Geography of Spain

thumb|upright=1.3|Geographical map of Spain

thumb|upright=1.3|Map of Spain ([[Instituto Geográfico Nacional (Spain)|Instituto Geográfico Nacional, 2000)]]

upright=1.3|thumb|right|Map of Spain and Portugal, Corrected and Augmented from the Map Published by D. Tomas Lopez, 1810.

Spain is a transcontinental country located in southwestern Europe and northern Africa, occupying about 84.6% of the Iberian Peninsula. Its territory includes a small exclave inside France called Llívia, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, and several territories on or near the North African coast, including the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla and the plazas de soberanía (Islas Chafarinas, Isl, Isla Perejil, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera).

The Spanish mainland is bordered to the south and east almost entirely by the Mediterranean Sea (except for the small British territory of Gibraltar); to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal. With a land area of in the Iberian Peninsula, Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe, the second largest country in Western Europe (behind France), and the fourth largest country in the European continent (behind Russia, Ukraine, and France). It has an average altitude of 650 m.

Its total area including Spanish island territories is of which is land and is water. It has the 30th largest Exclusive Economic Zone of . Spain lies between latitudes 27° and 44° N, and longitudes 19° W and 5° E. Its Atlantic coast is long. The Pyrenees mountain range extends from the Mediterranean to the Bay of Biscay. In the extreme south of Spain's mainland lie the Straits of Gibraltar, which separate the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe from Ceuta and Morocco in North Africa.

Borders

Most of Spain's boundaries are water: the Mediterranean Sea along the east from the French border down to Gibraltar and the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest and southwest (in the south as the Gulf of Cádiz and in the north as the Bay of Biscay). The Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish enclaves lying in mainland Africa in territory claimed by Morocco and are located on the coast of the Alboran Sea, with Ceuta at the very mouth of the Strait of Gibraltar, and Melilla closer to the border with Algeria. The Canary Islands, geographically and geologically part of the African continent, are located in the Atlantic Ocean.

Spain also shares land boundaries with France and Andorra along the Pyrenees in the northeast, with Portugal on the west, with the small British colonial Territory of Gibraltar near the southernmost tip, and certain other small but uninhabited enclaves, mostly capes and small isles. The affiliation of Gibraltar has continued to be a contentious issue between Spain and Britain,

Spain also has a small exclave inside France called Llívia, which is a mountain village in the historical comarca of La Cerdanya, forming part of the historical territories of Catalonia.

Regions

Peninsular region

Most of Spain's peninsular region consists of the Meseta Central, a highland plateau rimmed and dissected by mountain ranges. Teide, a dormant volcano, is the highest peak of Spain and the third largest volcano in the world from its base.

Drainage, floods, and water stress

thumb|upright=1.3|River basins of continental Spain

Of the roughly 1,800 rivers and streams in Spain, only the Tagus is more than 960 kilometers long; all but 90 extend less than 96 kilometers.

15 October 1879, in Murcia, Santa Teresa flood.
13–15 October 1957, in Valencia, torrential rain results in a devastating flood, at least 81 people lost their lives.
In 1982, the river Jucar (Valencia, Spain) broke the Tous Reservoir causing a flood that killed 30 people.

Water stress

Water stress or water lack, poses the greatest threat in Spain. Water scarcity is a significant issue in many regions throughout Spain and climate change may aggravate the problem, with longer periods of dry weather. Supply problems regularly occur in the Jucar basin during summer. In the Segura basin, water scarcity has resulted in an increase of the water prices by 30% for households. Overall, the regions in the south-east of Spain are particularly vulnerable to water shortages. Furthermore, large areas of the Mediterranean are affected by saltwater intrusion.

The locally generated steppe climate covers the majority of peninsular Spain, influencing the Meseta Central, the adjoining mountains to the east and the south, and the Ebro Basin.

Resources and land use

thumb|upright=1.3|Natural resources of Spain. Metals are in blue: Fe — [[iron ore, Cu — copper, Sn — tin, Hg — mercury, W — tungsten, U — uranium, PM for polymetals (Pb, Zn and others), PY for pyrite. Fossil fuels are in red: C — coal, L — lignite, O — oil, G — natural gas, OS — oil shale. In yellow: K — potash, P — phosphorite.]]

Natural resources:

coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, sepiolite, hydropower, arable land

Land use:

:*Arable land: 27.18%

:*Permanent crops: 9.85%

:*Other: 62.97% (2005)

Irrigated land:

38,000 km<sup>2</sup> (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

111.1 cubic metres (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

:total: 37.22 cu km/yr (13%/19%/68%)

:per capita: 864 cu m/yr (2002)

Maritime claims

:*Contiguous zone:

:*Exclusive economic zone: with (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)

:*Territorial sea:

References

Citations

Sources

External links

Spanish official cartography, including National Topographic Maps MTN50 and MTN25