Summary Spain

Spain

In the North hemisphere there is Europe. In Southern Europe there is Spain. Spain is one of the biggest countries in Europe. Spain includes:

• Most of the Iberian Peninsula
• Balearic Islands
• Canary Islands
• Autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla

Spanish borders:

Spain has natural and political borders. Natural borders are mountains or coasts. Political borders are limits between territories (countries, Autonomous Communities, provinces…).

Autonomous Communities

Spain is divided into 17 Autonomous Communities and 2 Autonomous Cities. Each Autonomous Community is divided into provinces and has a capital city and its own institutions (Parliament to make laws and a president to represent the Autonomous Community).

Provinces

A province includes several municipalities and has a capital city too. In Spain there are 50 provinces and in each one there is a provincial council to rule the province.

Municipalities

A municipality includes one or more cities, towns or villages governed by a local council with a major. The major and the local council work in the town hall and organizes municipal services such as health care, environmental services, police and fire services.

The landscapes of Spain

Landscape refers to all the natural features of the land. Relief refers to the different heights (high or low) of these features. Landscapes can be flat landscapes or mountain landscapes depending on the height. Depending on the presence of the sea, landscapes can be coastal landscapes and Inland landscapes. 

Mountains

Flats

Plains are large extensions of flat ground. If plains are at a low altitude are called “plains” but when they are at high altitude are called “plateaus”.

Coastal landscapes

At the coast we can see:

• Beach: low sandy area next to the water
• Cliff: high rocky area next to the water
• Gulf: large area of water going into the land (opposite to cape)
• Bay: small gulf
• Cape: large area of land going into the water (opposite to gulf)
• Island: area of land surrounded completely by water
• Peninsula: area of land surrounded by water except by one side (isthmus)
• Isthmus: piece of land that links a peninsula to the continent
• Archipelago: group of islands

Landscapes of Spain

The Inner Plateau covers half of the Iberian Peninsula and includes:

• The Central Mountain Chain: the highest peak is Almanzor
• The Mountains of Toledo: the highest peak is Las Villuercas

Around the Inner Plateau there are 4 groups of mountains:

1. North: The Cantabrian Range
2. East: The Iberian Mountain Chain
3. South: Sierra Morena
4. West: The Mountains of León

Beyond the Inner Plateau there are 5 mountain ranges:

1. Galician Massif
2. Basque Mountains
3. Pyrenees
4.   Catalan Coastal Chain 
5.  Betic Mountain Chain 

River basins

A river basin is an area of low land drained by a river. In Spain there are 2 great river basins:

1.       South: Guadalquivir river basin

2.       North-East: Ebro river basin

Coasts

There are three coastal borders:

-          Cantabrian coast: rocky cliffs

-          Mediterranean coast: long beaches

-          Atlantic coast:

o   Rías in Galicia

o   Sandy beaches in Andalusia

o   Cliffs in the Canary Islands

Islands

Canary Islands:

They are in the Atlantic ocean west of Africa. There are 7 big volcanic islands: Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro. The Teide is the highest peak in Spain (not in the Iberian Peninsula!!!).

Balearic Islands:

They are in the Mediterranean Sea, east of the Iberian Peninsula. There are 5 big islands: Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Cabrera.

Rivers in Spain

A river is a flowing body of fresh water. Rivers begin in the mountains and end in the sea or in a lake. If the river ends in another river, it is called a tributary. The river bed is the ground under the water and the flow is the how much water a river has. Meanders are the curves the river does.

The course of a river has 3 parts:

• Upper course: the beginning of the river (source) in the mountains.
• Middle course: the river flows through flat lands and collects water from rain and tributaries.
• Lower course: the end of the river in the sea, another river or a lake (mouth).

Rivers depend on:

• Landscape features: length and speed depends on the steep.
• Climate: flow depends on rain and melting of snow in the mountains.
• Watersheds: area of land where all the rivers flow into the same sea (Cantabrian, Atlantic or Mediterranean seas).