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 shipping routes to the Mediterranean. In February 1997, it was revealed the British had a secret plan called to conceal service men in tunnels beneath the Rock in case the Germans captured it. The team in the rock would have radio equipment with which to report enemy movements. A six-man team waited under cover at Gibraltar for two and half years. The Germans never got close to capturing the rock and so the men were never sealed inside. The team was disbanded to resume civilian life when the war ended. The saying "solid as the Rock of Gibraltar" is used