| In June 2007, there were 6.534 visitors to Peculiar Press, 4,588 which were unique and consisted of 2,491 new visitors and 2,097 return visitors. Since its inception in March 2003, there have been over 149,000 unique visitors from 193 (of 226) different countries and possessions. The June visitors came from 55 repeat countries (brown) and from every U.S. state except North Dakota, South Dakota, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Total hits through June 30= 1,373,452. |
RED = First-time visit this month | BROWN = Other visits this month | GREEN = Previous visits
Some people collect baseball
cards, stamps, or dolls. I collect flags--those of hits to my website.
Click here to view my "hall of flags"
Visitor Focus: Gibraltar
In June, there were no visitors to peculiarpress from new countries, so this month's profile focuses on one of the more unusual visiting locales--Gibraltar, which first contributed a.visitor in March 2005. Politically, Gibraltar has been an overseas territory of the United Kingdom since 1713, when the area was ceded in perpetuity by Spain as part of the Treaty of Utrecht. The sovereignty of Gibraltar has been challenged by Spain almost constantly ever since, particularly the area around the current airport, which was taken militarily by Great Britain.
The territory of Gibraltar covers 2.5 square miles, approximately 10% of which is reclaimed. It shares a three-quarter of a mile land border with Spain and has 7½ miles of shoreline. There are two coasts (sides) of Gibraltar – the East Side, which contains the settlements of Sandy Bay and Catalan Bay, and the West Side, where the vast majority of the population lives. The climate is Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers. There are two main prevailing winds, an easterly one known as the Levante coming from the Sahara in Africa which brings humid weather and warmer sea and the other as Poniente which is westerly and brings fresher air in and colder sea. Its terrain consists of the 1,396 foot (426 m) high Rock of Gibraltar and the narrow coastal lowland surrounding it. Having negligible natural resources and limited natural freshwater resources, limited to natural wells in the north, until recently Gibraltar used large concrete or natural rock water catchments to collect water. This is now produced by a desalination plant using reverse osmosis.
The population of almost 28,000 consists of Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, and North Africans, and the predominant religion is Christiainity, primarily Roman Catholic (78.1%). Other religious presences include Church of England (7%), Muslim (4%), Jewish (2.1%), and Hindu (1.8%). A 30-million dollar mosque lies near the tip of the Gibraltar peninsula at Point Europa. Gibraltar is one of the mostly densely populated territories in the world with approximately 11,154 people per square mile. The per capita GNP of $27,900 places Gibraltar among the top 25% in the world (compare to $43,500 for the United States). The population's median age of 39.8 (U.S. 36.50) is typical of Europe and the 16th highest in the world. Despite its lack of natural resources, self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference center. The British military presence has been sharply reduced and now contributes about 7% to the local economy, compared with 60% in 1984. The financial sector, tourism (almost 5 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. The financial sector, the shipping sector, and tourism each contribute 25%-30% of GDP. Telecommunications accounts for another 10%. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a private sector economy, but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the level of employment.
Thanks to Prudential Insurance, Gibraltar boasts perhaps the most recognizable geographic feature in the world--the Rock of Gibraltar. The Rock itself is made of limestone and is 1,396 feet (426 m) high. It contains many miles of tunnelled roads, most of which are operated by the military and hence closed to the public. Most of its upper area is covered by a nature reserve, which is home to around 230 Barbary Macaques, commonly known as 'apes', they are the only wild monkeys found in Europe. Most of the approximately five million annual visitors probably ride the cable car to the summit of the Rock and visit St. Michaels Cave.
