Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsula Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula and their descendants. The term "Sephardic" comes from Sepharad, the Hebrew word for Iberia. These communities flourished for centuries in Iberia until they were expelled in the late 15th century. Over time, Sephardic has also come to refer more broadly to the diverse Jewish peoples, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, who adopted Sephardic religious customs and legal traditions. Sephardic Jews form a major component of the global Jewish population, with a high percentage of the Sephardic-Jewish population now living in Israel.