Gibraltar is a British territory in the south of Spain and can now officially be called a city, 180 years after it was first granted this status by Queen Victoria.
This British overseas territory was offered to become a city earlier this year as part of the Queen's (Elizabeth II) Platinum Jubilee. But when researchers looked at the National Archives, they found it was already recognized as a city in 1842.
Gibraltar has now regained the status it sought, with outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson describing it as a "tremendous honour" celebrating its "rich history and dynamism".
Gibraltar has been a British overseas territory since 1713, when it was ceded to Britain under a peace treaty signed after the War of the Spanish Succession.
In the jubilee competition, 39 countries applied to become cities. Eight of them, including Doncaster, Bangor and Dunfermline eventually gained the status.
The status of a city is often associated with the existence of a cathedral, a university or a large number of inhabitants, but there are no set rules for its granting - it is granted by the monarch on the advice of ministers.
City status brings few material benefits, although it can often give communities a boost by putting them on the map and is usually a source of pride for residents.
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Gibraltar enters a new era, British territory's border fence with Spain removed
The government said Gibraltar was left off the official lists after it was originally given the title by Queen Victoria, but it is not clear how this happened.
An updated record of 81 places named as cities has now been published.
Gibraltar is one of only five British cities known outside Great Britain. The others are Hamilton in Bermuda, Jamestown in Saint Helena, Douglas in the Isle of Man and Stanley in the Falkland Islands. /click
