Iberian Peninsula

The Iberian Peninsula (IPA: /aɪˈbɪəriən/ eye-BEER-ee-ən), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. It is mostly separated from the rest of Europe by the Pyrenees mountains.

The peninsula includes the countries of Peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, along with smaller areas like Andorra, Gibraltar, and a small part of Metropolitan France.

With an area of about 583,254 square kilometres, the Iberian Peninsula is the second-largest peninsula in Europe, after the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is home to many people, making it an important region in both size and population. The peninsula has a rich history and diverse cultures, influencing the languages, foods, and traditions of the area today.

Etymology

The name Iberian Peninsula comes from the River Ebro. In ancient Greek it was called Ibēros and in Latin it was called Ibērus or Hibērus. This river was very important. Early writers used the name Hiberia for the land near the river.

Later, Greek mapmakers used the name Iberia for the land southwest of the Pyrenees mountains. Romans called the area Hispania. Both names were used for the same place. Today, we use the term "Iberian Peninsula." This name was first used by a French mapmaker in 1823.

Prehistory

Main article: Prehistoric Iberia

The Iberian Peninsula has been home to humans for over a million years. Early human-like creatures, known as hominins, lived in caves such as Gran Dolina. Later, Neanderthals arrived and developed their own cultures. Around 40,000 years ago, modern humans arrived and created beautiful cave paintings and artifacts.

During a time called the Neolithic, new farming communities appeared and built large stone structures called megaliths. The Chalcolithic and Bronze Age brought even more advanced cultures. People began to work with metal, trade over long distances, and build large settlements. These early societies laid the groundwork for the first civilizations in the region.

Proto-history

Main article: Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula

By the Iron Age, which began in the 8th century BCE, the Iberian Peninsula had many advanced societies. These included groups such as the Celtiberians, Gallaeci, Astures, Celtici, and Lusitanians, as well as the Iberians in the east and south, and the Aquitanian people near the Pyrenees.

Seafaring cultures like the Phoenicians from the Eastern Mediterranean explored and traded along the peninsula's coast as early as the 12th century BCE. They founded a trading post called Gadir or Gades, now known as Cádiz. Later, the Greeks and Carthaginians also set up colonies along the Mediterranean coast. These groups brought new ideas and technologies, helping the region's cultures grow.

History

Roman rule

See also: Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula

In 218 BCE, during the Second Punic War against the Carthaginians, Roman soldiers first entered the Iberian Peninsula, which they called Hispania. After 197 BCE, the parts of the land closest to the sea and with many towns were split into Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Citerior. Sometimes local groups fought back, but Rome kept control.

The Romans wanted the land controlled by groups like the Celtiberians and Lusitanians. Wars such as the Celtiberian Wars and the Lusitanian War happened in the 2nd century BCE. Towns grew, and people moved from old hill forts to live in open areas.

Besides getting useful metals like gold, silver, and copper, the Romans brought other things from Hispania. They took items like sigillata pottery, colourless glass, and linen clothes. From the land, they got fish, fish sauce called garum, wheat, esparto, olive oil, and wine.

The Romans stayed for 600 years. They brought the Latin language, which later became the languages spoken in the Iberian Peninsula today, except for Basque.

See also: Lusitania, Hispania Tarraconensis, and Hispania Baetica

Pre-modern Iberia

See also: Visigothic Kingdom, Al-Andalus, Spania, and Kingdom of the Suebi

In the early fifth century, groups from Germany entered the land, such as the Suebi, the Vandals and their friends, the Alans. Only the Suebi kingdom lasted after more German groups, the Visigoths, arrived. The Visigoths took over all of Iberia and also parts of the land ruled by the Byzantine Empire, called Spania. The Balearic Islands stayed with the Byzantines until Muslim rulers took them later.

Main articles: Al-Andalus and Reconquista

In 711, a Muslim army led by Tariq ibn Ziyad took over most of Iberia from the Visigothic Kingdom in Hispania. They called the land Al-Andalus. The Muslim leaders were Arabs and Berbers. Many local people became part of the new society. The Muslims were sometimes called Moors.

During this time, places like Córdoba grew very big, with around 100,000 people by the 10th century.

During the Middle Ages, the north had many smaller Christian kingdoms such as the Kingdom of Castile, the Kingdom of Aragon, the Kingdom of Navarre, the Kingdom of León and the Kingdom of Portugal. Christian and Muslim groups sometimes fought and sometimes worked together. Slowly, the Christian kingdoms moved south, taking back land from Muslim rulers. This slow process is called the "Reconquista".

By the beginning of the 13th century, trade grew between the Christian kingdoms and other parts of Europe. The Crown of Aragon built up lands around the Mediterranean Sea.

The 14th century was a hard time for the land. The 1348–1350 bubonic plague caused many deaths. Some places lost most of their people.

