Both Spain and Portugal have very diverse cultures and histories that are tied to the sea. Trading with other Mediterranean countries has brought in many different cultures along with languages, exports, and people. Their histories are more closely related to the Mediterranean countries by the sea too. The vibrant and colorful cities and streets are very like the ones found in Italy and Greece and have the same variety and fresh produce from the various forms of agriculture found along the Mediterranean too. Spain and Portugal are cut off from the milder conditions of the rest of Europe by vast mountain ranges, and so their climate is greatly affected by their immediate surroundings. The Mediterranean climate is hot and dry so Europe’s average agriculture cannot survive on the Iberian Peninsula. So Spain and Portugal have had to grow crops like olives. That led to olive oil and the great trade and export they made from that. Spain and Portugal have cultures that are distinct from their neighbors in Europe because their geography isolates them.
Usually, countries like Germany, France, and England are some of the first countries that come to mind when you think of Europe. These and other countries are very unlike the almost separated Spain and Portugal. Their cultures and histories are the same within the area attached to the Iberian Peninsula, but haven’t influenced its culture or history. The countries on the mainland have very similar cultures and histories all involving major events and wars that happened within Europe.
The main reason Spain and Portugal are so different from the rest of Europe is because they are so isolated. The fact that the countries are on the Iberian emphasizes their isolation, for where these countries are attached to Europe, the Pyrynees mountain range blocks off the rest of Europe from them. Also, as many peninsulas are, the Iberian Peninsula is surrounded on three sides by ocean. Contact with Europe has been greatly limited by this and so the sea and Mediterranean countries around Spain and Portugal have gotten to influence its cultures.
