As a country located in Europe according to ZIPCODESEXPLORER, Spain is located in the southwest of Europe, in the Iberian Peninsula, sharing this peninsular territory with Portugal, occupying 80% of said peninsula. To the north it borders France and Andorra, finding its natural border in the Pyrenees.
- Geological and Mining Institute of Spain [1]
- Spanish Institute of Oceanography [2], since 1914
- Hydrographic Institute of the Navy
Apart from the peninsula, it includes:
- Canary Islands (composed of seven islands and several islets) in the Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the peninsula, off the coast of Morocco,
- Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza), in the Mediterranean Sea
Minor islands and archipelagos:
- 10 km² Buda Island
- 32 km² Isla Arosa (Galicia)
- 24 km² Trocadero Island (Andalusia)
- 34 km² Cies Islands (Galicia)
- 14 km² Ons (Galicia)
- 88 km² Island of Sálvora (Galicia)
- 1 km² Island of La Toja (Galicia)
- 938 km² Isla Mayor (Galicia)
- 68 km² Sisargas Islands (Galicia)
- 054 km² Island of Cortegada (Galicia)
- 52 km² Chafarinas Islands (Melilla)
- 403 km² Island of Tabarca (Valencian Community)
- 37 km² Island of Montehano (Cantabria)
- 32 km² Island of Onza (Galicia)
- 30 km² Alhucemas Islands (Melilla)
- 28 km² Tambo Island (Galicia)
- 258 km² Isla Perdiguera (Region of Murcia)
- 22 km² Medes Islands (Catalonia)
- 2178 km² Island of Santa Marina (Cantabria)
- 19 km² Columbretes Islands (Valencian Community)
- 19 km² Estelas Islands (Galicia)
- 165 km² Isla Grosa (Region of Murcia)
- 163 km² Isla del Ciervo (Region of Murcia)
- 068 km 2 Alboran Island (Andalusia)
In North Africa it has the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and the rocks of Vélez de la Gomera,
Its coasts are bathed by the Mediterranean Sea, in the east, from the Pyrenees to Gibraltar, by the Atlantic Ocean on its west coast, which on the peninsula extends from Gibraltar to Galicia, with most of this coast corresponding to Portugal, and in its north coast by the Cantabrian Sea.
On December 17, 2014, he presented to the UN, the documentation for the expansion of the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles west of the Canary Islands to 350 miles west of the islands, about 296 000 km² more. [8]
Climate
It has a very diverse climate throughout its entire territory. The Mediterranean character predominates in almost all its geography. The southern and Mediterranean coasts have a climate called coastal Mediterranean that also has the Guadalquivir river valley with mild temperatures, abundant rainfall almost all year round except in summer. [9]
As we move into the interior, the climate is more extreme, we find the continental Mediterranean climate, which covers almost the entire peninsula, low temperatures in winter, high in summer and irregular rainfall (depending on the geographical position). In general, western communities receive more rainfall than eastern communities. Thus, Galicia and the Cantabrian Sea have an oceanic climate, characterized by abundant rainfall throughout the year, especially in winter, and cool temperatures.
The mountain climate can be observed in high areas, the Cantabrian mountain range, the Pyrenees, the high points of the Iberian coast, the central system and the Betic mountain ranges, as well as in high areas in the Canary Islands, where low temperatures occur (cold winters or very cold) and generally abundant rainfall.
Arid or semi-arid climates (less than 300 mm per year) are found in certain points of the eastern peninsula: Almería (famous for the Tabernas desert) or Cabo de Gata (where less than 200 mm per year are registered), Granada (Guadix), Murcia, Alicante and Valle del Ebro where the foehn effect is the main cause of such low rainfall.
The subtropical character is characteristic of the Canary Islands, with warm temperatures throughout the year and little rainfall (more abundant in the western islands). However, this climate also occurs on the southern coasts of the peninsula (Malaga, Granada, Almería), where they have relatively mild temperatures throughout the year, although rainfall is somewhat more abundant than in the Canary Islands.
Mountain Sistems
Its landscapes present an extraordinary variety, going from desert areas to the greenest and juiciest fields, where mountains, valleys, rivers and beaches originate a great climatic variety.
Geographically it has five large mountain ranges that cross it and almost 50% of its territory sits on plateaus. With an average altitude of 650 meters above sea level, it is the fifth most mountainous country in Europe, after Switzerland, Austria, Andorra and Liechtenstein.
The relief of Spain is characterized by being quite high, it is articulated around a great Central Plateau that occupies most of the center of the Iberian Peninsula. Outside the plateau, there is the depression of the Guadalquivir river, located in the southwest of the peninsula, and that of the Ebro river, in the northeast of it. The main mountain systems are: Pyrenees, Iberian system, Cantabrian mountain range, Central system and Betic mountain ranges (Subbética and Penibética).
Territorial structure
It is a nation organized territorially in 17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities. Title VIII of the constitution establishes the territorial organization of the State in municipalities, provinces and autonomous communities, these with powers to manage their own interests with a wide level of autonomy, legislative, budgetary, administrative and executive powers in the exclusive powers that the State It guarantees them through the Constitution and each Statute of autonomy.
Although Navarra was not properly constituted as an Autonomous Community, being a Foral Community, and having not developed a Statute of Autonomy, but rather articulating an improvement of its traditional jurisdictions, it is considered an autonomous community for all purposes, according to the interpretation of the Constitutional Court. Each autonomous community is made up of one or more provinces, making a total of 50.