Portugal -- Spain relations - wikipedia Portugal -- Spain relations `` Portugal and Spain '' redirects here. For the peninsula that consists of Spain and Portugal, see Iberian Peninsula. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( February 2010 ) Portugal - Spain relations Portugal Spain Portugal -- Spain relations describes relations between the governments of the Portuguese Republic and the Kingdom of Spain. The two states make up the vast majority of the Iberian Peninsula and as such, the relationship between the two is sometimes known as Iberian relations. In recent years, both countries have enjoyed a much friendlier relationship. The two countries have the European Union, Eurozone, Schengen Area, and NATO in common. Portugal and Spain had been rival sea powers as early as the fourteenth century. Portugal was more naturally - inclined to venture out on sea expeditions than Spain it being closer to the coast. Portugal was in a position to explore the area facing the Atlantic and adjacent to the African coast. In successfully doing so, it discovered that Africa has been the Arab world 's major source of gold brought by camel caravans across the Sahara. This prompted Prince Henry to send expeditions farther south along the Africa coast. Bartolomeu Dias and his crew found themselves sailing in the eastern coast of Africa after a South Atlantic gale blew their ships around the southern tip of the African continent. This passage is now known as the Cape of Good Hope. An expedition headed by Vasco da Gama was sent on a diplomatic and trade mission to India. He followed the route of Dias until he reached Malindi ( Kenya ) in East Africa. Da Gama bombarded the town and took Indian hostages. Portugal was able to establish a commercial post in Cochin, a port southwest of India. In 1509, another Portuguese explorer, Diogo Lopes de Sequeira, successfully reached Malacca, an important trade center in Southeast Asia. Spain came into the scene much later. After completely defeating the last Moorish ( Muslim ) stronghold in Spain, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela directed their attention to the search for new territories overseas. The rivalry between Spain and Portugal raised fears of possible military conflict. Spain was convinced that it had finally reached Asia with the expedition undertaken by Christopher Colombus. Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator, convinced Charles I of Spain to finance an expedition exploring the Pacific Ocean. Magellan was killed in Mactan but his remaining crew was able to continue the voyage and bring the good news of their circumnavigation of the world to the Spanish king and to Europe. Contents 1 History 1.1 Reconquista 1.2 Overseas expansion 1.3 Iberian Union 1.4 18th century 1.5 Napoleonic era 1.6 1930s 1.7 End of isolation 2 Present 3 Later disputes 3.1 Olivença / Olivenza 3.2 Savage Islands territorial water 3.3 Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant and nuclear storage 4 Resident diplomatic missions 5 See also 6 Further reading 7 References 8 External links History Reconquista Being the first nation in Iberian Peninsula, Portugal emerged earlier than Spain and formed as a kingdom on 24 June 1128 after winning the Battle of São Mamede in an effort led by Afonso Henriques, who proclaimed himself King of Portugal in 25 July 1139 after defeating the Moors in the Battle of Ourique, all within the Reconquista. Henriques was recognized as such in 1143 by King Alfonso VII of León and in 1179 by Pope Alexander III. Spain is believed to have begun by the Union of the crowns of Castile and Aragon in 1479, although the unification of Spain and creation of one nation state only took place during the Age of Enlightenment. Until then the word Spain ( Hispânia ) was only a geographic location referring to the Iberian peninsula. It was only in the constitution of 1812 that the name `` Españas '' ( Spains ) was adopted for the country along with the use of the title of `` king of the Spains ''. The constitution of 1876 adopts for the first time the name `` Spain '' for the Spanish nation and from then on the kings would use the title of `` king of Spain ''. Portugal, Castille and Aragon were allies in the Reconquista in which they reconquered land from the Muslim Moors in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal 's reconquest was fully achieved by 1249, while Spain finished its reconquest in 1492. Hopes to unite all Iberian medieval kingdoms vanished at the death of Miguel da Paz, Prince of Portugal, Prince of Asturias, Prince of Girona and Prince of Viana, in 1500. Overseas expansion Portugal 's copy of the Treaty of Tordesillas ( 1494 ) divided the New World