Satellite-tracked drifters deployed in the Iberian coastal transition zone were gradually carried northward in a poleward flowing continental slope current between September 1986 and March 1987 in convoluted trajectories which revealed the ubiquitous presence of mesoscale eddies. We estimate the rate of dispersion from the Lagrangian statistics of the drifting buoys and present a comparison of the results with those obtained from other oceanic regions. The dispersion of the drifters is well modelled by a simple description of eddy diffusion assuming homogeneous isotopic turbulence (Taylor's theory). The assumption of homogeneity and stationarity facilitated the derivation of stable Lagrangian statistics. After correction for non stationarity, the diffusivities obtained were K11=3.4¿106 cm2 s-1 in the zonal direction and K22=2.5¿106 cm2 s-1 in the meridional direction. The Lagrangian integral time scales were respectively T11=1.25 days and T22=1.9 days. Our results and those of other authors, in environments ranging from truly oceanic to eastern boundaries, have all indicated that Taylor's theory fits the observations well. As a first order approximation the assumption of a homogeneous and stationary field would appear quite robust. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1991