This means that people who live in portugal spain france morocco italy and algeria can and usually do show strong genetic links to the iberian peninsula. The area that falls within the iberian peninsula dna is shown within the light blue circle in the graphic. Being the second largest peninsula in europe iberia is geographically varied and vast and as such it saw the spread of many isolated and very different cultures.
Over the ages the iberian peninsula was a melting pot of diverse cultures and civilizations a piece of europe that saw numerous migrations and many nations that rose and fell on its soil. Iberian spanish ibero one of a prehistoric people of southern and eastern spain who later gave their name to the whole peninsula the waves of migrating celtic peoples from the 8th to 6th century bc onward settled heavily in northern and central spain penetrated portugal and galicia but left the indigenous bronze age iberian people of the south and east intact. At the nearest point it is only 5 miles 8km from the continent of africa.
Located on the southwestern tip of the european continent the iberian peninsula includes the countries of andorra portugal and spain and the british crown colony of gibraltar. Iberian peninsula map and information page. The pyrenees mountain range forms an effective.
Its name derives from its ancient inhabitants whom the greeks called iberians probably for the ebro iberus the peninsula s second longest river after the tagus. Iberian peninsula peninsula in southwestern europe occupied by spain and portugal. The iberian peninsula aɪ ˈ b ɪər i ə n also known as iberia is located in the southwest corner of europe defining the westernmost edge of eurasia the peninsula is principally divided between spain and portugal comprising most of their territory as well as a small area of southern france andorra and gibraltar with an area of approximately 583 254 square kilometres 225 196 sq mi.
