Spain's earliest settlements:
Spain today is known for its rich culture, beautiful landscape, decorated cities, and exquisite food. The history of this modern country goes very far back, to its earliest settlement in 6000-5000 B.C. At that time, the first signs of plant domestication were spreading to the Southern areas of modern-day Spain. Several different climates occupy this vast country, but there are two primary climates: continental and Mediterranean. Mediterranean climate is one of the best climates in regards to agriculture. It exists mostly between the ranges of 30 and 45 degrees latitude north and south. Spain sits at approximately 40 degrees north, right in the middle. This climate consists of hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The Northern part of Spain also receives a heavy amount of rainfall per year, making it an ideal location for farming and thus, settlement.
The ability to grow agriculture is one of the major aspects of an area that is necessary to host civilization, along with having domesticated animals. Spain was not lacking either. Spain is successful at growing many different crops including wheat, tomatoes, citrus, grapes, and olives. Cattle farming is particularly popular in the country and one of their most famous traditions resulted from it - bull fighting. The country has a lengthy coastline bordering the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Bay of Biscay. All of these provide beautiful seafood, which the country is famous for. Spain’s location right above Northern Africa contributed to the diverse wildlife including boars and deer.
The lateral routes throughout all of Europe and Asia connect the world’s largest civilizations along with their new ideas, inventions, and influence. Being that Spain sits at the Eastern end of Eurasia, there are many trade routes leading to this area. Many trading posts popped up throughout Spain as time went on and civilization continued to develop. Therefore, Spain eventually had thriving markets and culture flourished. These trading posts developed into the grand cities of Spain that are now popular travel spots.
All of these factors were reasons for early settlement in Spain. But, who were the people that originally occupied the area before it even was Spain? There are many different cultural influences on the country, especially particular to certain peoples from Northern Africa and Central/Eastern Europe along the Mediterranean coast. The first groups of people to go to the area we now call Spain were the Iberians (from the Iberian peninsula). Next came the Libyans (Northern Africa), Celts (from Northern Europe), and Celtiberians (a hybrid between the Celts and the Iberians). Their settlements became towns surrounded by agricultural areas. These were the earliest peoples who divided into separate tribes, occupying their own space.
As time went on, civilizations developed and the larger powers in the world wished to expand. The Phoenicians spread to Spain and they were mostly responsible for setting up many trading posts throughout the country. Next came the Greeks, and the Carthaginians, whom actually took over most of Spain led by Hamilcar Barca. Finally, the Romans gained control and held their power over the area for about 600 years. They certainly left their mark with the Latin language (which developed into Spanish, the official language of Spain), the Roman way of law, and Christianity, which are all still profoundly in place in the modern country.
It is interesting to compare the modern day cities to the earliest influences. Depending on which part of the country the city is in, significant details belonging to its earliest settlers can be found. For example, cities including Barcelona in Northern Spain have a gridiron structure, which is particular to Roman culture. In contrast, cities in Southern Spain like Granada show elaborate alley networks that were influenced by Muslim elements. In conclusion, Spain’s unique location and various climates made it very suitable and ideal for early settlers. New people from diverse backgrounds gravitated towards Spain for its potential for agriculture, wildlife, and its suitable location for trading posts.
Sources:
Carr, S. (n.d.). Climate. Retrieved January 29, 2015, from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/557573/Spain/70261/Climate
Delano Smith, C. (n.d.). Spain. Retrieved January 29, 2015, from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/557573/Spain/70275/Castilian
Green, J. (n.d.). BRIEF HISTORY OF SPAIN. Retrieved January 29,
2015, from http://www.csudh.edu/global_options/375students-Sp96/Spain/HISTORY.HTML
Spain today is known for its rich culture, beautiful landscape, decorated cities, and exquisite food. The history of this modern country goes very far back, to its earliest settlement in 6000-5000 B.C. At that time, the first signs of plant domestication were spreading to the Southern areas of modern-day Spain. Several different climates occupy this vast country, but there are two primary climates: continental and Mediterranean. Mediterranean climate is one of the best climates in regards to agriculture. It exists mostly between the ranges of 30 and 45 degrees latitude north and south. Spain sits at approximately 40 degrees north, right in the middle. This climate consists of hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The Northern part of Spain also receives a heavy amount of rainfall per year, making it an ideal location for farming and thus, settlement.
The ability to grow agriculture is one of the major aspects of an area that is necessary to host civilization, along with having domesticated animals. Spain was not lacking either. Spain is successful at growing many different crops including wheat, tomatoes, citrus, grapes, and olives. Cattle farming is particularly popular in the country and one of their most famous traditions resulted from it - bull fighting. The country has a lengthy coastline bordering the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Bay of Biscay. All of these provide beautiful seafood, which the country is famous for. Spain’s location right above Northern Africa contributed to the diverse wildlife including boars and deer.
