Spain is the largest country by area on the Iberian Peninsula.
Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula, covering about 506,000 square kilometres in total. Portugal occupies most of the western part of the peninsula, while the small country of Andorra lies in the Pyrenees between Spain and France. Spain also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, although those island groups are not part of the Iberian Peninsula itself.
The peninsula is separated from the rest of Europe by the Pyrenees, a mountain range extending along the Spanish-French border. Spain’s varied mainland geography includes high plateaus, Mediterranean coasts, Atlantic shores, mountain systems, and dry southeastern landscapes.
Madrid, located near the geographic centre of the peninsula, is Spain’s capital. The country’s modern political boundaries emerged from centuries of interaction among Christian kingdoms, Muslim-ruled states, and Portugal.
Portugal is sometimes selected because it occupies the entire western edge, but its territory is much smaller than Spain’s.