RELIEF AND

BIOCLIMATES
IN SPAIN
UNIT 6.
LOCATION AND GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES
Spain covers most of the Iberian Peninsula. It also includes the
Balearic and Canary Islands, located in the Mediterranean sea and
the Atlantic ocean, respectively; and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla
in North Africa.
 RELIEF AND THE PENINSULAR COASTS (1)
The peninsular relief has an average altitude of 660 metres

Relief and the peninsular coasts

Central plateau, Central System, and the Toledo Mountains. It is also surrounded by
mountain ridges: the Galician-Leonese Massif, the Cantabrian Range, the Iberian
System and the Sierra Morena

Young mountain ranges are found on the periphery of the

Peninsula and outside the Meseta. The most notable ones are the Basque Mountains,
the Pyrenees, the Catalan Coastal Range and the Baetic ranges
The highest peaks: the Mulhacén (3 478 m) in the Sierra Nevada, and the Aneto (3 404
m) in the Pyrenees.

The plains are found in low-lying areas of the Meseta, such as the basins of the Duero,
Tajo and Guadiana rivers, as well as in the depressions between the central plateau and
the outer mountain ranges, which are the Ebro and Guadalquivir valleys.

The peninsular capes: Ortegal, Peñas, Matxitxako, Creus, Nao, Palos and Gata. There
are also gulfs, such as those at Bizkaia, Valencia and Cádiz.
 RELIEF AND THE PENINSULAR COASTS (2)
Relief and the coasts of the Canary and Balearic Islands

The relief of the Canary Islands is of volcanic origin. The main

elevation is the Teide volcano (3 718 metres). The coastline has
cliffs

The relief of the Balearic Islands is a continuation of the Baetic

mountain ranges (Mallorca, Eivissa, Formentera) and of the
Catalan coastal range (Menorca). The archipelago’s main
mountain chain is the Tramuntana Range in Mallorca, where
the islands’ highest peak, Puig Major (1445 m), is found.
 WATERS IN SPAIN: MARINE WATERS
Marine waters
The Atlantic Ocean is called the Cantabrian Sea in the
north of the Iberian Peninsula. It bathes the northern
and western peninsular coasts as well as the Canary
Islands.
Its waters have moderate average temperatures,
strong tides and big waves.

The Mediterranean Sea bathes the eastern peninsular

coasts, eastern Andalucía, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta
and Melilla. The Strait of Gibraltar separates it from
the Atlantic Ocean.
Its waters are softer, its tides are weaker and its
waves are less strong.
 WATERS IN SPAIN: GLACIERS AND RIVERS
GLACIERS
Found in the Pyrenees. They are limited to the cirque or
head of a valley, and only some (Aneto, Monte Perdido)
have short ice tongues that extend down the valley.

RIVERS
Cantabrian basin : Eo, the Navia, the Nalón, the Sella, the
Nervión, the Deva and the Bidasoa.
Atlantic basin are mostly long: the Miño, the Duero, the Tajo,
the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir.
Mediterranean basin: Ebro, Ter, the Llobregat, the Turia, the
Júcar and the Segura.
Balearic and the Canary Islands there are no rivers. There are
streams, whose waters come from springs and torrents of water.
 WATERS IN SPAIN; CONTINENTAL WATERS. LAKES, WETLANDS
AND AQUIFERS
LAKES
Sanabria (Zamora), Campo de
Calatrava (Ciudad Real), Ruidera (Castilla-La Mancha)
and La Janda (Cádiz).

WETLANDS
inland (Tablas de Daimiel in Ciudad Real), or near the
coast (the Ebro delta, the coastal lagoons of Valencia,
the Mar Menor, and the marshes of Guadalquivir).

AQUIFERS
they occupy almost half of the land and they cover a lot
of ground in the Balearic and Canary Islands
THE DIFFERENT
BIOCLIMATES IN SPAIN - FACTORS
Spain is located in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere
➜ Temperatures are mild, although they are affected by climatic factors.
Latitude is the reason why temperature increases from north to south; the
distance from the sea makes temperatures milder along the coasts and more
variable inland; altitude causes temperature to decrease.
➜ There are generally moderate amounts of precipitation. The amount of
precipitation decreases from north to south of the peninsula, it is scarce on the
Canary Islands and it increases with altitude.
➜ Characteristic winds and atmospheric pressures are due to latitude. The
north has weather fronts and low pressure areas and the south mostly
anticyclones.
SPAIN’S CLIMATES
AND VEGETATION
a) OCEANIC (NORTH OF SPAIN)
b) MEDITERRANEAN (INLAND SPAIN AND ALONG THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST)
c) SUBTROPICAL (CANARY ISLANDS)
d) MOUNTAINOUS AREAS (ABOVE 1000 METERS OF ALTITUDE)

THEY NEED AN AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURES

FORESTS
THAT ARE NOT TOO LOW

VEGETATION SCRUBLANDS
LOCATED IN AREAS WITH LITTLE RAINFALL OR ERODED AREAS BY HUMAN
ACTIVITY

GRASSLANDS FOUND IN HUMID AND COLD HIGH MOUNTAIN AREAS