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Spain shares the Iberian peninsula with Portugal and is bounded
to the north by the Pyrenees. The beach resorts on the south and
northwest Mediterranean coasts continue to attract sun seekers,
but increasingly tourists are discovering the fascinations of an
ancient and beautiful Spain away from the beaches. There is a huge
variety of landscape: forests, plains, salt marshes, rocky bays,
mountains, medieval cities, and ancient rivers. Seville is the romantic
heart of the country, the city of Carmen and Don Juan; its cathedral
is the largest Gothic building in the world. The Costa del Sol is
a densely populated tourist area containing fine beaches and picturesque
towns. Madrid, the capital city, is a cosmopolitan metropolis of
theatres, cinemas, opera houses and art galleries including the
celebrated Prado. Barcelona is one of the most important Mediterranean
ports. The Barri Gótic (old town) has a museum with a fine
collection of Picasso's early sketches. Regional specialities include
angulas (baby eels) and paella. Wine and sherry are recommended.
Tourists should visit one of the bodegas (above ground wine stores)
in Jerez. The Spaniards love to party and there is a whole range
of nightclubs throughout the country.
| Area: |
| 504,782 sq km (194,897 sq miles) |
| Population: |
| 39,371,147 (1998) |
| Population Density: |
| 78.0 per sq km |
| Population: |
| 5,091,336 (1998) |
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Spain shares the Iberian peninsula with Portugal and is bounded to
the north by the Pyrenees, which separate Spain from France. The Balearic
Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera), 193km (120 miles)
southeast of Barcelona, and the Canary Islands off the west coast
of Africa are part of Spain, as are the tiny enclaves of Ceuta and
Melilla on the north African mainland.
With the exception of Switzerland, mainland Spain is the highest and
most mountainous country in Europe, with an average height of 610m
(2000ft). The Pyrenees stretch roughly 400km (249 miles) from the
Basque Country in the west to the Mediterranean Sea; at times the
peaks rise to over 1524m (5000ft), the highest point being 3404m (11,169ft).
The main physical feature of Spain is the vast central plateau, or
Meseta, divided by several chains of sierras. The higher northern
area includes Castille and León, the southern section comprises
Castile/La Mancha and Extremadura. In the south the plateau drops
abruptly at the Sierra Morena, beyond which lies the valley of Guadalquivir.
Southeast of Granada is the Sierra Nevada, part of the Betic Cordillera,
which runs parallel to the Mediterranean, rising to 3481m (11,420ft)
and the highest point on the Spanish peninsula (the Pico del Teide
on Tenerife in the Canaries is the highest peak in Spain).
The Mediterranean coastal area reaches from the French frontier in
the northeast down to the Straits of Gibraltar, the narrow strip of
water linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic and separating Spain
from North Africa.
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