1.

Spanish territory: situation, main territorial units, and general data

Spain is situated in the temperate zone of the Northern hemisphere. Therefore, its
climate has four climatic seasons: Summer, Winter, and two transitional seasons, Spring and
Autumn. Cape Estaca de Bares and Tarifa Point, and Cape Touriñan and Cape Creus, are the
extreme points of the peninsular Spain. As acomparison, the Netherlands or Poland are over
52° N, Belgium over 50°, and Switzerland over 45°. For their part, Canary Islands are
between 27-29° north, and 13-18° west.
From a historical point of view, it’s interesting that, before the universal adoption of
the Greenwich meridian, Spain used others: Madrid, Toledo, Hierro Island, Teide Peak,
Salamanca, and, finally, Cadiz, specifically, the line which crossed the Castillo de la Villa, the
Navy’s Astronomical Observatory.
Over the last few years, there is a controversy or dispute about the official time in
Spain, because, due to Franco’s alliance with the Nazi Germany, Spain adopted the same
time, instead of the same that in Great Britain, Portugal, Morocco, and Canary Islands, in
accordance with solar time.
In comparison to European standard, Spain is a medium size country, with a little
more than 500.000 Km2 . The main territorial units of Spain are the peninsular territory, the
Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and other small
North-African enclaves, which are claimed by Morocco.
The British territory of Gibraltar is also claimed by Spain. The 1713, Treaty of
Utrecht awarded Britain sovereignty over the rock, which continues today. Gibraltarians rely
on London for foreign affairs and defense only2 . The controversy with Gibraltarians is not
only about sovereignty, but on territorial waters and fishing rights too. Gibraltarians have
voted twice, overwhelmingly to stay with Britain.
In the opposite corner, the Extremaduran municipal district of Olivenza was
Portuguese for five hundred years, and then, since 1801, part of Spain, after the War of
Oranges, according to the Badajoz Treaty. In the middle of the twentieth century, Portuguese
was spoken in Olivenza, but that link has broken once the older generations have died. So,
only 1,500 spike Portuguese nowadays, most of them are the elderly. Since 2015, Portugal
allows to Oliventians the possibility to get the dual Portuguese and Spanish citizenship.
2. General data of Spain
Spain has 47.3 million inhabitants. Its population has remained stable over the last
few years due to the economic crisis and migration, but it has increased recently. The
population density is 92.7 per square km, under Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, France, or
Portugal. Remember that Monaco and Iceland are the European extreme values.
The Spanish GDP (Gross Domestic Product: PIB in Spanish) per head is 25,170
€/year, 31st State in the world, and 91 % on EU average. This is like States as Portugal,
Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus, Estonia, or Italy. Both countries, Spain and Italy, have marked
internal differences among regions in terms of average income.
3. The geographical singularity of Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula is a natural and geopolitical crossroad between Europe and
Africa, and Atlantic and Mediterranean. From a climatic point of view, it’s a place of
convergence of different air masses: wet from Atlantic Ocean, dry from Central Europe,
warm from Sahara. The result is a strong difference North-South in average temperature, and
Northwest-Southeast in rainfall.
This together with relief diversity produces a climatic, floral, and hydrological
assortment: Oceanic North and Northwest, and Mediterranean heartland, South and East. The
unequal distribution of climates and natural resources has produced, consequently, a diversity
of activities and landscapes. So, some geographers have said about Iberian Peninsula as a
miniature continent.
Throughout the human history, the Iberian Peninsula has been too a meeting point
amongst peoples and civilizations, coming from differents origins:
● The Basque people, pre-Indo-European, with Iberian, Celtic, or even older
roots.
● The Iberians, arrived from the Eastern Mediterranean, Central Europe, or
-opinion of some authors- Africa.
● The Celts, finally reduced to Galicia, Asturias, and Northern Portugal.
● Peoples arrived in the Ancient Age, looking for the Iberian mining richness,
especially in Andalusia: Phoenician/Carthaginian, Greek, and Roman.
● Germans.
● Moors or muslims, who, via Spain, reintroduced classical Greek and Oriental
cultures in Western Europe.
● Since 1492, Spain has been a historical bridge with America, in terms of
population, but of culture too.
● Currently, it is an entry point for African and Latin American inmigrants.
4. Spain’s internal borders
The change in dynasty in Spain lifted the French Bourbon family to the throne. They
brought to Spain the absolutist political ideas of centralisation, removing the political
autonomy of Aragon. This momentum was transferred to the territorial structure of the
Country too. So, the Prime Minister Floridablanca was the first to propose a division into
provinces or intendencias, very similar to the previous territories, but introducing the
Andalusian New Populations, founded by Charles the Third to prevent banditry in some
depopulated areas in the strategical way from Cadiz-Seville to Madrid. The Floridablanca’s
proposal was completed by the Mayor of Finance Miguel Soler, who created new provinces:
Alicante, Asturias, Cadiz, Malaga, Santander, and one which doesn’t remain currently:
Cartagena. Also, the Prime Minister Godoy created another new province, Sanlucar de
Barrameda, which nor is at present.
It was the same case in 1821, with the Bauzá and Larramendi’s proposal at the
Parliament provinces of Villafranca, Jativa, and Calatayud. The three Basque provinces
remained separated, although Bauzá and Larramendi proposed their unification in one single.
Finally, there were different from now capitals: Vigo, and Chinchilla. In the case of Huelva,
Bauzá and Larramendi proposed Valverde del Camino as capital, but the Parliament preferred
Huelva.
The ultimate provincial division was made by the Minister Javier de Burgos. Still
there are cases of disagreement: Campo de Gibraltar, Canary, Cartagena, Catalonia, and
County of Trevino.
 Since 1978, Spain has a political structure in Autonomous Communities, with great
degree of power, and, in some cases, their own language with equal official status. There are
certain cases of disagreement with this regional structure, as Leon, or Navarre.
On their part, the provinces, the third political and administrative level, have a very
low degree of power. In fact, suppression of Provincial Councils is a current political debate
in Spain. Both archipielagos have a particular level of government by islands, under the
provinces, called Islands Councils and Cabildos.
Finally, municipalities are the smallest administrative units in Spain. Boundaries
controversies are frequent between these local councils. Examples only in the Province of
Huelva are Niebla, Valverde del Camino, Cartaya-Lepe, and Moguer-Palos de la Frontera.