<P> An Anglo - Dutch force captured Gibraltar from Spain in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of the Habsburg claim to the Spanish throne . The territory was subsequently ceded to Great Britain "in perpetuity" under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 . During World War II it was an important base for the Royal Navy as it controlled the entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea, which is only eight miles (13 km) wide at this naval "choke point" and remains strategically important to this day with half the world's seaborne trade passing through the strait . Today Gibraltar's economy is based largely on tourism, online gambling, financial services, and cargo ship refuelling services . </P> <P> The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a major point of contention in Anglo - Spanish relations as Spain asserts a claim to the territory . Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and again in 2002 . Under the Gibraltar constitution of 2006, Gibraltar governs its own affairs, though some powers, such as defence and foreign relations, remain the responsibility of the British government . </P> <P> The name Gibraltar is the Spanish derivation of the Arabic name Jabal Ṭāriq (جبل طارق), meaning "Mountain of Tariq". It refers to the Rock of Gibraltar, which was named after the Umayyad general Tariq ibn - Ziyad who led the initial incursion into Iberia in advance of the main Umayyad force in 711 under the command of Umayyad Caliph Al - Walid I. Earlier, it was known as Mons Calpe, a name of Phoenician origin and one of the Pillars of Hercules . </P> <P> The pronunciation of the name in modern Spanish is (xiβɾalˈtaɾ) (IPA). </P>

Who is the rock of gibraltar named after