If you're interested in visiting Guinea, the cheapest Philadelphia to Gibraltar fare in August is $1,221 on U.S. Airways to Madrid, connecting to British Airways to Gibraltar A night at the centrally-located four-star Bristol Hotel runs £79 for a twin. Welcome
Gibraltarian! |
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Previous profiles: Faroe Islands (12/06), Tonga (1/07), Djibouti (2/07), Samoa (3/07), Kiribati (4/07), Lesotho (5/07), Guinea (6/07)
| Countries that have logged visits to peculiarpress.com (dicksoule.com, ETandN.com): |
| NORTH
AMERICA (31 of 34 countries): Antigua
and Barbuda,Aruba, Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands[15], Canada**,
Cayman Islands[15], Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
Grenada, Greenland[4],
Guadeloupe, Guatamala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherland
Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands[15],
U.S. Virgin Islands, and the United States* * Visits from the United States include all states plus D.C. and Armed Forces ** Visits from Canada include all provinces except Nunavut |
| SOUTH AMERICA (14 of 15 countries): Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecudaor, Falkland Islands[15], French Guinea, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela |
| AFRICA (45 of 56 countries): Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkino Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo[6], Dijbouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho[14], Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Réunion, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| EUROPE (43 of 45 countries): Albania, Austria, Belarus[9], Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina[5], Bulgaria, Croatia[5], Czech Republic[11], Denmark, Estonia[9], Faroe Islands[4], Finland, France, Germany, Gilbratar[15], Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia[9], Liechtenstein, Lithuania[9], Luxembourg, Macedonia[5], Malta, Moldova[9], Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia[9], Serbia and Montenegro[5], Slovakia[11], Slovenia[5], Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine[9], United Kingdom, Vatican City |
ASIA (45 of 49 countries): Afghanistan, Armenia[9], Azerbaijan[9], Bahrain, Bangladesh, British Indian Ocean Territory[7,15], Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia[9], Hong Kong[3], India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan[9], Kuwait, Kyrgystan[9], Lebanon, Macau[3], Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar[8], Nepal, North Korea, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan[9], Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan[9], Viet Nam, Yemen |
| OCEANIA (15 of 27 countries): American Samoa, Australia, Christmas Island [13], Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, New Zealand, Palau[10], Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Island, Tokelou[2], Tonga, Vanuatu [12] |
THANK YOU!
| Top 10 Visiting Countries in June 07 | Top 10 U.S. States in June 07 | |||
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
United
States |
1 |
California |
|
| Countries/Territories
that have not visited as of 6/30/07
(know anybody in these?) North America (3): Anguila [15], Martinique, Montserrat [15] South America (1): South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands[15] Africa (11): Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, St. Helena[15], São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Swaziland, Western Sahara[1] Europe (2): Andorra, San Marino Asia (4): Bhutan, Laos, Maldives, Turkmenistan[9] Oceania (11): Cook Islands[2], East Timor, French Polynesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue[2], Norfolk Island[2], Northern Marianas, Pitcairn Islands[15], Tuvalu, Wallis & Futuna |
Footnotes
[1] Until 1975, the area known as Western Sahara was a Spanish
colony. When Spain withdrew, Morocco and Mauritiana carved up the country. While
Mauritiana has abandoned its claims, Morocco continues to occupy most of the
area. Parts of the eastern sections of Western Sahara are controlled by independent
"Polisarios." A United Nations referendum on Western Sahara self-determination
has been postponed numerous times.
[2] The Cook Islands, Niue, Norfold Island, and Tokelau are self-governing protectorates
of New Zealand. Tokelau is moving toward independence.
[3] Hong Kong and Macau are Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of China
[4] The Danish possessions Greenland and the Faroe Islands both have home rule,
a scheme which leaves most of the important decision-making to the local parliaments,
the Lagting in Tórshavn on the Faroe Islands and the Greenland Landsting
in Nuuk. Foreign policy is excluded from home rule resolutions, however, This
is handled by the Danish government.
[5] Formerly part
of Yugoslavia
[6] The Democratic Republic of the Congo was formerly known as Zaire.
[7] The British Indian Ocean Territory, consisting of Diego Garcia and five
uninhabited islands. A joint US-UK naval support facility is maintained on Diego
Garcia.
[8] Myanmar was formerly known as Burma
[9] Formerly part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
[10] Palau is a former U.N. Trust Territory under U.S. administration. Palau
gained independence in 1994. Palau was the site of the tenth edition of CBS's
Survivor reality show.
[11] The Czech Republic and Slovakia formerly made up Czechoslakia
[12] Vanuatu, a Pacific island nation probably best known in America as the
host of Survivor 9. Vanuatu gained independence in 1980, ending its
status as the world's only Condominium (England and France), when it was known
as the New Hebrides Island, so named by Capt. James Cook.
[13] Christmas Island, named for the day of its European discovery, lies in
the Indian Ocean south of Indonesia. Originally settled by the UK, it has been
a territory of Australia since 1958.
[14] Formerly the British colony of Basutoland, renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho
upon independence in 1966. At 29% of the adult population, Lesotho has one of
the highest levels of HIV incidence in the world.
[15] Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands,
Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands (disputed with Argentina), Gibraltar, Montserrat,
Pitcairn Islands, St. Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands,
and Turks and Caicos Islands are all British Overseas Territories.
| Monthly records | ||
| Most visits in one month | December 2006 |
9,823 |
| Most unique visitors in one month | December 2006 |
7,016 |
| Most new visitors in one month | October 2006 |
3,615 |
| Most return visitors in one month | December 2006 |
3,836 |
| Most hits in one month | May 2006 |
91,375 |
| Most new countries in one month | Apr 2003 |
16 |
Revised and updated July 1, 2007
based on SmarterStats™ Enterprise Edition and the Oxford Atlas of the World, Eleventh Edition (2003)
