Rock of Gibraltar to describe an entity that is very safe or firm. The motto of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and Gibraltar itself is "Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti" (Latin for "No Enemy Shall Expel Us"). Approximately 40% of Gibraltar's land area was declared a nature reserve in 1993. The flora and fauna of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve are of conservation interest and are protected by law. Within it is a range of animals and plants, but the highlights are the Barbary macaques (the famous "Rock apes"), the Barbary partridges, and flowers such as Gibraltar's own Chickweed, Thyme and the Gibraltar Candytuft. The Barbary macaques
Rock of Gibraltar point stands near the south end above the strait at O'Hara's Battery. The Rock's central peak, Signal Hill and the top station of the Gibraltar Cable Car, stands at an elevation of . The near-cliffs along the eastern side of the Rock drop down to a series of wind-blown sand slopes that date to the glaciations when sea levels were lower than today, and a sandy plain extended east from the base of the Rock. The western face, where the City of Gibraltar is located, is comparatively less steep. Calcite, the mineral that makes up limestone, dissolves slowly in rainwater.