer to themselves as British and so do retain a certain type of British English. Moreover, many consider themselves as more British than British, often relating back to the times when Gibraltar was isolated from the Iberian peninsular and the only way in and out of the rock was via a country other than Spain (all flights went to the UK until 2006).

Because of this mix, often British people and Spanish people alike think of people from Gibraltar as Andalucian Spaniards, because of the Creole of Spanish that they speak. They do manage to keep some British ways: there is a cricket team on the island and you pay for everything in pounds, but there is a melting pot of diversity tangible whilst on the rock which only increases one’s fascination with the place. Intermarriage between residences Gibraltar and Spaniards is very common (something which led to the separation of families when the barrier was erected in the 1960s.) Moreover there are strong Spanish cultural influences (TV, radio etc) on Gibraltar and many of the younger generation travel across the border to the more lively night clubs and pubs. However, despite all of this people on the rock have always declared themselves to be British and want to remain so, so whatever cultural similarities there may seem to be, these are not to be confused with an identification with the Spanish state.