Do you know the Iberian Peninsula countries? The Iberian Peninsula is a piece of land in Europe, below the Pyrenees, surrounded by water and connected only in a part of its northern side with a European country, France.
Is Spain in the Iberian Peninsula? Well… Yes, but there are also other countries in the peninsula and other overseas territories of Spain outside the peninsula. This sounds like a tongue twister, but if you think about it, there are many nations that have overseas territories or that share geography with other countries. Let’s not go any further, we are talking about the United Kingdom.
Discover today with iScribo which territories make up Spain and which are the other countries that have the privilege of sharing the Iberian Peninsula with Spain.
Iberian Peninsula Countries
In the introduction we’ve explained what the Iberian Peninsula is, so now it’s time to explain which countries make it up. You probably thought it was just Spain, but no, the peninsula, despite being incredibly small, is shared by four countries:
– Spain (of course it is!).
– Portugal, located to the west of the Iberian Peninsula.
– Andorra, that curious Principality located between Spain and France.
– Gibraltar, a British territory.
Different Islands in Spain
We have just learned about peninsular Spain, but this country also has an amount of islands.
The Balearic Islands, which we already told you about in another blog post, is an archipelago located to the east of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Mediterranean Sea. The islands that make up this group are Mallorca, Cabrera, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.
The other archipelago, famous for being a sun and beach destination for tourists, is called the Canary Islands. This group of volcanic origin is located to the east of the African continent and is made up of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa, as well as several islets.
Not only Canary Islands and Balearic Islands, Spain has other small islands around the world, such as Pheasant Island, between Hendaye (France) and Irun (Spain), whose sovereignty it shares amicably with France. It is curious that each country governs it every six months. The Chafarinas Islands, between Morocco and Spain, are another example, as are the Ahucemas Islands and Alboran Island.
Do you know Spanish Micronesia? It is a group of tiny islands and islets in the Pacific that are no man’s land due to political oversight, but the last owners were the Spaniards. These islands are Kapingamarangi, Mapia, Nukuoro, Rongrik and Ulithi.
Spanish Territories Around the World
Do you know that there are Spanish territories in Africa? They are Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish autonomous cities in Moroccan territory, on the Mediterranean shore. Ceuta and Melilla are located in a privileged political enclave as the gateway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. They have belonged to Spain for centuries.
Llivia is a small village in France. Most Spaniards ignore this place, but it exists and it is Spanish.
Spain’s territory reaches as far as Antarctica. Yes! That’s right. Antarctica does not belong to any country, but it is true that there are more than twenty nations that have a base on it. It is this fact that makes Spain’s portion of territory so far away, as it has two permanent bases. Curious, isn’t it?
The Wonders of Geography
Politics plays an important role in the allocation and appropriation of territories. There are some islands that are not sovereign to any country but which, because of their location, Spain defends. This is El Perejil, an islet south of Gibraltar.
What about the Embassies? They do not function in the same way as Antarctica since Embassies are regulated and under international jurisdiction. If, in addition to know what the Iberian Peninsula countries are and the Spanish territories around the world, you want to write its wonderful language, Spanish, better, try the iScribo tool and let us know what you think in the comments!
