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Cadiz stands on a peninsula jutting
out into a bay, and is almost entirely surrounded by
water. Named Gadir by the Phoencians, who founded their
trading post in 1100 BC, it was later controlled by
the Carthaginians, until it became a thriving Roman
port. It sank into oblivion under the Visigoths and
Moors, but attained great splendour in the early 16th
century as a launching point for the journey to the
newly discovered lands of America.
Cadiz was later raided by Sir Francis Drake, in the
struggle to gain control of trade with the New World,
and managed to withstand a siege by Napoleon's army.
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