← Previous revision | Revision as of 16:29, 9 July 2025 | ||
Line 86: | Line 86: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Iberia''', officially the '''Republic of Iberia''' ([[Latin|Revised Standard Latin]]: ''Respublica Iberiense''), is a country in southwestern [[Europe]]. It is the largest and most populated [[European Union]] [[Member state of the European Union|member state]]. Spanning across the entirety of the [[Iberian Peninsula]], its territories also include the [[Balearic Islands]] in the western [[Mediterranean Sea]][[Atlantic Ocean|,]] and the [[Canary Islands]], [[Azores]] and [[Madeira]] in the eastern [[Atlantic Ocean]]. Peninsular Iberia is bordered to the north by [[France]] and the [[Bay of Biscay|Biscay Sea]]; to the east and south by the Mediterranean Sea; and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Iberia's [[Capital city|capital]] and largest city is [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], and other major urban areas include [[Lisbon|Lisboa]], [[Barcelona]], [[Valencia|Valenza]], [[Seville|Sevilla]], [[Zaragoza|Zaragosa]], [[Bilbao|Bilbo]] and [[Santiago de Compostela|Compostela]]. |
'''Iberia''', officially the '''Republic of Iberia''' ([[Latin|Revised Standard Latin]]: ''Respublica Iberiense''), is a country in southwestern [[Europe]]. It is the largest and most populated [[European Union]] [[Member state of the European Union|member state]]. Spanning across the entirety of the [[Iberian Peninsula]], its territories also include the [[Balearic Islands]] in the western [[Mediterranean Sea]][[Atlantic Ocean|,]] and the [[Canary Islands]], [[Azores]] and [[Madeira]] in the eastern [[Atlantic Ocean]]. Peninsular Iberia is bordered to the north by [[France]] and the [[Bay of Biscay|Biscay Sea]]; to the east and south by the Mediterranean Sea; and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Iberia's [[Capital city|capital]] and largest city is [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], and other major urban areas include [[Lisbon|Lisboa]], [[Barcelona]], [[Valencia|Valenza]], [[Seville|Sevilla]], [[Zaragoza|Zaragosa]], [[Bilbao|Bilbo]] and [[Santiago de Compostela|Compostela]]. |
||
The Iberian Peninsula has been inhabited since around 5500 BC, with early cultures such as the Celts and Ibers developing distinct identities by the first millennium BC. By the second century BC, the region was conquered by the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire, becoming the province of Hispania. Roman rule introduced Latin, Roman law, infrastructure, and Christianity, profoundly shaping the peninsula’s culture and society. |
|||
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Visigoths established a kingdom centered in Toledo, lasting until the early eighth century when Muslim forces from the Umayyad Caliphate invaded and created Al-Andalus. Córdoba became a major center of Islamic culture and learning, while Christian kingdoms in the north—Asturias, León, Castile, Aragon, Navarre, and the County of Portugal—resisted and gradually reclaimed territory in the centuries-long Reconquista, culminating in 1492 with the fall of Granada. |
|||
During the medieval period, Portugal emerged as an independent kingdom in 1179, evolving from a county under León. The Crowns of Castile and Aragon united under the Catholic Monarchs in 1479, setting the stage for Spain’s formation. Both kingdoms led the Age of Discovery: Portugal established maritime routes to Africa, India, and beyond, while Spain built vast American colonies. From 1580 to 1640, the Iberian Union temporarily united their crowns before Portugal regained independence. The Napoleonic Wars and subsequent 19th-century turmoil further shaped the peninsula’s political landscape, with monarchies, republics, and conflicts defining Spain and Portugal’s paths. |
|||
In the twentieth century, Spain endured a civil war (1936–1939) and Franco’s dictatorship, while Portugal was ruled by the Estado Novo regime. Portugal’s 1974 Carnation Revolution ended its dictatorship and accelerated decolonization, while Spain transitioned to democracy after Franco’s death in 1975, restoring the monarchy under King Juan Carlos I. Dissatisfaction with the Spanish monarchy grew, leading to a referendum in the 2020s that abolished it and established a republic. Talks on Iberian unification followed, including Andorra, with referendums held between 2027 and 2029 in Spain, Portugal, France, the UK, and Andorra. France ceded the Basque Country and Roussillon, the UK transferred Gibraltar, and Morocco took Ceuta, Melilla, and other Spanish North African territories. In 2030, Spain, Portugal, and Andorra officially merged to form the Republic of Iberia, incorporating these territories into the new state. |