Where is iberia

At the narrowest point, the peninsula is only 8 kilometers from Africa, specifically Morocco. The Iberian Peninsula covers approximately , km 2 , accounting for about 5. It extends from Punta de Tarifa on the extreme south to Punta de Estaca de Bares on the northern extremity.

From the west, the peninsula begins at Cabo da Roca and extends to Cap de Creus in the east. It forms an irregular octagonal shape resembling an ox-hide. The Iberian Peninsula is separated from the rest of Europe by the Pyrenees mountain range located between France and Spain.

The peninsula is mainly occupied by Spain and Portugal. It also occupies much of the landform, including the northwest, east, and central parts. Spain accounts for It is bordered to the northwest and west by Portugal , north by Andorra and Southern France, and south by Gibraltar. It occupies It is bordered to the east and north by Spain. Andorra is located entirely on the Iberian Peninsula. France is represented on the peninsula by the Pyrenees-Orientales and accounts for about 0.

Gibraltar, located on the southern tip, occupies only 7 square kilometers on the peninsula. River Ebro runs on the north and northeastern part of the peninsula, particularly Spain , and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is crossed by Sistema Central mountain range, leaving Submeseta Sur and Submeseta Norte to the south and north respectively. It is the source of most rivers that flow throughout the peninsula. The Iberian Peninsula is a largely mountainous region, with several mountain systems.

The Pyrenees mountain range is located at the border between Spain and France. Aneto, the highest mountain in the Pyrenees, is located in Spain.

The Cantabrian Mountains stretch over kilometers along the northern coast, with Torre de Cerrado as the highest peak. Several major cities are located on the Iberian Peninsula. The largest is Madrid , Spain, which has a population of over 3. Barcelona , which is also located in Spain, is the second most populous city in the Iberian Peninsula with a population of over 1. Iberian Peninsula Countries Show Source. The peninsula again took on a non-European character when the Islamic Berber and Arabic Moors took over in the 8th century, ruling parts of it as recently as the 15th century.

As Christian rule gradually took back the peninsula from the Moors, its people then looked outward; Portugal sponsored the Cape Route expeditions, and Spain the voyages of Columbus and Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation. The Tordesillas treaty divided the new lands between Spain and Portugal, allowing the Portuguese to colonise Africa, India and Brazil, while the Spanish Empire came to control much of the Americas and the Philippines. The Iberian Union between and held the Iberian peninsula, as well as the overseas colonies of both countries, at its time the world's largest empire.

Gold and silver from the colonies brought wealth and glory to the mother countries, but it was not sustainable. From the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 18th century, Spain and Portugal were demoted from their role as great powers, and lost most of their colonies during the 19th century. While Brazil remained governed by a branch line of the erstwhile Portuguese royal house in the late 19th century, Spain lost Gibraltar to England in the 18th century, continental Latin America in the early 19th century and almost all its remaining colonies in the Spanish American War of which caused a literary movement often called "the generation of 98" to bemoan Spain's fall from glory.

Dictatorial and fascist governments kept Spain and Portugal out of World War II , although Spain in particular was devastated by its civil war in the late s, while Portugal provided limited assistance to the British under the auspices of the longstanding Treaty of Windsor. Since the end of the Salazar and Franco regimes in the s, both have become full members of the European Union.

Since the midth century, tourism has been a substantial part of the countries' economies, especially on the islands, and while many seaside resorts are dominated by tourists, much of the inland is still off the beaten path. While both countries became democratic in the late 20th century and saw tremendous economic growth, they were hit hard by the early s financial crisis.

Several regions of Spain, especially Catalonia , call for independence, or increased autonomy. Gibraltar is a tiny British outpost dominated by a massive rock. It was ceded by Spain in Spain continues to seek its return. With the exception of Basque and English , all the languages of the Iberian peninsula are from the Romance family of languages which has its roots in Latin, so if you speak one of those languages, you'll find it fairly easy to pick up the rest.

While most younger people have learnt English in school, it is not widely spoken or understood outside the small British exclave of Gibraltar , where it is the official language. As elsewhere in the world, English proficiency improves the closer you get to major tourists centres, especially in the resort cities along the Mediterranean coast and in Barcelona.

As a general rule, English proficiency is higher in Portugal than in Spain. Madrid's Barajas airport is the most important of the hubs, while Lisbon Airport is the main gateway from Brazil due to historic ties between the two countries.

Both also have worldwide links. Both also codeshare with local airlines making an impressive number of links available throughout their focus areas.