Iberian Peninsula - Wikipedia Iberian Peninsula `` Iberia '' redirects here. For other uses of `` Iberia '', see Iberia ( disambiguation ). Iberian Peninsula Native names Peninsula Iberica ( Aragonese ) Península Ibérica ( Asturian ) Iberiar Penintsula ( Basque ) Península Ibèrica ( Catalan ) Iberian Peninsula ( English ) Péninsule Ibérique ( French ) Península Ibérica ( Galician ) Península Eibérica ( Mirandese ) Peninsula Iberica ( Occitan ) Península Ibérica ( Portuguese ) Península Ibérica ( Spanish ) Baninsulada Iiberineed ( Somali ) Satellite image of the Iberian Peninsula. Geography Location Southwestern Europe Coordinates 40 ° N 4 ° W ﻿ / ﻿ 40 ° N 4 ° W ﻿ / 40 ; - 4Coordinates : 40 ° N 4 ° W ﻿ / ﻿ 40 ° N 4 ° W ﻿ / 40 ; - 4 Area 582,000 km ( 225,000 sq mi ) Highest elevation 3,478 m ( 11,411 ft ) Highest point Mulhacén Administration Andorra Capital and largest town Andorra la Vella Area covered 468 km ( 181 sq mi ; 6999100000000000000 ♠ 0.1 % ) Portugal Capital and largest city Lisbon Area covered 89,015 km ( 34,369 sq mi ; 7001153000000000000 ♠ 15.3 % ) Spain Capital and largest city Madrid Area covered 492,175 km ( 190,030 sq mi ; 7001846009999900000 ♠ 84.6 % ) Gibraltar ( United Kingdom ) Capital city Gibraltar Largest district Westside Area covered 7 km ( 2.7 sq mi ; 5000000000000000000 ♠ 0 % ) France Largest commune Font - Romeu - Odeillo - Via Area covered 33,563 km ( 12,959 sq mi ; 7000580000000000000 ♠ 5.8 % ) Demographics Demonym Iberian Population Over 57 million The Iberian Peninsula / aɪ ˈbɪəriən pəˈnɪnsjʊlə /, also known as Iberia / aɪ ˈbɪəriə /, is located in the southwest corner of Europe. The peninsula is principally divided between Portugal and Spain, comprising most of their territory. It also includes Andorra, and a small part of France along the peninsula 's northeastern edge, as well as Gibraltar on its south coast, a small peninsula that forms an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. With an area of approximately 582,000 km ( 225,000 sq mi ), it is the second largest European peninsula, after the Scandinavian. Contents 1 Name 1.1 Greek name 1.2 Roman names 2 Etymology 3 Prehistory 3.1 Palaeolithic 3.2 Neolithic 3.3 Chalcolithic 3.4 Bronze Age 4 Proto - history 5 History 5.1 Roman rule 5.2 Germanic kingdoms 5.3 Islamic Caliphate 5.4 Reconquest 5.5 Post-reconquest 6 Geography and geology 6.1 Coastline 6.2 Rivers 6.3 Mountains 6.4 Geology 6.5 Climate 7 Major modern countries 7.1 Major urban areas 7.2 Major cities 8 Ecology 8.1 Forests 8.2 East Atlantic flyway 9 Languages 10 Economy 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 External links Name Iberian Peninsula and southern France, satellite photo on a cloudless day in March 2014 Greek name The word Iberia is a noun adapted from the Latin word `` Hiberia '' originated by the Ancient Greek word Ἰβηρία ( Ibēría ) by Greek geographers under the rule of the Roman Empire to refer to what is known today in English as the Iberian Peninsula. At that time, the name did not describe a single political entity or a distinct population of people. Strabo 's ' Iberia ' was delineated from Keltikē ( Gaul ) by the Pyrenees and included the entire land mass southwest ( he says `` west '' ) of there. The noun `` Hiberia '' fell into disuse when the Romans decided to call the most western part of the peninsula `` Lusitania '' ( today Portugal ) and the remaining territory as `` Hispania '' ( modern Spain ). With the fall of the Roman Empire and the establishment of the new Castillian language in Spain, the word `` Iberia '' appeared for the first time in use as a direct ' descendant ' of the Greek word `` Ἰβηρία '' and the Roman word `` Hiberia ''. The ancient Greeks reached the Iberian Peninsula, of which they had heard from the Phoenicians, by voyaging westward on the Mediterranean. Hecataeus of Miletus was the first known to use the term Iberia, which he wrote about circa 500 BC. Herodotus of Halicarnassus says of the Phocaeans that `` it was they who made the Greeks acquainted with... Iberia. '' According to Strabo, prior historians used Iberia to mean the country `` this side of the Ἶβηρος ( Ibēros ) '' as far north as the river Rhône in France, but currently they set the Pyrenees as the limit. Polybius respects that limit, but identifies Iberia as the Mediterranean side as far south as Gibraltar, with the Atlantic side having no name. Elsewhere he says that Saguntum is `` on the seaward foot of the range of hills connecting Iberia and Celtiberia. '' Strabo refers to the Carretanians as people `` of the Iberian stock '' living in the Pyrenees, who are distinct from either Celts or Celtiberians. Roman names Main article : Hispania According to Charles Ebel, the ancient sources in both Latin and Greek use Hispania and Hiberia ( Greek : Iberia ) as synonyms. The confusion of the words was because of an overlapping in political and geographic perspectives. The Latin word Hiberia, similar to the Greek Iberia, literally translates to `` land of the Hiberians ''. This word was derived from the river Ebro, which the Romans called Hiberus. Hiber ( Iberian ) was thus used as a term for peoples living near the river Ebro. The first mention in Roman literature was by the annalist poet Ennius in 200 BC. Virgil refers to the Ipacatos Hiberos ( `` restless Iberi '' ) in his Georgics. The Roman geographers and other prose writers from the time of the late Roman Republic called the entire peninsula Hispania. As they became politically interested in the former Carthaginian territories, the Romans began to use the names Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior for ' near ' and ' far ' Hispania. At the time Hispania was made up of three Roman provinces : Hispania Baetica, Hispania Tarraconensis, and Hispania Lusitania. Strabo says that the Romans use Hispania and Iberia synonymously, distinguishing between the near northern and the far southern provinces. ( The name `` Iberia '' was ambiguous, being also the name of the Kingdom of Iberia in the Caucasus. ) Whatever language may generally have been spoken on the peninsula soon gave way to Latin, except for that of the Vascones, which was preserved as a language isolate by the barrier of the Pyrenees. Etymology Northeast Iberian script from Huesca. The Iberian Peninsula has always been associated with the Ebro, Ibēros in ancient Greek and Ibērus or Hibērus in Latin. The association was so well known it was hardly necessary to state ; for example, Ibēria was the country `` this side of the Ibērus '' in Strabo. Pliny goes so far as to assert that the Greeks had called `` the whole of Spain '' Hiberia because of the Hiberus River. The river appears in the Ebro Treaty of 226 BC between Rome and Carthage, setting the limit of Carthaginian interest at the Ebro. The fullest description of the treaty, stated in Appian, uses Ibērus. With reference to this border, Polybius states that the `` native name '' is Ibēr, apparently the original word, stripped of its Greek or Latin - os or - us termination. The early range of these natives, which geographers and historians place from today 's southern Spain to today 's southern France along the Mediterranean coast, is marked by instances of a readable script expressing a yet unknown language, dubbed `` Iberian. '' Whether this was the native name or was given to them by the Greeks for their residence on the Ebro remains unknown. Credence in Polybius imposes certain limitations on etymologizing : if the language remains unknown, the meanings of the words, including Iber, must also remain unknown. In modern Basque, the word ibar means `` valley '' or `` watered meadow '', while ibai means `` river '', but there is no proof relating the etymology of the Ebro River with these Basque names. In Serbia, there is river Ibar, but there is no proof relating the etymology of the Ebro River with this Serbian river name. Pre-history Main article : Prehistoric Iberia Schematic rock art from the Iberian Peninsula. Iberian Late Bronze Age since c. 1300 BC Palaeolithic The Iberian Peninsula has been inhabited for at least 1.2 million years as remains found in the sites in the Atapuerca Mountains demonstrate. Among these sites is the cave of Gran Dolina, where six hominin skeletons, dated between 780,000 and one million years ago, were found in 1994. Experts have debated whether these skeletons belong to the species Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, or a new species called Homo antecessor. Around 200,000 BP, during the Lower Paleolithic period, Neanderthals first entered the Iberian Peninsula. Around 70,000 BP, during the Middle Paleolithic period, the last glacial event began and the Neanderthal Mousterian culture was established. Around 37,000 BP, during the Upper Paleolithic, the Neanderthal Châtelperronian cultural period began. Emanating from Southern France, this culture extended into the north of the peninsula. It continued to exist until around 30,000 BP, when Neanderthal man faced extinction. About 40,000 years ago, anatomically modern humans entered the Iberian Peninsula from Southern France. Here, this genetically homogeneous population ( characterized by the M173 mutation in the Y chromosome ), developed the M343 mutation, giving rise to Haplogroup R1b, still the most common in modern Portuguese and Spanish males. On the Iberian Peninsula, modern humans developed a series of different cultures, such as the Aurignacian, Gravettian, Solutrean and Magdalenian cultures, some of them characterized by the complex forms of the art of the Upper Paleolithic. Neolithic During the Neolithic expansion, various megalithic cultures developed in the Iberian Peninsula. An open seas navigation culture from the east Mediterranean, called the Cardium culture, also extended its influence to the eastern coasts of the peninsula, possibly as early as the 5th millennium BC. These people may have had some relation to the subsequent development of the Iberian civilization. Chalcolithic In the Chalcolithic ( c. 3000 BC ), a series of complex cultures developed that would give rise to the peninsula 's first civilizations and to extensive exchange networks reaching to the Baltic, Middle East and North Africa. Around 2800 -- 2700 BC, the Beaker culture, which produced the Maritime Bell Beaker, probably originated in the vibrant copper - using communities of the Tagus estuary in Portugal and spread from there to many parts of western Europe. Bronze Age Bronze Age cultures developed beginning c. 1800 BC, when the civilization of Los Millares was followed by that of El Argar. From this centre, bronze technology spread to other cultures like the Bronze of Levante, South - Western Iberian Bronze and Las Cogotas. In the Late Bronze Age, the urban civilisation of Tartessos developed in the area of modern western Andalusia, characterized by Phoenician influence and using the Southwest Paleohispanic script for its Tartessian language, not related to the Iberian language. Early in the first millennium BC, several waves of Pre-Celts and Celts migrated from Central Europe, thus partially changing the peninsula 's ethnic landscape to Indo - European - speaking in its northern and western regions. In Northwestern Iberia ( modern Northern Portugal, Asturias and Galicia ), a Celtic culture developed, the Castro culture, with a large number of hill forts and some fortified cities. Proto - History Main article : Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula By the Iron Age, starting in the 7th century BC, the Iberian Peninsula consisted of complex agrarian and urban civilizations, either Pre-Celtic or Celtic ( such as the Lusitanians, Celtiberians, Gallaeci, Astures, Celtici and others ), the cultures of the Iberians in the eastern and southern zones and the cultures of the Aquitanian in the western portion of the Pyrenees. The seafaring Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians successively settled along the Mediterranean coast and founded trading colonies there over a period of several centuries. Around 1100 BC, Phoenician merchants founded the trading colony of Gadir or Gades ( modern day Cádiz ) near Tartessos. In the 8th century BC, the first Greek colonies, such as Emporion ( modern Empúries ), were founded along the Mediterranean coast on the east, leaving the south coast to the Phoenicians. The Greeks coined the name Iberia, after the river Iber ( Ebro ). In the sixth century BC, the Carthaginians arrived in the peninsula while struggling with the Greeks for control of the Western Mediterranean. Their most important colony was Carthago Nova ( modern - day Cartagena, Spain ). History Roman rule Main articles : Lusitania and Hispania Roman conquest : 220 BC - 19 BC In 218 BC, during the Second Punic War against the Carthaginians, the first Roman troops invaded the Iberian Peninsula ; however, it was not until the reign of Augustus that it was annexed after two centuries of war with the Celtic and Iberian tribes and the Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginian colonies. The result was the creation of the province of Hispania. It was divided into Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Citerior during the late Roman Republic, and during the Roman Empire, it was divided into Hispania Tarraconensis in the northeast, Hispania Baetica in the south and Lusitania in the southwest. Hispania supplied the Roman Empire with silver, food, olive oil, wine, and metal. The emperors Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Theodosius I, the philosopher Seneca the Younger, and the poets Martial and Lucan were born from families living on the Iberian Peninsula. Germanic kingdoms Main articles : Visigothic Kingdom and Spania Germanic and Byzantine rule c. 560 In the early fifth century, Germanic peoples invaded the peninsula, namely the Suebi, the Vandals ( Silingi and Hasdingi ) and their allies, the Alans. Only the kingdom of the Suebi ( Quadi and Marcomanni ) would endure after the arrival of another wave of Germanic invaders, the Visigoths, who conquered all of the Iberian Peninsula and expelled or partially integrated the Vandals and the Alans. The Visigoths eventually conquered the Suebi kingdom and its capital city, Bracara ( modern day Braga ), in 584 -- 585. They would also conquer the province of the Byzantine Empire ( 552 -- 624 ) of Spania in the south of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands. Islamic Caliphate Main articles : Al - Andalus, Islam in Spain, and Islam in Portugal Islamic rule : al - Andalus c. 1000 In 711, a Muslim army invaded the Visigothic Kingdom in Hispania. Under Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Islamic army landed at Gibraltar and, in an eight - year campaign, occupied all except the northern kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula in the Umayyad conquest of Hispania. Al - Andalus ( Arabic : الإندلس ‎, tr. al - ʾAndalūs, possibly `` Land of the Vandals '' ), is the Arabic name given to what is today southern Spain by its Muslim Berber and Arab occupiers. From the 8th -- 15th centuries, only the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula was incorporated into the Islamic world and became a center of culture and learning, especially during the Caliphate of Córdoba, which reached its height of its power under the rule of Abd - ar - Rahman III and his successor al - Hakam II. The Muslims, who were initially Arabs and Berbers, included some local converts, the so - called Muladi. The Muslims were referred to by the generic name, Moors The Reconquista gained momentum on c. 718, when the Christian Asturians opposed the Moors, the southern march to push out the Muslims continued for three hundred years, so for another four hundred years, only the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula was transformed into a Romance - speaking and Arabic - speaking Muslim land, along with pockets of a large minority of Arabic - speaking Sephardi Jews. Reconquest Main article : Reconquista Many of the ousted Gothic nobles took refuge in the unconquered north Kingdom of Asturias. From there, they aimed to reconquer their lands from the Moors ; this war of reconquest is known as the Reconquista. Christian and Muslim kingdoms fought and allied among themselves. The Muslim taifa kings competed in patronage of the arts, the Camino de Santiago attracted pilgrims from all Western Europe, and the Jewish population set the basis of Sephardi culture. During the Middle Ages, the peninsula housed many small states including the Kingdom of Castile, Crown of Aragon, Kingdom of Navarre, Kingdom of León and the Kingdom of Portugal. The peninsula was part of the Almohad Caliphate until they were finally uprooted. The last major Muslim stronghold was Granada, which was conquered by a combined Castilian and Aragonese force in 1492. Muslims and Jews throughout the period were variously tolerated or shown intolerance in different Christian kingdoms. However, after the fall of Granada, all Muslims and Jews were ordered to convert to Christianity or face expulsion. Many Jews and Muslims fled to North Africa and the Ottoman Empire, while others publicly converted to Christianity and became known respectively as Marranos and Moriscos. However, many of these continued to practice their religion in secret. The Moriscos revolted several times and were ultimately forcibly expelled from Spain in the early 17th century. Map of Spain and Portugal, Atlas historique, dated approximately 1705 -- 1739, of H.A. Chatelain. Post-reconquest Main articles : History of Andorra, History of Gibraltar, History of Portugal, and History of Spain The small states gradually amalgamated over time, with the exception of Portugal, even if for a brief period ( 1580 -- 1640 ) the whole peninsula was united politically under the Iberian