History of the Genoese in Gibraltar

Genoese Gibraltarians
Genovesi di Gibilterra (Italian)
Flag of Genoa Flag of Gibraltar
The Flags of Genoa and Gibraltar.
Early view of Catalan Bay or La Caleta (a fishing village on the east side of the Rock of Gibraltar where Genoese fishermen settled) looking south from the top of the access road - late 19th century. The round shaped rock which juts out into the sea is commonly known as "la mamela" (Italian: la mammella, the breast), the name given to it by the early Genoese settlers as it resembles a woman's breast when viewed from the shore.
Total population
c. 6,000 (by ancestry, about 20% of the total population)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Gibraltar
Languages
English · Spanish · Italian · Genoese · Zeneize Genoese · Llanito
Religion
Roman Catholic
Related ethnic groups
Italians, Italians in the United Kingdom, other Gibraltarians

Genoese Gibraltarians (Italian: genovesi di Gibilterra) have existed in Gibraltar since the 16th century and later became an important part of the population. It is an ethnic community made up of descendants of Genoese and Ligurians who emigrated to Gibraltar during the Italian diaspora. The population of Gibraltar with Genoese (or Italian) surnames is around 20% of the total.[1]

  1. ^ a b Edward G. Archer (2006). "Ethnic factors". Gibraltar, identity and empire. Routledge. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-415-34796-9.