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Spain - Geography
Spain - Geography
It is located on
the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east
by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and
north east by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west and northwest by
Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of three countries (Morocco, France) to have both
Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Spain's 1,214 km (754 mi) border with Portugal is
the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union.
With an area of 505,992 km2 (195,365 sq mi), Spain is the second largest country in
Western Europe and the European Union, and the fifth largest country in Europe.
The islands
The remaining regions of Spain are the Balearic and the Canary Islands, the former
located in the Mediterranean Sea and the latter in the Atlantic Ocean. The Balearic Islands,
encompassing a total area of 5,000 square kilometers, lie 80 kilometers off Spain's central
eastern coast. The mountains that rise up above the Mediterranean Sea to form these islands
are an extension of the Sistema Penibetico. The archipelago's highest points, which reach
1,400 meters, are in northwestern Mallorca, close to the coast. The central portion of
Majorca is a plain, bounded on the east and the southeast by broken hills.
The Canary Islands, ninety kilometers off the west coast of Africa, are of volcanic
origin. The large central islands, Tenerife and Gran Canaria, have the highest peaks. Pico de
Las Nieves, on Gran Canaria, rises to 1,949 meters, and the Teide, on Tenerife, to 3,718
meters. Teide, a dormant volcano, is the highest peak of Spain and the third largest volcano
in the world from its base.
Climate:
Three main climatic zones can be separated, according to geographical situation and
orographic conditions: