A privileged location
Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula, to which are added the Canary and Balearic Islands, and the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, located in northern Morocco. With a surface area of 505,911 km², it is the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France. Spain shares land and sea borders with France, Morocco, Portugal, the Principality of Andorra and Gibraltar. The Pyrenees mountain range forms a natural border between Spain and France. To the south, less than 15 kilometers separate Spain from the Moroccan coast, at the location of the Strait of Gibraltar. At the junction between Europe and Africa, Spain is also the meeting point between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
A landscape full of reliefs
Dominated by high plains and plateaus, Spain ranks second in Europe after Switzerland for its average altitude. It is about 600 meters high, which is twice as high as the average altitude in France. The highest point in this mountainous country is the Mulhacén peak in the Sierra Nevada, which rises to 3,479 meters. In the center of Spain, the presence of a rigid block - the famous Meseta - gives the Iberian territory its massive configuration. This Hercynian basement, which covers almost 40% of the territory, is the oldest geological formation in the country. The Meseta is surrounded by large mountain ranges, with the Cantabrian Mountains in the north, the Iberian Mountains in the northeast, and the Sierra Morena in the south. In the center of the Meseta, the central mountain range is formed by the Gredos and Guadarrama sierras, which separate the high plateaus of Old Castile from those, less high, of New Castile. On the edge of the basement rise the highest massifs born of the Tertiary folding, with the Pyrenees to the north and the Betic ranges to the south, as well as the vast depressions of the Ebro and Guadalquivir rivers
Between sea and ocean
With its 4,900 kilometers of coastline shared between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, Spain offers a maritime landscape deeply shaped by climate and geology. In the east, the Mediterranean coastline coexists with mountainous massifs, creating a lacy coastal strip dotted with cliffs, coves and capes. To the west, the Atlantic coast reveals a steep landscape formed by immense cliffs, on which the ocean comes to rage
The Catalan coastline models a costa brava whose name evokes the abrupt configuration of the Mediterranean coastline. Its countless coves are nestled in the hollow of landscapes all in relief, shaped by the erosion of the wind and the sea. On the Costa Daurada, there are long golden sandy beaches, lined with dunes around the Ebro Delta. The Levantine coastline has rocky coasts and alluvial plains where important urban centers such as Valencia, Murcia and Alicante have developed. In the south, the Andalusian coastline stretches for almost 900 kilometers. In its Mediterranean part, cliffs and coves follow coastal plains, offering more rocky landscapes, the result of the proximity of the Penibetian mountain range. In its Atlantic part, the landscapes of dunes of Arenas Gordas overhang endless beaches of white sand
To the west of the peninsula, the Atlantic coastline runs along the regions of the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia. In general, it is characterized by rugged landscapes where the cliffs of limestone, sandstone or flysch, are interspersed with coves and beaches. In Galicia, the coastline is cut by large river valleys where the ocean sinks, the famous rías, equivalent to our Breton abers.
Hydrography of continental Spain
Apart from the Guadalquivir, the great rivers of Spain have not played a major role as communication and trade routes. This is mainly due to the capricious flow of rivers, preventing the exploitation of waterways. In the north, the Miño separates Galicia from Portugal, while the Tagus, Duero and Guadiana rivers continue their course into Portuguese territory. The Guadalquivir owes its name to the Moors, who called it the "great river", although it is only the fifth longest river in Spain at 657 kilometers. Along its course, it irrigates a vast fertile region at the foot of the Sierra Morena and waters the cities of Cordoba and Seville. But above all, its navigable course of 120 kilometers - the only one in Spain - has allowed Seville to become a great port open to both America and the Mediterranean. The Ebro River, which gives its name to the peninsula, originates in the Cantabrian mountain range. It flows through the regions of Cantabria, Castilla y León, Rioja, Navarra, Aragon and Catalonia before flowing into the Mediterranean, 910 km from its source.