Union. After that point, the modern position was reached and the peninsula now consists of the countries of Spain and Portugal ( excluding their islands -- the Portuguese Azores and Madeira and the Spanish Canary Islands and Balearic Islands ; and the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla ), Andorra, French Cerdagne and Gibraltar. Geography and geology Main articles : Geography of Portugal and Geography of Spain The Iberian Peninsula is the westernmost of the three major southern European peninsulas -- the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan. It is bordered on the southeast and east by the Mediterranean Sea, and on the north, west, and southwest by the Atlantic Ocean. The Pyrenees mountains are situated along the northeast edge of the peninsula, where it adjoins the rest of Europe. Its southern tip is very close to the northwest coast of Africa, separated from it by the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. The Iberian Peninsula extends from the southernmost extremity at Punta de Tarifa ( 36 ° 00 ′ 15 '' N 5 ° 36 ′ 37 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 36.00417 ° N 5.61028 ° W ﻿ / 36.00417 ; - 5.61028 ) to the northernmost extremity at Punta de Estaca de Bares ( 43 ° 47 ′ 38 '' N 7 ° 41 ′ 17 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 43.79389 ° N 7.68806 ° W ﻿ / 43.79389 ; - 7.68806 ) over a distance between lines of latitude of about 865 km ( 537 mi ) based on a degree length of 111 km ( 69 mi ) per degree, and from the westernmost extremity at Cabo da Roca ( 38 ° 46 ′ 51 '' N 9 ° 29 ′ 54 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.78083 ° N 9.49833 ° W ﻿ / 38.78083 ; - 9.49833 ) to the easternmost extremity at Cap de Creus ( 42 ° 19 ′ 09 '' N 3 ° 19 ′ 19 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 42.31917 ° N 3.32194 ° E ﻿ / 42.31917 ; 3.32194 ) over a distance between lines of longitude at 40 ° N latitude of about 1,155 km ( 718 mi ) based on an estimated degree length of about 90 km ( 56 mi ) for that latitude. The irregular, roughly octagonal shape of the peninsula contained within this spherical quadrangle was compared to an ox - hide by the geographer Strabo. About three quarters of that rough octagon is the Meseta Central, a vast plateau ranging from 610 to 760 m in altitude. It is located approximately in the centre, staggered slightly to the east and tilted slightly toward the west ( the conventional centre of the Iberian Peninsula has long been considered Getafe just south of Madrid ). It is ringed by mountains and contains the sources of most of the rivers, which find their way through gaps in the mountain barriers on all sides. Coastline The coastline of the Iberian Peninsula is 3,313 km ( 2,059 mi ), 1,660 km ( 1,030 mi ) on the Mediterranean side and 1,653 km ( 1,027 mi ) on the Atlantic side. The coast has been inundated over time, with sea levels having risen from a minimum of 115 -- 120 m ( 377 -- 394 ft ) lower than today at the Last Glacial Maximum ( LGM ) to its current level at 4,000 years BP. The coastal shelf created by sedimentation during that time remains below the surface ; however, it was never very extensive on the Atlantic side, as the continental shelf drops rather steeply into the depths. An estimated 700 km ( 430 mi ) length of Atlantic shelf is only 10 -- 65 km ( 6.2 -- 40.4 mi ) wide. At the 500 m ( 1,600 ft ) isobath, on the edge, the shelf drops off to 1,000 m ( 3,300 ft ). The submarine topography of the coastal waters of the Iberian Peninsula has been studied extensively in the process of drilling for oil. Ultimately, the shelf drops into the Bay of Biscay on the north ( an abyss ), the Iberian abyssal plain at 4,800 m ( 15,700 ft ) on the west, and Tagus abyssal plain to the south. In the north, between the continental shelf and the abyss, is an extension called the Galicia Bank, a plateau that also contains the Porto, Vigo, and Vasco da Gama seamounts, which form the Galicia interior basin. The southern border of these features is marked by Nazaré Canyon, which splits the continental shelf and leads directly into the abyss. Rivers Main articles : List of rivers of Portugal and List of rivers of Spain Major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula : Miño / Minho, Duero / Douro, Tajo / Tejo, Guadiana, Guadalquivir, Segura, Júcar / Xúquer and Ebro / Ebre. The major rivers flow through the wide valleys between the mountain systems. These are the Ebro, Douro, Tagus, Guadiana and Guadalquivir. All rivers in the Iberian Peninsula are subject to seasonal variations in flow. The Tagus is the longest river on the peninsula and, like the Douro, flows westwards with its lower course in Portugal. The Guadiana river bends southwards and forms the border between Spain and Portugal in the last stretch of its course. Mountains Major Geologic Units of the Iberian Peninsula The terrain of the Iberian Peninsula is largely mountainous. The major mountain systems are : The Pyrenees and their foothills, the Pre-Pyrenees, crossing the isthmus of the peninsula so completely as to allow no passage except by mountain road, trail, coastal road or tunnel. Aneto in the Maladeta massif, at 3,404 m, is the highest point The Cantabrian Mountains along the northern coast with the massive Picos de Europa. Torre de Cerredo, at 2,648 m, is the highest point The Galicia / Trás - os - Montes Massif in the Northwest is made up of very old heavily eroded rocks. Pena Trevinca, at 2,127 m, is the highest point The Sistema Ibérico, a complex system at the heart of the Peninsula, in its central / eastern region. It contains a great number of ranges and divides the watershed of the Tagus, Douro and Ebro rivers. Moncayo, at 2,313 m, is the highest point The Sistema Central, dividing the Iberian Plateau into a northern and a southern half and stretching into Portugal ( where the highest point of Continental Portugal ( 1,993 m ) is located in the