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The fortifications of Gibraltar have made the Rock of Gibraltar and its environs "probably the most fought over and most densely fortified place in Europe, and probably, therefore, in the world", as Field Marshal Sir John Chapple has put it.〔Hughes & Migos, p. vii〕 The Gibraltar peninsula, located at the far southern end of Iberia, has great strategic importance as a result of its position by the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. It has repeatedly been contested between European and North African powers and has endured fourteen sieges since it was first settled in the 11th century. The peninsula's occupants – Moors, Spanish, and British – have built successive layers of fortifications and defences including walls, bastions, casemates, gun batteries, magazines, tunnels and galleries. At their peak in 1865, the fortifications housed around 681 guns mounted in 110 batteries and positions, guarding all land and sea approaches to Gibraltar.〔Hughes & Migos, p. 91〕 The fortifications continued to be in military use until as late as the 1970s and by the time tunnelling ceased in the late 1960s, over of galleries had been dug in an area of only . Gibraltar's fortifications are clustered in three main areas. The densest fortifications are in the area where historically Gibraltar was under the most threat – at the north end of the peninsula, the North Front, facing the isthmus with Spain. Another group of fortifications guards the town and the harbour, referred to as the West Side. The southern end of the town is guarded by the South Land Front. Few fortifications exist on the east side, as the sheer cliff of the Rock of Gibraltar is a virtually impassable obstacle. Further fortifications occupy the plateaus of Windmill Hill and Europa Point at the southern end of the peninsula. Lookout posts and batteries on the summits of the Rock provide a 360° view across the Strait and far into Spain. Although Gibraltar is now largely demilitarised, many of the fortifications are still intact and some, such as the Great Siege Tunnels and the Charles V Wall – where many of Gibraltar's famous "apes" live – have become tourist attractions. ==Topography== The nature and position of Gibraltar's defences have been dictated by the territory's topography. It is a long, narrow peninsula measuring by wide at maximum, with a land area of about . The only land access to the peninsula is via a sandy isthmus, only above sea level, most of which is now occupied by the Spanish town of La Línea de la Concepción. The peninsula is dominated by the limestone massif of the Rock of Gibraltar, which presents a sheer cliff over high at its north end, facing the isthmus. The Rock extends southwards for with several peaks before it descends to two southern plateaus at heights of between and above sea level. The southern tip of Gibraltar is surrounded by steep cliffs. The Rock itself is asymmetric, with a moderate slope on the west side and a very steep (and in places near-vertical) slope on the east side. The original core of the town of Gibraltar occupies the lower north-west side of the Rock, adjoining the Bay of Gibraltar, though it has grown considerably to the point that the built-up area now stretches all the way to Europa Point on the southern tip of the peninsula. A great deal of 20th century land reclamation on the west side has also widened the coastal area, which was formerly quite narrow. A couple of small settlements, originally fishing villages, occupy the east side.〔Rose (2001), p. 95〕 These features have made Gibraltar a naturally strong defensive position. The isthmus lacks any natural cover, exposing any approaching enemy to opposing fire. The heights of the Rock form a natural barrier to movement and rocky ledges provide natural platforms for gun batteries. The sheer cliffs on the north and east sides of the Rock block access from those directions and the sea cliffs around the southern end of the peninsula make landings there difficult, especially if opposed.〔Fa and Finlayson, pp. 4–5〕 A single road connects Gibraltar with Spain, and within the territory most roads are narrow and often steep due to the restricted land area.〔Rose (1998), p. 92〕 Over the centuries, Gibraltar's successive occupants have built an increasingly complex set of fortifications around, on top of and incorporating the territory's natural features.〔 Writing in 1610, the Spanish historian Fernando del Portillo commented that Gibraltar was "a stronghold from its very topography which with a little art could be made impregnable," and so it has proved.〔 The Irish writer George Newenham Wright observed in 1840 that "the surface of the Rock is wholly occupied by defensive works; where it was possible, and often where it appeared almost impracticable, batteries and fortifications have been formed. From Europa Point, which pushes into the sea on the south side, to the highest point of the Rock, there is not a single point that has not been put into a defensible condition . . . Proceeding towards Europa Point, at the entrance of the town, fortifications, magazines, barracks, and batteries are placed wherever the nature of the surface would permit."〔Wright, p. 25〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fortifications of Gibraltar」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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