Spain, also called the Kingdom of Spain, is a nation in southwestern Europe with parts of territory in the Atlantic Ocean as well as across the Mediterranean Sea. The biggest part of Spain is positioned on the Iberian Peninsula; its region additionally consists of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the independent cities of Ceuta and also Melilla, and also numerous small abroad regions additionally spread along the Moroccan coastline of the Alboran Sea.

The country’s landmass is bordered to the south by Gibraltar; to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea; to the north by France, Andorra as well as the Bay of Biscay; and to the west by Portugal and also the Atlantic Sea.

With a location of 505,990 km2 (195,360 sq mi), Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe, the second-largest country in Western Europe as well as the European Union, and the fourth-largest country by location on the European continent.

With a population surpassing 47.4 million, Spain is the sixth-most populous nation in Europe, and also the fourth-most populous country in the European Union. Spain’s resources as well as largest city is Madrid; other major city locations consist of Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Málaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Las Palmas de Grandmother Canaria and Bilbao.

Anatomically modern humans first shown up in the Iberian Peninsula around 42,000 years ago. The initial cultures and peoples that developed in present Spanish area were Pre-Roman peoples such as the old Iberians, Celts, Celtiberians, Vascones, and also Turdetani. Later on, foreign Mediterranean peoples such as the Phoenicians and old Greeks created coastal trading colonies, and also the Carthaginians quickly controlled part of the Spanish Mediterranean shoreline.

From the year 218 BCE, the Roman emigration of Hispania started as well as, with the exception of the Atlantic cornice, they promptly controlled the territory of present-day Spain. The Romans had actually driven the Carthaginians out of the Iberian peninsula by 206 BCE, as well as separated it right into 2 management provinces, Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Citerior. The Romans left a long-lasting tradition that included their language, religious beliefs, laws and also political and also social institutions. Hispania was also the birthplace of Roman emperors such as Trajan or Hadrian.