Gibraltar is a British dependency, comprising the rocky promontory, called the Rock of Gibraltar, that forms the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula and commands the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. The Strait of Gibraltar separates the Rock from the coast of North Africa. Connecting the Rock with the Spanish mainland is a narrow, sandy isthmus containing a neutral zone that separates the British dependency from Spain. Gibraltar has an area of 5.8 sq km (2.3 sq mi).