The risk of desertification
In Spain, where three quarters of the continental territory is in a dry zone, the desertification process is already threatening 20% of the land. In the front line: the coast of Almeria, in the east of Andalusia, where Sergio Leone used to come to shoot westerns in the 1960s. In these extremely arid landscapes, temperatures are expected to rise by a further 2.4°C by 2050. Climate change alone is not enough to explain this phenomenon. Human activities are clearly targeted, as they have accelerated soil erosion over the years. Thus, the famous "sea of plastic" on the coast of Almeria represents one of the main threats of desertification for the region, with no less than 35,000 hectares of intensive greenhouse cultivation that depletes aquifers. Deforestation, monoculture, depletion of water tables, mass tourism industry are all factors that have amplified this phenomenon of desertification
An environment to preserve
In order to protect its natural space, Spain has been engaged since the 1990s in actions in favor of the environment. The objective of this mobilization is to protect a vast ecosystem: 30 million hectares in Spain have the status of natural areas protected around 15 national parks and 130 natural parks. Among them, 53 areas classified as Biosphere Reserves, 15 geoparks and 4 national parks are protected by UNESCO programs. In addition, the establishment of the Natura 2000 network at the European level has created a system for the protection of biodiversity. Hundreds of Special Protection Areas for birds (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) make Spain the leading contributor to this network
Nevertheless, Spain still has a long way to go in the field of environmental protection. Until 2017, it was even among the worst performers in the European Union on the issue of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the country remains one of the largest consumers of pesticides in Europe, while nitrate pollution continues to kill thousands of fish every day in the Minor Sea, on the coast of Murcia. Times are changing, however, and the decarbonization process seems to be well underway: in 2018, the Spanish government even presented a very ambitious plan aiming for 100% renewable energy and carbon neutrality by 2050.
Natural and national parks
Spain has one of the oldest national park systems in the world, dating back to 1918. Here is a selection of the main parks:
The Picos de Europa National Park is the largest on the peninsula. Straddling Cantabria and Asturias, it offers impressive landscapes of gorges, glacial lakes and peaks exceeding 2,500 meters in altitude, all surrounded by large forests of beech and oak
The Tablas de Daimiel National Park, in the Castilla-La Mancha region, is the smallest of the national parks. Here, the overflow of the Cigüela and Guadiana rivers has formed a unique marshy area in Europe, crossed every year by the migratory routes of many birds
The Doñana National Park, on the Atlantic coast of Andalusia, is one of the largest protected natural areas in Europe. Its varied landscapes of dunes, marshes, maquis and lagoons preserve an exceptional fauna. The park is also a wintering paradise for over 500,000 birds
The National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido, in the Aragonese Pyrenees, is dominated by Mount Perdido, which rises to 3,355 meters above sea level, from which impressive glacial valleys descend. The beautiful canyon of Ordesa is one of the largest and deepest in Europe.
The National Park of Monfragüe, recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, is the only national park in Extremadura. Its landscapes of Mediterranean forest and immense rocky masses rising above the Tagus River are an authentic sanctuary for bird watching
The Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, in the Catalan Pyrenees, is dotted with more than 200 lakes and countless streams, dominated by peaks over 3,000 meters. The site is one of the last refuges of the lammergeier in Europe.
Cabañeros National Park, in the Toledo Mountains, is home to one of the largest areas of Mediterranean forest and scrubland in the entire peninsula. It is home to many species of birds, including the golden eagle.
The Bardenas Reales Natural Park in Navarra covers 42,000 hectares of semi-arid landscape, a rather unusual setting for northern Spain. Here, rain and wind have for centuries sculpted a soil composed of sandstone, gypsum and clay, from which emerge huge escarpments called cabezos.
The Ebro Delta Natural Park, in the south of Catalonia, is one of the most important aquatic habitats in the western Mediterranean. More than 350 species of birds live in this ecosystem protected by Unesco.
The Torcal de Antequera Natural Park, in the north of Malaga, offers one of the most beautiful examples of karst landscape in Europe. This geological complex of limestone rocks dates back almost 150 million years.
The Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, in the province of Almería, was the first maritime-terrestrial park in Spain. It has been declared a biosphere reserve and is dotted with heavenly beaches
The Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, in Catalonia, is one of the most protected volcanic areas in Spain. On about 15,000 hectares, there are about 40 volcanic cones and 20 basaltic lava flows
The Natural Park of Somiedo, in the south of the Principality of Asturias, has a biodiversity very representative of the Cantabrian mountain range. Among its landscapes of high peaks, lakes, forests and pastures, we can still see some examples of the Cantabrian brown bear.
