Ibéricas

Ibéricas is a term used in Spanish and Portuguese to describe things related to the Iberian Peninsula, the southwestern European landmass that includes Spain and Portugal. In English, the form Iberian is more common, while ibéricas often appears as the feminine plural when modifying nouns (las ibéricas) or in compound terms such as cultura ibérica or gastronomía ibérica.

The peninsula is bordered by the Pyrenees to the northeast, the Atlantic to the west, the Mediterranean to the southeast, and the Strait of Gibraltar to the south. It covers roughly 590,000 square kilometers and hosts varied climates from oceanic to Mediterranean.

Human presence on the Iberian Peninsula dates from prehistoric times. It was home to Iberians, Tartessians, and Celts before being conquered by Rome, then ruled by Visigoths and Moors. The Christian Reconquista shaped the emergence of modern Spain and Portugal, with borders stabilizing in the 15th century. Both countries later joined the European Union in the late 20th century.

The principal languages are Spanish (Castilian) and Portuguese, with regional languages such as Galician and Catalan. The term ibéricas is also used in gastronomy to describe products from Iberian animals, especially the Iberian pig and jamón ibérico.