Hispania is possibly a derivation of I - Shipania , a Punic word . What does this translate as ?
Perhaps the most interesting case of Punic influence is that of the name of Hispania ( the Iberian Peninsula , comprising Portugal and Spain ) , which according to one theory among many derived from the Punic " Ay - Shapan " meaning " island of hyraxes " , in turn a misidentification on the part of Phoenician explorers of its numerous rabbits as hyraxes .