The Rock of Gibraltar is a limestone mountain located on the Gibraltar peninsula in southern Spain. The city of Gibraltar, located on this same peninsula, is actually a British colony, and is used as a naval air base. This is the perfect location from which to control the Strait of Gibraltar, the small waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Spain has continually advocated a claim for this area but has been consistently unable to retrieve this vital piece of land.

On the opposite side of the Strait of Gibraltar, at the northern tip of Morocco, Spain has its own autonomous community, consisting of Ceuta and Melilla, which is also strategically located to control the Strait of Gibraltar.