Geography:
Spain occupies 85% of the Iberian Peninsula, which it shares with Portugal, in the southeast Europe. Africa is less than 10 mi (16 km) south of the Strait of Gibraltar. A broad central plateau slopes to the south and east, crossed by a series of mountain ranges and river valleys. Main rivers are the Ebro in the northeast, the Tajo in the central region, and the Guadalquivir River in the south. Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean are the Balearic Islands (1,936 square miles 5.014 km ²), the largest of which is Majorca. Sixty mi (97 km) west of Africa are the Canary Islands (2,808 sq mi, 7.273 km ²).
History :
Spain , originally inhabited by the Celts, Iberians and Basques, became part of the Roman Empire in 206 BC , when it was conquered by Scipio Africanus . In AD 412 , the barbarian Visigothic leader Ataulf crossed the Pyrenees and ruled Spain , first in the name of the Roman emperor , and then independently. In 711 , the Muslims under Tariq entered Spain from Africa and some completed years subjugation of the country. In 732 , the Franks , led by Charles Martel defeated the Muslims near Poitiers , thus preventing the further spread of Islam in Southeast Europe . Internal dissension of Spanish Islam invited a steady Christian conquest from the north.
Aragon and Castile were the most important Spanish states from the 12th to the 15th century , consolidated by the marriage of Ferdinand II and Isabella I in 1469 . In 1478 , they created the Inquisition to root out heresy and uncover Jews and Muslims who had not sincerely converted to Christianity. Torquemada , the most famous grand inquisitors , embodies the harshness and cruelty of the Inquisition. The last Muslim stronghold , Granada , was captured in 1492. Roman Catholicism was established as the official religion of the state and most of the Jews ( 1492 ) and Muslim ( 1502 ) were expelled . In the era of exploration, discovery and colonization , Spain amassed enormous wealth and a huge colonial empire through the conquest of Mexico by Cortés (1519-1521) and Peru by Pizarro (1532-1533) . The Spanish Hapsburg monarchy became for the world's most powerful time . In 1588 , Philip II sent his invincible Armada to invade England, but its destruction cost Spain its supremacy on the seas and paved the way for the colonization of America from England . Spain then sank rapidly to the status of second-rate power under the rule of weak Hapsburg kings , and he has never played a major role in European politics . The War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) resulted in the loss of Belgium , Luxembourg, Milan , Sardinia and Naples to Spain. Its colonial empire in the Americas and the Philippines vanished in wars and revolutions in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Spain occupies 85% of the Iberian Peninsula, which it shares with Portugal, in the southeast Europe. Africa is less than 10 mi (16 km) south of the Strait of Gibraltar. A broad central plateau slopes to the south and east, crossed by a series of mountain ranges and river valleys. Main rivers are the Ebro in the northeast, the Tajo in the central region, and the Guadalquivir River in the south. Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean are the Balearic Islands (1,936 square miles 5.014 km ²), the largest of which is Majorca. Sixty mi (97 km) west of Africa are the Canary Islands (2,808 sq mi, 7.273 km ²).
History :
Spain , originally inhabited by the Celts, Iberians and Basques, became part of the Roman Empire in 206 BC , when it was conquered by Scipio Africanus . In AD 412 , the barbarian Visigothic leader Ataulf crossed the Pyrenees and ruled Spain , first in the name of the Roman emperor , and then independently. In 711 , the Muslims under Tariq entered Spain from Africa and some completed years subjugation of the country. In 732 , the Franks , led by Charles Martel defeated the Muslims near Poitiers , thus preventing the further spread of Islam in Southeast Europe . Internal dissension of Spanish Islam invited a steady Christian conquest from the north.
Aragon and Castile were the most important Spanish states from the 12th to the 15th century , consolidated by the marriage of Ferdinand II and Isabella I in 1469 . In 1478 , they created the Inquisition to root out heresy and uncover Jews and Muslims who had not sincerely converted to Christianity. Torquemada , the most famous grand inquisitors , embodies the harshness and cruelty of the Inquisition. The last Muslim stronghold , Granada , was captured in 1492. Roman Catholicism was established as the official religion of the state and most of the Jews ( 1492 ) and Muslim ( 1502 ) were expelled . In the era of exploration, discovery and colonization , Spain amassed enormous wealth and a huge colonial empire through the conquest of Mexico by Cortés (1519-1521) and Peru by Pizarro (1532-1533) . The Spanish Hapsburg monarchy became for the world's most powerful time . In 1588 , Philip II sent his invincible Armada to invade England, but its destruction cost Spain its supremacy on the seas and paved the way for the colonization of America from England . Spain then sank rapidly to the status of second-rate power under the rule of weak Hapsburg kings , and he has never played a major role in European politics . The War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) resulted in the loss of Belgium , Luxembourg, Milan , Sardinia and Naples to Spain. Its colonial empire in the Americas and the Philippines vanished in wars and revolutions in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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