I thought sephardim scattered into a lot of places, including elsewhere in Europe (even places like Amsterdam) and North Africa. Not to mention conversos that stayed put.
>even places like Amsterdam
Especially places like Amsterdam.
That's why they built a giant Synagogue there.
I say "even" because the stereotype is Southern Europe, Turkey, or North Africa. The further north you go in Europe, the more Jewish and Ashkenazi identities get merged and blurred in people's minds. So the history of sephardim in Netherlands goes against the stereotypes.
Why ? They were allowed to practice in Spain's and even retained positions of influence.