between Portugal and Castile. During the 15th century, Portugal built increasingly large fleets of ships and began to explore the world beyond Europe, sending explorers to Africa and Asia. Castile followed suit decades later. Following the first voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Caribbean in 1492, both states began acquiring territory in the New World. As a result of the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, Portugal acquired its most potentially important colony, Brazil ( much of the South American continent ), as well as a number of possessions in Africa and Asia, while Castile took the rest of South America and much of the North American continent. This line of demarcation was about halfway between the Cape Verde Islands ( already Portuguese ) and the islands claimed for Castile by Columbus on his first voyage. Although the Treaty of Tordesillas attempted to clarify their empires, many subsequent treaties were needed to establish the modern boundaries of Brazil, and the 1529 Treaty of Zaragoza was needed to demarcate their Asian possessions. Iberian Union King Philip II of Spain was crowned King Philip I of Portugal in 1580. He did not officially unite the two kingdoms. In 1578, King Sebastian of Portugal died in the Battle of Alcácer Quibir against the Moroccans and the Turks. Having no heirs, he was succeeded by his great - uncle Henry of Portugal, who reigned until his death ( 31 January 1580 ). Henry also lacked heirs, and his death triggered a succession crisis, where the main claimants to the throne were Philip II of Spain and Anthony, Prior of Crato. Philip was crowned king in 1581, beginning a personal union between the two nations known as the Iberian Union. After a three - year - long war with Anthony and his foreign allies, resistance crumbled and the union was consolidated. The Iberian Union lasted for almost sixty years until 1640, when the Portuguese Restoration War was initiated against Castile, and Portugal reestablished the Portuguese dynasty under the Bragança. 18th century During the wars of the 18th century, which were often fought by the major powers to maintain the European balance of power, Spain and Portugal usually found themselves on opposite sides. The Portuguese, courtesy of their long - standing alliance, aligned themselves with Great Britain, while Spain, through the Bourbon Family Compact, allied themselves to France. In 1762, during the Seven Years ' War, Castile launched an unsuccessful invasion of Portugal. In 1777, there was a conflict between the two states over the borders of their possessions in South America. Napoleonic era Main article : Peninsular War In 1807, the king of Castile and his French allies invaded Portugal, using a route that crossed through Spanish territory. However, the French decided to take over both countries, overthrowing the King of Spain and forcing the Portuguese royal family to escape to the Portuguese colony of Brazil. Spain and Portugal subsequently became allies for the first time in centuries and, allied to a British army under Sir Arthur Wellesley, drove the French back across the border in 1813 after a prolonged, brutal conflict known as the Peninsular War. After the fall of Napoleon, both countries came close to war a number of times during the early 19th century. Both lost their American colonies shortly after the end of the Peninsular War, which severely weakened their global power. 1930s The 1930s saw similar right - leaning, authoritarian and nationalist regimes emerge in both countries. In Portugal, António de Oliveira Salazar established his Estado Novo in 1933. In 1936, Francisco Franco launched a rebellion against the Spanish government, and after three years of civil war, his nationalists were triumphant. Both states remained neutral in World War II, though Spain was more predisposed to Nazi Germany, Portugal also maintained a friendly relationship with Nazi Germany, supplying it with many key resources such as tungsten. Yet in virtue of the 14th century alliance Portugal had with England, it was also supplying Britain with all sorts of produce, and whilst the Germans had to pay immediately, Britain had an open account for most of the war. World War II came to a close in 1945, with the Allies victorious, the two states of Portugal and Spain became increasingly isolated with their governments rooted in the old war, as authoritarian dictatorships, rather than the democracy that was being established or re-established throughout the rest of Western Europe. While the other European colonial powers, such as France, Britain, and the Netherlands, gave up their colonial empires in the post-war years, both Spain and Portugal clung to their