People lived in
what is now Spain more than 100,000 years ago. These early inhabitants
were tribes of hunters and gatherers who had wandered
to the Iberian Peninsula from the coast of North Africa. About 5,000 years
ago, a people known as Iberians occupied much of Spain. The Iberians had
an advanced culture. They farmed the land, built villages and towns, and
developed great skills as craft workers.
During
the 1000's B.C., the Phoenicians sailed from the eastern shores of the
Mediterranean to settle on spain's southern and eastern coasts. About 100
years later, a first wave of Celtic people moved into Spain from the north.
Another wave followed about 600 B.C. At about the same time, the Greeks
set up trading posts along Spain's east coast. Armies from the powerful
North African city of Carthage conquered Spain in the 400's B.C. Under
the leadership of the great Carthaginian general Hannibal, these armies
used Spain as a base for their attack on Roman Italy in the 200's B.C.
Geography
Capital: Madrid
Area: 194,897 sq. mi.
(504,782 km2)
Landforms: arge, flat to dissected
plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north
Legislature: Las Cortes Generales (General
Courts or National Assesmbly) consisting of the Senado (Senate) with 259
members serving four-year terms and the Congreso de los Diputados (Congress
of Deputies) with 350 members serving four-year terms