Serra da Estrela ). Pico Almanzor in the Sierra de Gredos is the highest point, at 2,592 m The Montes de Toledo, which also stretches into Portugal from the La Mancha natural region at the eastern end. Its highest point, at 1,603 m, is La Villuerca in the Sierra de Villuercas, Extremadura The Sierra Morena, which divides the watershed of the Guadiana and Guadalquivir rivers. At 1,332 m, Bañuela is the highest point The Baetic System, which stretches between Cádiz and Gibraltar and northeast towards Alicante Province. It is divided into three subsystems : Prebaetic System, which begins west of the Sierra Sur de Jaén, reaching the Mediterranean Sea shores in Alicante Province. La Sagra is the highest point at 2,382 m. Subbaetic System, which is in a central position within the Baetic Systems, stretching from Cape Trafalgar in Cádiz Province across Andalusia to the Region of Murcia. The highest point, at 2,027 m ( 6,650 ft ), is Peña de la Cruz in Sierra Arana. Penibaetic System, located in the far southeastern area stretching between Gibraltar across the Mediterranean coastal Andalusian provinces. It includes the highest point in the peninsula, the 3,478 m high Mulhacén in the Sierra Nevada. Geology Main article : Geology of the Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula contains rocks of every geological period from the Ediacaran to the Recent, and almost every kind of rock is represented. World - class mineral deposits can also be found there. The core of the Iberian Peninsula consists of a Hercynian cratonic block known as the Iberian Massif. On the northeast, this is bounded by the Pyrenean fold belt, and on the southeast it is bounded by the Baetic System. These twofold chains are part of the Alpine belt. To the west, the peninsula is delimited by the continental boundary formed by the magma - poor opening of the Atlantic Ocean. The Hercynian Foldbelt is mostly buried by Mesozoic and Tertiary cover rocks to the east, but nevertheless outcrops through the Sistema Ibérico and the Catalan Mediterranean System. Climate Main articles : Climate of Portugal and Climate of Spain The Iberian peninsula has two dominant climate types. One of these is the oceanic climate seen in the Atlantic coastal region resulting in evenly temperatures with relatively cool summers. However, most of Portugal and Spain have a mediterranean climate with various precipitation and temperatures depending on latitude and position versus the sea. There are also more localized semi-arid climates in central Spain, with temperatures resembling a more continental mediterranean climate. In other extreme cases highland alpine climates such as in Sierra Nevada and areas with extremely low precitipation and desert climates nor semi-arid climates such as the Almería area, Murcia area and southern Alicante area. In the Spanish interior the hottest temperatures in Europe are found, with Córdoba averaging around 37 ° C ( 99 ° F ) in July. The Spanish mediterranean coast usually averages around 30 ° C ( 86 ° F ) in summer. In sharp contrast A Coruña at the northern tip of Galicia has a summer daytime high average at just below 23 ° C ( 73 ° F ). This cool and wet summer climate is replicated throughout most of the northern coastline. Winter temperatures are more consistent throughout the peninsula, although frosts are common in the Spanish interior, even though daytime highs are usually above the freezing point. In Portugal, the warmest winters of the country are found in the area of Algarve, very similar to the ones from Huelva in Spain, while most of the Portuguese Atlantic coast has fresh and humid winters, similar to Galicia. Average temperatures for the six largest urban areas of the peninsula Location Coldest month April Warmest month October Madrid 9.8 ° C ( 49.6 ° F ) 2.7 ° C ( 36.9 ° F ) 18.2 ° C ( 64.8 ° F ) 7.7 ° C ( 45.9 ° F ) 32.1 ° C ( 89.8 ° F ) 19.0 ° C ( 66.2 ° F ) 19.4 ° C ( 66.9 ° F ) 10.7 ° C ( 51.3 ° F ) Barcelona 14.8 ° C ( 58.6 ° F ) 8.8 ° C ( 47.8 ° F ) 19.1 ° C ( 66.4 ° F ) 12.5 ° C ( 54.5 ° F ) 29.0 ° C ( 84.2 ° F ) 23.1 ° C ( 73.6 ° F ) 22.5 ° C ( 72.5 ° F ) 16.5 ° C ( 61.7 ° F ) Valencia 16.4 ° C ( 61.5 ° F ) 7.1 ° C ( 44.8 ° F ) 20.8 ° C ( 69.4 ° F ) 11.5 ° C ( 52.7 ° F ) 30.2 ° C ( 86.4 ° F ) 21.9 ° C ( 71.4 ° F ) 24.4 ° C ( 75.9 ° F ) 15.2 ° C ( 59.4 ° F ) Seville 16.0 ° C ( 60.8 ° F ) 5.7 ° C ( 42.3 ° F ) 23.4 ° C ( 74.1 ° F ) 11.1 ° C ( 52.0 ° F ) 36.0 ° C ( 96.8 ° F ) 20.3 ° C ( 68.5 ° F ) 26.0 ° C ( 78.8 ° F ) 14.4 ° C ( 57.9 ° F ) Lisbon 14.8 ° C ( 58.6 ° F ) 8.3 ° C ( 46.9 ° F ) 19.8 ° C ( 67.6 ° F ) 11.9 ° C ( 53.4 ° F ) 28.3 ° C ( 82.9 ° F ) 18.6 ° C ( 65.5 ° F ) 22.5 ° C ( 72.5 ° F ) 15.1 ° C ( 59.2 ° F ) Porto 13.8 ° C ( 56.8 ° F ) 5.2 ° C ( 41.4 ° F ) 18.1 ° C ( 64.6 ° F ) 9.1 ° C ( 48.4 ° F ) 25.7 ° C ( 78.3 ° F ) 15.9 ° C ( 60.6 ° F ) 20.7 ° C ( 69.3 ° F ) 12.2 ° C ( 54.0 ° F ) Major modern countries Political divisions of the Iberian Peninsula sorted by area : Satellite image of Iberia at night Country / Territory Mainland population km sq mi % Share Spain 43,731,572 approx. 492,175 190,030 79 % occupies most of the peninsula Portugal 10,047,083 approx. 