possessions around the globe. Portugal fought a costly colonial war in Africa, and in 1961 saw its territory of Goa invaded by India. Despite their apparent mutual self - interest, there was very little co-operation between Spain and Portugal when it came to defending their empires. End of isolation Further information : Carnation Revolution and Expansion of the European Union In 1974, the dictatorship of the Estado Novo was brought to an end by a left - wing military coup known as the Carnation Revolution. This left Spain increasingly isolated from the rest of Europe, which lasted until the death of Franco a year later, after which Spain returned to being a constitutional monarchy and embraced parliamentarism. The PREC that had followed the Carnation Revolution in Portugal came to an end in 1976, and Portugal also became a democracy. The two states gave independence to their former colonies, liberalized their economies, and began the process of applying for membership of the European Economic Community. In 1986, the two states formally entered the Community, which is now known as the European Union, pursuant to the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon. Present Flags of Spain and Portugal at a friendly volleyball game between their national teams. Current relations between Spain and Portugal are outstandingly good. They cooperate in the fight against drug trafficking and forest fires ( common in the Iberian Peninsula in summers ), for example. These close relations are facilitated by similar governments ; such as the conservative governments of José María Aznar and José Manuel Durão Barroso and the social democratic governments of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and José Sócrates. Sócrates even claims that he has one of the best personal relations with Zapatero among international political relationships. In 1998, both countries signed the Albufeira Convention, an agreement on the sharing of trans - boundary rivers such as the Douro, Tagus, and Guadiana. The convention superseded an original agreement on the Douro, signed in 1927, that was expanded in 1964 and 1968 to include tributaries. The Albufeira Convention governs the equitable use of water and environmental concerns. In 2009, the two countries submitted an unsuccessful joint bid to either host the 2018 or the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Later disputes Olivença / Olivenza There is an unsettled territorial dispute on the Portugal - Spain border regarding the municipality of Olivenza / Olivença and the smaller town and municipality of Táliga, both currently administered as a part of the province of Badajoz, in the Spanish autonomous community of Extremadura. Olivenza / Olivença had been under continuous Portuguese sovereignty since prior to 1297 when it was occupied by the Spanish in 1801 and formally ceded by Portugal later that year by the Treaty of Badajoz. Spain claims de jure sovereignty over Olivenza / Olivença on the grounds that the Treaty of Badajoz still stands and has never been revoked, despite that Spain also signed the Treaty of Vienna in 1817, restoring Olivenza / Olivença to Portugal. Portugal claims de jure sovereignty over Olivenza / Olivença on the grounds that the Treaty of Badajoz was revoked by its own terms ( Which stated : The breach of any of its articles would lead to its cancellation ) when Spain invaded Portugal in the Peninsular War of 1807, and foremost, due to the fact that Spain signed the Treaty of Vienna in 1815, which recognizes Olivenza / Olivença as Portuguese territory. Savage Islands territorial water Recently, Spain has also initiated a diffuse dispute regarding Portugal 's Exclusive Economic Zone in the territorial waters of the Savage Islands ( a small archipelago north of the Canary Islands ), under Portuguese sovereignty. Spain objects on the basis that the Savage Islands do not have a separate continental shelf, according to the article 121 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the same law that Spain refuses to acknowledge when it comes to Gibraltar. The status of the Savage Islands as islands or rocks is thus at the core of the current dispute, mainly due to Spanish aspirations for fishing and mineral exploration. Today the Savage Islands constitute a natural reserve whose inhabitants are a small Portuguese Marine Corps combat detachment, and two wardens of Madeira 's Natural Park. Over the years the Portuguese authorities have seized some Spanish fishing boats and crew around the area for illegal fishing and theft of light beacons and navigation buoys. Almaraz nuclear power plant and nuclear storage As of 2017 Spain had approved a nuclear waste warehouse next to the Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant ( which uses the Tagus river that flows into Portugal for cooling of the reactors ), which is near the Portugal -- Spain border, without carrying out any consultations or impact studies. Portugal has taken the matter to the EU, protests planned on January 12 at Spanish consulates were organised by Movimiento Ibérico Antinuclear, which coincided with a meeting between Portuguese and Spanish delegates in Madrid, which ended in deadlock and Portugal to complain to the EU that Spain ignored the potential cross-border impact with no studies being carried out, which is against European Union rules. Spanish secretary of State for the EU Jorge Toledo Albiñana has said work will start regardless of Portugals complaints, and uranium bars that will remain radioactive for the next 300 years will be stored on site. Resident diplomatic missions Portugal has an embassy in Madrid and consulates - general in Barcelona and Seville and a consulate in Vigo. Spain has an embassy in Lisbon and a consulate general in Porto and consulates in Valença and Vila Real de Santo António. See also Portugal portal Spain portal International relations portal 1383 -- 85 Crisis Portuguese Empire Spanish Empire Foreign relations of Spain Foreign relations of Portugal Greater Portugal Spanish irredentism Iberism Further reading Vicente, António Pedro ( 2003 ). Espanha e Portugal : Um olhar sobre as relações peninsulares no século XX. Tribuna da História. ISBN 9789728799014. References Jump up ^ `` Spanish - Portuguese Albufeira Convention ''. United Nations. Retrieved 18 February 2015. Jump up ^ Lacleta Muñoz, José Manuel : `` Las fronteras de España en el mar ''. Documentos de trabajo 34 - 2004, Real Instituto Elcano Jump up ^ United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Part VIII, Article 121 Jump up ^ `` Historial '' ( in Portuguese ) Jump up ^ Carvalho, Luis and Leitão, Nuno, A Noção `` Estratégica '' das Ilhas Selvagens ( in Portuguese ) Archived 2008 - 02 - 23 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` FECHAR ALMARAZ ''. Retrieved 17 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Environmental groups to protest at Spanish Consulate over nuclear plant ''. Retrieved 5 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Governments of Portugal, Spain meet today to discuss Almaraz ''. Retrieved 12 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Portugal to complain to EU about Spanish nuclear waste project ''. Retrieved 17 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Portugal to complain to EU over Spain 's planned nuclear dump site ''. Retrieved 17 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Nuclear waste dump on Tejo river begins construction `` in next few days '' ``. Retrieved 17 January 2017. Jump up ^ Embassy of Portugal in Madrid ( in Portuguese and Spanish ) Jump up ^ Embassy of Spain in Lisbon ( in Portuguese and Spanish ) External links Grupo de Amigos de Olivença Foreign relations of Portugal Africa Angola Morocco Mozambique São Tomé and Príncipe South Africa Americas Argentina Brazil Canada Mexico United States Uruguay Asia Armenia Azerbaijan Bangladesh China East Timor India Indonesia Japan Thailand Europe Albania Bulgaria Denmark Kosovo Malta Russia Serbia Spain Ukraine United Kingdom Multilateral European Union Portuguese Language Countries Ibero - America Missions Diplomatic missions of / in Portugal Foreign relations of Spain Africa Algeria Equatorial Guinea Mauritania Morocco Sahrawi Republic Americas Argentina Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru United States Uruguay Venezuela Asia Armenia Bangladesh China ( Hong Kong ) India Indonesia Israel Japan Kazakhstan Malaysia Pakistan Philippines Turkey Europe Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Denmark France Germany Greece Holy See Hungary Ireland Italy Malta Moldova Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia United Kingdom Oceania Australia New Zealand Related topics Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic missions of / in Spain Spanish diaspora Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Portugal -- Spain_relations&oldid = 839070834 '' Categories : Portugal -- Spain relations Bilateral relations of Spain Bilateral relations of Portugal Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles needing additional references from February 2010 All articles needing additional references Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Português Русский Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 1 May 2018, at 02 : 09. 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Question: what are spain and portugal known as collectively
Answer: Iberian Peninsula