The Iberian Peninsula

Mediterranean Europe, yes, please!  Now we are at my personal favorite region of Europe-the Mediterranean.  Mediterranean Europe has a subtropical location with mild climate, rainy winters, and hot/dry summers.  First, in case you do not know what a peninsula is-a peninsula (also know as a byland) is a piece of land that is bordered on three sides by water but is still connected to the mainland.

This part of the study is going to take a while to get through so we will work through on place at a time.

First stop, The Iberian Peninsula.

The Iberian Peninsula is located in southwestern Europe.  The word Iberian is the term the ancient Greeks called the people that originally lived there.  The word Iberian comes from the Greek word Ebro (Iberus).  The Ebro River is a very important river.  It is the second longest river in Spain. The Iberian Peninsula is occupied by both Spain and Portugal.  Their original language is considered unclassified, extinct, and derived from vulgar Latin.  Today, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Galician, and Basque are the most spoken languages in The Iberian Peninsula.  Population is estimated to be between 50-55 million people.

Miscellaneous Mediterranean information:  In May 2012, researchers in Barcelona discovered the remains of what is speculated to be twins.  This is the first documentation of twins in The Iberian Peninsula's history.  It is believed by the researchers that the bones are from babies delivered at about 38 to 40 weeks of gestation.  You can read more here at Science Daily.

For my bird-crazy girl, The Iberian Imperial Eagle.  This handsome bird is a globally threatened species.  According to data in 2010, there are only 279 in Spain and 3 pairs in Portugal-that is it!  They dine on any small animals including small dogs.

Iberian Peninsula google maps
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