See also: Massacre of 1391

The last Muslim area, Granada, was taken by Christian forces in 1492.

Modern Iberia

Challenging the conventions about the advent of modernity, Immanuel Wallerstein pushed back the origins of the capitalist modernity to the Iberian expansion of the 15th century. During the 16th century Spain created a vast empire in the Americas, with a state monopoly in Seville becoming the center of the ensuing transatlantic trade, based on bullion.

In 1580, after the political crisis that followed the 1578 death of King Sebastian, Portugal became a part of the Hapsburg Monarchy; thus, the whole peninsula was united politically during the period known as the Iberian Union (1580–1640).

See also: History of Andorra, History of Gibraltar, History of Portugal, History of Spain, and History of France

Despite both Portugal and Spain starting their path towards modernization with the liberal revolutions of the first half of the 19th century, this process was, concerning structural changes in the geographical distribution of the population, relatively tame compared to what took place after World War II in the Iberian Peninsula, when strong urban development ran in parallel to substantial rural flight patterns.

Geography and geology

Main articles: Geography of Spain, Geography of Portugal, and Geography of Andorra

The Iberian Peninsula is the westernmost of three major southern European peninsulas. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north, west, and southwest. The Pyrenees mountains separate it from the rest of Europe. The peninsula stretches from Punta de Tarifa in the south to Punta de Estaca de Bares in the north, and from Cabo da Roca in the west to Cap de Creus in the east.

The land has wide flat areas and many mountain ranges. The highest point is Mulhacén in the Sierra Nevada at 3,478 meters. Major rivers such as the Ebro, Douro, Tagus, Guadiana, and Guadalquivir flow through valleys between these mountains. The climate changes from oceanic in the northeast to Mediterranean across most of the peninsula, with some areas being dry or desert-like.

Political divisions

The Iberian Peninsula is mostly made up of Portugal and Spain. There is also a small country called Andorra. A tiny part of France, called French Cerdagne, and the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar are also on the peninsula. The Pyrenees mountains separate it from the rest of Europe. Some islands, like the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands, belong to Portugal and Spain but are not part of the mainland Iberian Peninsula.

Cities

The Iberian Peninsula has many important cities. Three of the biggest cities are Barcelona, Lisbon, and Madrid. These cities are busy places with lots of people and activities. Four other big cities are Bilbao, Porto, Seville, and Valencia. Madrid is especially important because it has many services and is well-connected to other places.

Some areas around these cities have more than one million people living in them. You can learn more about the cities in Spain and Portugal.

Ecology

Forests

Main article: Forests of the Iberian Peninsula

The Iberian Peninsula has special woodlands with unique plants and animals. One famous animal is the endangered Iberian lynx, which lives in the forests there. Scientists recently found a new type of lizard called Podarcis virescens near rivers in the area.

East Atlantic flyway

The Iberian Peninsula is an important place for birds traveling from northern Europe to Africa. Many birds, like curlew sandpipers, rest here, especially around the Bay of Cádiz. Millions of birds spend their winters in wet areas and coastal regions, such as in Galicia, the Aveiro Lagoon in Portugal, and the Algarve. These places welcome many different kinds of birds, including pied avocet, common ringed plover, and red knot.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Iberia

Further information: Languages of Andorra, Languages of Gibraltar, Languages of France, Languages of Spain, and Languages of Portugal

Most languages spoken today in the Iberian Peninsula come from an ancient language called Vulgar Latin. These are called Western Romance languages. One special language is Basque. Its origin is unknown and it is not related to most other European languages.

Today, the most common languages are Spanish and Portuguese. Spanish is spoken by millions in Spain, and Portuguese is spoken by millions in Portugal. Other languages include Catalan, Galician, and Basque. Spanish and Portuguese are also spoken in many other parts of the world. Smaller languages like Astur-Leonese and Aragonese are spoken by fewer people. In Gibraltar, English is the official language. A special mix of English and Spanish called Llanito is also used.

Transportation

Spain and Portugal use a special size for their rail tracks that started in the 1800s. Spain now has many fast trains, beginning with a line between Madrid and Seville in 1992. Other fast trains connect big cities like Barcelona and Valencia. Portugal stopped planning fast trains after money problems in 2008.

There are only a few rail links between Spain and France because of the big Pyrenees mountains. Spain and Portugal have several places where their railroads meet, such as Valença do Minho and Tui.

Many important undersea internet wires, like the Fibre-optic Link Around the Globe and MAREA, have stations in the Iberian Peninsula. There are also plans for new cables to connect to South America and other places.

Gas pipelines from Morocco and Algeria bring natural gas to Spain.

Economy

The main currency used across most of Iberia is the Euro, except in Gibraltar where the Gibraltar Pound is used. Important jobs in the area include fishing, mining, and tourism.

Andorra and Gibraltar have special financial rules.