The lateral routes throughout all of Europe and Asia connect the world’s largest civilizations along with their new ideas, inventions, and influence. Being that Spain sits at the Eastern end of Eurasia, there are many trade routes leading to this area. Many trading posts popped up throughout Spain as time went on and civilization continued to develop. Therefore, Spain eventually had thriving markets and culture flourished. These trading posts developed into the grand cities of Spain that are now popular travel spots.
All of these factors were reasons for early settlement in Spain. But, who were the people that originally occupied the area before it even was Spain? There are many different cultural influences on the country, especially particular to certain peoples from Northern Africa and Central/Eastern Europe along the Mediterranean coast. The first groups of people to go to the area we now call Spain were the Iberians (from the Iberian peninsula). Next came the Libyans (Northern Africa), Celts (from Northern Europe), and Celtiberians (a hybrid between the Celts and the Iberians). Their settlements became towns surrounded by agricultural areas. These were the earliest peoples who divided into separate tribes, occupying their own space.
As time went on, civilizations developed and the larger powers in the world wished to expand. The Phoenicians spread to Spain and they were mostly responsible for setting up many trading posts throughout the country. Next came the Greeks, and the Carthaginians, whom actually took over most of Spain led by Hamilcar Barca. Finally, the Romans gained control and held their power over the area for about 600 years. They certainly left their mark with the Latin language (which developed into Spanish, the official language of Spain), the Roman way of law, and Christianity, which are all still profoundly in place in the modern country.
It is interesting to compare the modern day cities to the earliest influences. Depending on which part of the country the city is in, significant details belonging to its earliest settlers can be found. For example, cities including Barcelona in Northern Spain have a gridiron structure, which is particular to Roman culture. In contrast, cities in Southern Spain like Granada show elaborate alley networks that were influenced by Muslim elements. In conclusion, Spain’s unique location and various climates made it very suitable and ideal for early settlers. New people from diverse backgrounds gravitated towards Spain for its potential for agriculture, wildlife, and its suitable location for trading posts.
Sources:
Carr, S. (n.d.). Climate. Retrieved January 29, 2015, from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/557573/Spain/70261/Climate
Delano Smith, C. (n.d.). Spain. Retrieved January 29, 2015, from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/557573/Spain/70275/Castilian
Green, J. (n.d.). BRIEF HISTORY OF SPAIN. Retrieved January 29,
2015, from http://www.csudh.edu/global_options/375students-Sp96/Spain/HISTORY.HTML
Spain is consisted of five different climate zones. The majority of the country (inland) has the continental climate (green), which goes through four seasons and has plenty of rainfall. The other major climate along the southern and eastern coasts is the Mediterranean (orange), which has mild seasons and is a popular climate for agriculture. The other climates include oceanic, mountain, and arid.
APA Citation:
Spanish Town Guides. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2015,
from http://www.spanish-town-guides.com/Weather_in_Spain.htm
Two of the major groups of people that settled in the area of Spain early on were the Iberians and the Celts. There was also a hybrid group of people that developed from these two known as the Celtiberians. These three groups of people divided up into different tribes that settled in different areas of Spain that can be viewed on this map. The area in orange consists mostly of the Iberian people and the area in green consists on the Celtiberians. The dots in yellow show Greek settlements within those areas and the white dots show Punic settlements.
APA Citation:
Materials about the Iberians and Iberian Languages: An article by Cyril Babaev. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2015, from http://tied.verbix.com/archive/article8.html
To learn more about Spain settlement and the country's natural resources and climate, I suggest visiting the sites listed below.
- http://www.photius.com/countries/spain/economy/spain_economy_crops.htm
This site lists the country's most abundant and productive crops.
- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140905113907.htm
This site describes a recent discovery in the area of Spain that suggests a boom for this area during the Copper Age (4,000-5,000 years ago).
This is a population pyramid of Spain's population in the year 1965. It is showing us that the country's population was at 32,114,000 people in this year and that about half of the population were male and about half were female. The population is highest in the age groups of children ages 0-14, adults ages 30-40. This tells us that there were increasing in fertility in the years that those people were born. Link to site of population pyramid: http://populationpyramid.net/spain/1965/
Here is another population pyramid for Spain, but in the current year of 2015. The population rose from 50 years ago (1965) but about 15 million people. The country is now populated with 47,199,000 people. It looks as if now, there are slightly more males than females residing in the country, compared to the even distribution in 1965. The bulk of the population are now aged from 35-60 years of age (some of them born in 1965). The amount of young children is much less than in 1965, showing that the fertility rate has decreased over time. Link to site of population pyramid: http://populationpyramid.net/spain/2015/