To map Iberia’s physical landscape is to understand why the region developed as it did: the mountains created isolation, the plateaus created hardy, pastoral communities, and the rivers became corridors for trade and conquest.
: In Greco-Roman geography, "Iberia" didn't just mean Spain; it was also a kingdom in the Caucasus (modern-day Georgia).
On the western edge of the , Portugal is defined by its coastlines. It is shaped like a rectangle laid on its side.
When cartographers map the rivers of Iberia, they are drawing the lifelines of the peninsula. The , the longest river on the peninsula, flows from east to west, emptying into the Atlantic at Lisbon. The Ebro , the mightiest river by volume, flows southeast into the Mediterranean, creating the fertile Ebro Valley. The Guadalquivir in the south creates the rich agricultural lands of Andalusia, historically the breadbasket of the region.
The border zone between Spain and Portugal (La Raya / A Raia) is depopulated. Look at a population density map of Iberia: bright spots are Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, Porto, Valencia; the border areas are dark voids. This is "Empty Spain" (La España Vacía). While empty of people, it contains Europe’s best-preserved medieval villages.
To map Iberia’s physical landscape is to understand why the region developed as it did: the mountains created isolation, the plateaus created hardy, pastoral communities, and the rivers became corridors for trade and conquest.
: In Greco-Roman geography, "Iberia" didn't just mean Spain; it was also a kingdom in the Caucasus (modern-day Georgia). map iberia
On the western edge of the , Portugal is defined by its coastlines. It is shaped like a rectangle laid on its side. To map Iberia’s physical landscape is to understand
When cartographers map the rivers of Iberia, they are drawing the lifelines of the peninsula. The , the longest river on the peninsula, flows from east to west, emptying into the Atlantic at Lisbon. The Ebro , the mightiest river by volume, flows southeast into the Mediterranean, creating the fertile Ebro Valley. The Guadalquivir in the south creates the rich agricultural lands of Andalusia, historically the breadbasket of the region. It is shaped like a rectangle laid on its side
The border zone between Spain and Portugal (La Raya / A Raia) is depopulated. Look at a population density map of Iberia: bright spots are Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, Porto, Valencia; the border areas are dark voids. This is "Empty Spain" (La España Vacía). While empty of people, it contains Europe’s best-preserved medieval villages.