89,015 34,369 15 % occupies most of the west of the peninsula France 3,191,059 33,563 12,959 6 % French Cerdagne is on the south side of the Pyrenees mountain range, which runs along the border between Spain and France. For example, the Segre river, which runs west and then south to meet the Ebro, has its source on the French side. The Pyrenees range is often considered the northeastern boundary of Iberian Peninsula, although the French coastline converges away from the rest of Europe north of the range. Andorra 84,082 468 181 0.1 % a northern edge of the peninsula in the south side of the Pyrenees range between Spain and France Gibraltar ( United Kingdom ) 29,431 7 < 0.1 % a British overseas territory near the southernmost tip of the peninsula Major urban areas Urban Area Country Region Population Madrid Spain Community of Madrid 6,321,398 Barcelona Spain Catalonia 4,604,000 Lisbon Portugal Lisbon 3,035,000 Porto Portugal Northern Portugal 2,163,000 Valencia Spain Valencian Community 1,564,145 The main metropolitan areas of the Iberian Peninsula are Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Valencia, Porto, Seville, Bilbao, Braga, Málaga, Central Asturias ( Gijón - Oviedo - Avilés ), Alicante - Elche, Murcia and Coimbra. Major cities Main articles : Cities of Spain and Cities of Portugal List of cities in the Iberian Peninsula by population City / Town Region & Country Population ( 2011 -- 12 ) City / Town Region & Country Population ( 2011 -- 12 ) Madrid Madrid, Spain 3,233,527 11 Córdoba Andalusia, Spain 328,841 Barcelona Catalonia, Spain 1,620,943 12 Valladolid Castile and León, Spain 311,501 Valencia Valencia, Spain 809,267 13 Vigo Galicia, Spain 297,733 Seville Andalusia, Spain 702,355 14 Vila Nova de Gaia Norte, Portugal 288,749 5 Zaragoza Aragon, Spain 679,624 15 Gijón Asturias, Spain 277,554 6 Málaga Andalusia, Spain 567,433 16 L'Hospitalet Catalonia, Spain 257,057 7 Lisbon Lisboa, Portugal 547,631 17 A Coruña Galicia, Spain 246,146 8 Murcia Murcia, Spain 441,354 18 Vitoria - Gasteiz Basque Country, Spain 242,223 9 Bilbao Basque Country, Spain 351,629 19 Porto Norte, Portugal 237,591 10 Alicante Valencia, Spain 334,678 20 Granada Andalusia, Spain 237,540 Various other notable cities are also present on the peninsula, such as : Elche ( 230,354 ), Oviedo ( 225,973 ), Badalona ( 220,977 ) and Terrassa ( 215 678 ) in Spain ; and Braga ( 181,874 ), Amadora ( 175,558 ), Coimbra ( 102,455 ) and Setúbal ( 90,640 ) in Portugal. Ecology Forests Main article : Forests of the Iberian Peninsula The woodlands of the Iberian Peninsula are distinct ecosystems. Although the various regions are each characterized by distinct vegetation, there are some similarities across the peninsula. While the borders between these regions are not clearly defined, there is a mutual influence that makes it very hard to establish boundaries and some species find their optimal habitat in the intermediate areas. East Atlantic flyway The Iberian Peninsula in an important stopover on the East Atlantic flyway for birds migrating from northern Europe to Africa. For example, curlew sandpipers rest in the region of the Bay of Cádiz. In addition to the birds migrating through, some seven million wading birds from the north spend the winter in the estuaries and wetlands of the Iberian Peninsula, mainly at locations on the Atlantic coast. In Galicia are Ría de Arousa ( a home of grey plover ), Ria de Ortigueira, Ria de Corme and Ria de Laxe. In Portugal, the Aveiro Lagoon hosts Recurvirostra avosetta, the common ringed plover, grey plover and little stint. Ribatejo Province on the Tagus supports Recurvirostra arosetta, grey plover, dunlin, bar - tailed godwit and common redshank. In the Sado Estuary are dunlin, Eurasian curlew, grey plover and common redshank. The Algarve hosts red knot, common greenshank and turnstone. The Guadalquivir Marshes region of Andalusia and the Salinas de Cádiz are especially rich in wintering wading birds : Kentish plover, common ringed plover, sanderling, and black - tailed godwit in addition to the others. And finally, the Ebro delta is home to all the species mentioned above. Languages Main article : Languages of Iberia Further information : Languages of Andorra, Languages of Gibraltar, Languages of Spain, and Languages of Portugal With the sole exception of Basque, which is of unknown origin, all modern Iberian languages descend from Vulgar Latin and belong to the Western Romance languages. Throughout history ( and pre-history ), many different languages have been spoken in the Iberian Peninsula, contributing to the formation and differentiation of the contemporaneous languages of Iberia ; however, most of them have become extinct or fallen into disuse. Basque is the only non-Indo - European surviving language in Iberia and Western Europe. In modern times, Spanish ( cf. 30 to 40 million speakers ), Portuguese ( cf. around 10 million speakers ), Catalan ( cf. around 9 million speakers ), Galician ( cf. around 3 million speakers ) and Basque ( cf. around 1 million speakers ) are the most widely spoken languages in the Iberian Peninsula. Spanish and Portuguese have expanded beyond Iberia to the rest of world, becoming global languages. Economy Major industries include mining, tourism, small farms, and fishing. Because the coast is so long, fishing is popular, especially sardines, tuna, cod and anchovies. Most of the mining happens in the Pyrenees mountains ; iron, gold, coal, valuable minerals -- such as lead, silver, zinc, and salt -- are all mined. See also Continental Portugal De rebus Hispaniae Forests of the Iberian Peninsula Hispania Hispanic Iberian and Celtic architecture Iberian Federalism Iberian Pact Imperator totius Hispaniae Languages of Iberia List of World Heritage Sites in Portugal List of World Heritage Sites in Spain Nationalities and regions of Spain Peninsular Spain Peninsulars Spanish and Portuguese Jews Spanish irredentism Notes Jump up ^ In the local languages : Spanish, Portuguese, Galician and Asturian : Península Ibérica ( mostly rendered in lowercase in Spanish : península ibérica ) Spanish : ( peˈninsula iˈβeɾika ) ( the same in Asturian ) Portuguese : ( pɨˈnĩsulɐ iˈβɛɾikɐ ; pe -, - ˈbɛ - ) Galician : ( peˈninsula iˈβɛɾika ) Catalan : Península Ibèrica Eastern Catalan : ( pəˈninsulə iˈβɛɾikə ; - ˈbɛ - ) Western Catalan : ( peˈninsula iˈβɛɾika ; - ˈbɛ - ) Aragonese and Occitan : Peninsula Iberica Aragonese : ( peninˈsula iβeˈɾika ) Occitan : ( peninˈsylɔ iβeˈɾikɔ ; - beˈʀi - ) French : Péninsule Ibérique ( penɛ̃syl ibeʁik ) Mirandese : Península Eibérica ( p ? ˈnĩsulɐ ejˈβɛɾikɐ ) Basque : Iberiar penintsula ( iβeɾiar penints̺ula ) Jump up ^ In the local languages : Spanish, Aragonese, Asturian and Galician : Iberia