Iberian Peninsula

Throughout the world’s existence, there have been many men that have rewritten the course of history. Not many of these men, however, can compare to Simon Bolivar, a man of legend. El Libertador (translates to English as The Liberator), the soldier who liberated the modern-day countries of Columbia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and his homeland, Venezuela, is remembered fondly in his home continent, and for good reason. The world as we know it would not be if it were not for the revolutionary mind…

First some basic facts on Gibraltar. At just under three square miles in total area, Gibraltar is a British territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and guards the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. Gibraltar became a part of the Great Britain in 1703 after The War of Spanish Succession. Gibraltar’s population is 32,217 and has the 5th highest population density out of any country or territory in the world. The demographic breakdown of the territory is a bit of a melting pot. 27%…

various fights and the defeat of Rome incited her resistance. Thereafter, Quintus Fabius Maximus came with a new great line of attack, put upon the Carthaginians devoid of offering battles. Note, “The two armies remained deadlocked on the Italian peninsula until 211 BCE, when Rome recaptured the city of Capua.” (Encyclopedia Britannica,…

the Visigothic Kingdom. 711 C.E., the being of the end of the Visigothic Kingdom, as Muslim forces would cross the straits of Gibraltar into Iberia, and into Western Europe. Ending two-hundred and ninety-three years of Visigothic rule in the Iberian peninsula, and three-hundred and ninety-eight years of Catholic rule in Iberia, with the founding of Al-Andalus which would not fall until 1492 C.E. with the Battle of Granada during the Reconquista. Taking a large territory of Christian lands from…

cities during the Crusades like; Jerusalem, Egypt, Syria and other Middle Eastern cities. During the Crusade time period (1099-1291) the Muslims succeeded in driving the Crusaders from the Middle East, even though they also lost lands on the Iberian Peninsula. They needed a new leader because the Muslims were not very strong and did not know how to defend themselves along with Islam, that is where Salah al-Din came in. Salah al-Din was the greatest Muslim leader during the Crusades. His…

At the end of the last ice age, animals and people gathered around the great river valleys, like Egypt and Mesopotamia. When the number of animals decreased, agriculture began. Herodotus remarked that Egypt is the gift of the Nile which provided annual floods water and the alluvial deposits. The groups of farmers, villages and clans, near the Nile, were united around higher authorities. According to Ponting, This was the first step for incorporation to civilization which was followed by growth,…

present day Spain was the Carthaginians (Casitor). The Romans first came to Spain during a war against Carthage, and the Romans at the time called Spain “Hispania”. As Rome conquered more land over the next couple of hundred years, the Romans gave the peninsula one government, one language, Latin, and one religion, which was Christianity. The main cities were along the east coast, and the capitol was a city called Tarraco, which is present day Tarragona (Casitor). Rome began losing its control…

In the Napoleonic Era, life in Europe was drastically different. Revolution in France sparked the rebellious spirit deep within the people of many nations. Under the Emperor’s, Napoleon Bonaparte, control France behaved as a new nation. At its peak she nearly dominated the entirety of the continent, and even stretched her influence into other parts of the world. However, she did have one rival that did not submit as easily as the rest, Britain. In an attempt to break Britain, Napoleon…

The empanada is a food that holds a copious amount of significance throughout many different countries and cultures. Although, It’s impact seems to be the most poignant in Latin America. This dish originates from Spain but has since spread across the globe. All through Latin America, depending on location, the empanada takes different forms and is crafted with different ingredients, however, they always share the same rudimentary traits. Empanadas are a semi-circular hand patty that is made…

typically did not contribute much intellect until after the medieval period. Solely, because they believed science to minimize God’s importance and their faith to their religion. Arabic had a strong influence on Medieval Spain. Mozarabs, which were Iberian Christians who lived under Moorish rule in Al-Andalus, increased communication between Muslims and Christians. Mozarabs continued to speak and write in Arabic until the thirteenth century. However, there were very few Muslims that were fluent…