Spain

Spain - Location, scenery and population

Spain is located in the south west part of Europe and maintains borders to other countries, in the north to France and Andorra and on the northwest and west to Portugal. Its coast are surrounded by waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Cantabric Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

The territory of Spain also includes the archipelago of the Canary Islands, located close to the coast of the African continent, the Balearic Islands, located in the Mediterranean Sea and two autonomous cities Ceuta and Melilla, located in North Africa.

Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe with an total extension of 500,000 km² and a population of 47 millions inhabitants.

Due to its different climate zones, the Spanish scenery presents a high variety of different landscapes. The northern part is characteristic for a mountainous scenery and wooden forests and plain valleys. In this region are located the mountains "Picos de Europa" in the province of Asturias. In the southern part a mountain range "La Sierra Nevada" with more arid sceneries. Volcanic sceneries are predominantly in the Canary Islands, where the highest peak of Spain is located, the Teide.

Unfortunately the coastal areas, specially the west and south coasts have been destroyed by constructions of hotels and high-ways.

Climate types

Because of its geographical situation the climate in Spain is extremely diverse and although there are many different types, there are three main categories:

• The continental climate: present in the majority of the Spanish territory
• The Oceanic climate: in the northern part of the country
• The Mediterranean climate: in the southern part, Andalusia and eastern coast.

In the Canary Islands prevails a subtropical climate.