Spanish : ( iˈβeɾja ) ( the same in Aragonese and Asturian ) Galician : ( iˈβɛɾja ) Portuguese and Mirandese : Ibéria Portuguese : ( iˈβɛɾiɐ ; - ˈbɛ - ) Mirandese : ( iˈβɛɾiɐ ) Catalan and Occitan : Ibèria Eastern Catalan : ( iˈβɛɾiə ; - ˈbɛ - ) Western Catalan : ( iˈβɛɾia ; - ˈbɛ - ) Occitan : ( iˈβɛɾiɔ ; - ˈbɛʀi - ) French : Ibérie ( ibeʁi ) Basque : Iberia ( iβeɾia ) References Jump up ^ Claire L. Lyons ; John K. Papadopoulos ( 2002 ). The Archaeology of Colonialism. Getty Publications. pp. 68 -- 69. ISBN 978 - 0 - 89236 - 635 - 4. Jump up ^ Strabo. `` Book III Chapter 1 Section 6 ''. Geographica. And also the other Iberians use an alphabet, though not letters of one and the same character, for their speech is not one and the same. ^ Jump up to : Charles Ebel ( 1976 ). Transalpine Gaul : The Emergence of a Roman Province. Brill Archive. pp. 48 -- 49. ISBN 90 - 04 - 04384 - 5. Jump up ^ Ricardo Padrón ( 1 February 2004 ). The Spacious Word : Cartography, Literature, and Empire in Early Modern Spain. University of Chicago Press. p. 252. ISBN 978 - 0 - 226 - 64433 - 2. Jump up ^ Carl Waldman ; Catherine Mason ( 2006 ). Encyclopedia of European Peoples. Infobase Publishing. p. 404. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4381 - 2918 - 1. Jump up ^ Strabo ( 1988 ). The Geography ( in Ancient Greek and English ). II. Horace Leonard Jones ( trans. ). Cambridge : Bill Thayer. p. 118, Note 1 on 3.4. 19. Jump up ^ Herodotus ( 1827 ). The nine books of the History of Herodotus, tr. from the text of T. Gaisford, with notes and a summary by P.E. Laurent. p. 75. ^ Jump up to : III. 4.19. Jump up ^ III. 37. Jump up ^ III. 17. Jump up ^ III. 4.11. Jump up ^ Félix Gaffiot ( 1934 ). Dictionnaire illustré latin - français. Hachette. p. 764. Jump up ^ Greg Woolf ( 8 June 2012 ). Rome : An Empire 's Story. Oxford University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 997217 - 3. Jump up ^ Berkshire Review. Williams College. 1965. p. 7. Jump up ^ Carlos B. Vega ( 2 October 2003 ). Conquistadoras : Mujeres Heroicas de la Conquista de America. McFarland. p. 15. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7864 - 8208 - 5. Jump up ^ Virgil ( 1846 ). The Eclogues and Georgics of Virgil. Harper & Brothers. p. 377. Jump up ^ III. 3.21. Jump up ^ White, Horace ; Jona Lendering. `` Appian 's History of Rome : The Spanish Wars ( § § 6 -- 10 ) ''. livius.org. pp. Chapter 7. Retrieved 1 December 2008. Jump up ^ `` Polybius : The Histories : III. 6.2 ''. Bill Thayer. ^ Jump up to : Morris Student Plus, Basque - English dictionary Jump up ^ Jonathan Adams ( 26 February 2010 ). Species Richness : Patterns in the Diversity of Life. Springer. p. 208. ISBN 978 - 3 - 540 - 74278 - 4. Jump up ^ Persistent Entity. `` Haplogroup R1b ( Y - DNA ) ''. NAP Professional. North American Pharmacal. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Jump up ^ Case, H ( 2007 ). ' Beakers and Beaker Culture ' Beyond Stonehenge : Essays on the Bronze Age in honour of Colin Burgess. Oxford : Oxbow. pp. 237 -- 254. Jump up ^ Abraham Ibn Daud 's Dorot ' Olam ( Generations of the Ages ) : A Critical Edition and Translation of Zikhron Divrey Romi, Divrey Malkhey Yisra ? el, and the Midrash on Zechariah. BRILL. 7 June 2013. p. 57. ISBN 978 - 90 - 04 - 24815 - 1. Retrieved 10 August 2013. Jump up ^ Julio Samsó ( 1998 ). The Formation of Al - Andalus : History and society. Ashgate. pp. 41 -- 42. ISBN 978 - 0 - 86078 - 708 - 2. Retrieved 10 August 2013. Jump up ^ Jaime Vicens Vives ( 1970 ). Approaches to the History of Spain. University of California Press. p. 37. ISBN 978 - 0 - 520 - 01422 - 0. Jump up ^ Darío Fernández - Morera ( 9 February 2016 ). The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise. Intercollegiate Studies Institute. p. 286. ISBN 978 - 1 - 5040 - 3469 - 2. Jump up ^ F.E. Peters ( 11 April 2009 ). The Monotheists : Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Conflict and Competition, Volume I : The Peoples of God. Princeton University Press. p. 182. ISBN 1 - 4008 - 2570 - 9. Jump up ^ III. 1.3. Jump up ^ Fischer, T ( 1920 ). `` The Iberian Peninsula : Spain ''. In Mill, Hugh Robert. The International Geography. New York and London : D. Appleton and Company. pp. 368 -- 377. Jump up ^ These figures sum the figures given in the Wikipedia articles on the geography of Spain and Portugal. Most figures from Internet sources on Spain and Portugal include the coastlines of the islands owned by each country and thus are not a reliable guide to the coastline of the peninsula. Moreover, the length of a coastline may vary significantly depending on where and how it is measured. Jump up ^ Edmunds, WM ; K Hinsby ; C Marlin ; MT Condesso de Melo ; M Manyano ; R Vaikmae ; Y Travi ( 2001 ). `` Evolution of groundwater systems at the European coastline ''. In Edmunds, W.M. ; Milne, C.J. Palaeowaters in Coastal Europe : Evolution of Groundwater Since the Late Pleistocene. London : Geological Society. p. 305. ISBN 1 - 86239 - 086 - X. Jump up ^ `` Iberian Peninsula -- Atlantic Coast ''. An Atlas of Oceanic Internal Solitary Waves ( pdf ). Global Ocean Associates. February 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2008. Jump up ^ Silurian graptolite biostratigraphy of the Galicia - Tras - os - Montes Zone ( Spain and Portugal ) Jump up ^ Edited by W Gibbons & T Moreno, Geology of Spain, 2002, ISBN 978 - 1 - 86239 - 110 - 9 Jump up ^ Introduction to the Birds of Spain Jump up ^ `` Standard climate values for Almería ''. Aemet.es. Retrieved 7 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` Standard climate values for Córdoba ''. Aemet.es. Retrieved 7 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` Standard climate values for A Coruña ''. Aemet.es. Retrieved 7 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` Standard Climate Values, Spain ''. Aemet.es. Retrieved 7 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` IPMA Climate Normals ''. ipma.pt. Retrieved 7 March 2015. Jump up ^ Population only includes the inhabitants of mainland Spain ( excluding the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla ), mainland Portugal ( excluding Madeira and Azores ), Andorra and Gibraltar. Jump up ^ Census data, `` Official Spanish census '' Jump up ^ Census data, `` Portuguese census department '' Jump up ^ Peter Sahlins ( 1989 ). Boundaries : The Making of France and Spain in the Pyrenees. University of California Press. p. 49. ISBN 978 - 0 - 520 - 91121 - 5. Jump up ^ Paul Wilstach ( 1931 ). Along the Pyrenees. Robert M. McBride Company. p. 102. Jump up ^ James Erskine Murray ( 1837 ). A Summer in the Pyrenees. J. Macrone. p. 92. Jump up ^ http://www.populationdata.net/index2.php?option=pays&pid=62&nom=espagne Jump up ^ http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf Jump up ^ http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf Demographia : World Urban Areas Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013. Jump up ^ `` Urban Audit - CityProfiles ''. Archived from the original on 26 June 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2009. Jump up ^ Hortas, Francisco ; Jordi Figuerols ( 2006 ). `` Migration pattern of Curlew Sandpipers Calidris ferruginea on the south - western coastline of the Iberian Peninsula '' ( pdf ). International Wader Studies. 19 : 144 -- 147. Retrieved 7 December 2008. Jump up ^ Dominguez, Jesus ( 1990 ). `` Distribution of estuarine waders wintering in the Iberian Peninsula in 1978 -- 1982 '' ( PDF ). Wader Study Group Bulletin. 59 : 25 -- 28. Jump up ^ http://www.euskara.euskadi.eus/r59-738/es/contenidos/noticia/inkesta_soziol_2012/es_berria/berria.html External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iberian Peninsula. Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Iberian Peninsula. Arioso, Pāolā ; Diego Meozzi. `` Iberian Peninsula Links ''. Stone Pages. Retrieved 5 December 2008. Flores, Carlos ; Nicole Maca - Meyer ; Ana M Gonzalez ; Peter J Oefner ; Peidong Shen ; Jose A Perez ; Antonio Rojas ; Jose M Larruga ; Peter A Underhill ( 2004 ). `` Reduced genetic structure of the Iberian Peninsula revealed by Y - chromosome analysis : implications for population demography '' ( PDF ). European Journal of Human Genetics. 12 ( 10 ) : 855 -- 863. doi : 10.1038 / sj. ejhg. 5201225. PMID 15280900. Archived from the original ( pdf ) on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2008. Loyd, Nick ( 2007 ). `` IberiaNature : A guide to the environment, climate, wildlife, geography and nature of Spain ''. Retrieved 4 December 2008. Silva, Luís Fraga de. `` Ethnologic Map of Pre-Roman Iberia ( circa 200 B.C. ). NEW VERSION # 10 '' ( in English, Portuguese, and Latin ). Associação Campo Arqueológico de Tavira, Tavira, Portugal. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008. Mountain systems of the Iberian Peninsula Galician Massif Cantabrian Mountains Pyrenees Catalan Mediterranean System Sistema Ibérico Central System Montes de Toledo Sierra Morena Baetic System Ancient Greek cities of the Iberian peninsula Akra Leuke Alonis Emporion Hemeroscopion Kalathousa Mainake Menestheus 's Limin Illicitanus Limin / Portus Illicitanus Rhode Salauris Zakynthos VIAF : 238991012 GND : 4047912 - 2 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iberian_Peninsula&oldid=833164125 '' Categories : Iberian Peninsula Peninsulas of Europe Geography of Southwestern Europe Regions of Europe Geography of Portugal Geography of Spain Geography of Andorra Geography of Gibraltar Geography of France Historic Jewish communities Peninsulas of Portugal Peninsulas of Spain Southwestern Europe Hidden categories : Articles containing Catalan - language text Articles containing French - language text Articles containing Mirandese - language text Articles containing Basque - language text CS1 foreign language sources ( ISO 639 - 2 ) Use dmy dates from March 2015 Articles containing Aragonese - language text Articles containing Asturian - language text Articles containing explicitly cited English - language text Articles containing Galician - language text Articles containing Occitan - language text Articles containing Portuguese - language text Articles containing Spanish - language text Articles containing Somali - language text Coordinates on Wikidata Articles containing Arabic - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2018 Articles with unsourced statements from March 2009 CS1 Portuguese - language sources ( pt ) CS1 Latin - language sources ( la ) Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Languages Afrikaans Alemannisch አማርኛ Ænglisc Aragonés Arpetan Asturianu Azərbaycanca বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Чӑвашла Cebuano Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Dolnoserbski Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Estremeñu Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Frysk Gaeilge Gaelg Galego 客家 語 / Hak - kâ - ngî 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hornjoserbsce Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Ирон Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Kiswahili Kurdî Кыргызча Кырык мары Ladino Лезги ລາວ Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Magyar Македонски Malagasy മലയാളം मराठी მარგალური مصرى مازِرونی Bahasa Melayu Mirandés Монгол Nederlands 日本 語 Нохчийн Nordfriisk Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Patois Polski Ποντιακά Português Română Русский Sardu Scots Shqip Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் Татарча / tatarça ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Vepsän kel ' Tiếng Việt 文言 Winaray 吴语 ייִדיש 粵語 中文 109 more Edit links This page was last edited on 30 March 2018, at 00 : 48. 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Question: who lived in and ruled the iberian peninsula for hundreds of years
Answer: The Muslims, who were initially Arabs and Berbers