Spain: Atlantic, Inland, and Mediterranean Regions

Spain's Atlantic Region

Physical Characteristics

• Climate: Wet, cloudy, with frequent fog and much precipitation.
• Mountains and mountain ranges near the Cantabrian Sea.

Vegetation

• Ground vegetation covered with forests.
• Deciduous trees (beech).
• Many pastures.
• Heathland shrubs such as bracken and gorse.

Social Characteristics

• Cattle ranching: Semi-stabled cattle.
• Intensive agriculture: Smallholdings (minifundios), potatoes, and corn.

Demographics

• Diverse: Industrial cities with large populations, and villages with small populations.

Habitat

• Dispersed, with cottages or groups isolated in small villages.

Activities

• Fishing: 60% of Spain's total, including cod and whiting.
• Industry: Concentrated in the Basque Country and Cantabria.

Inland Spain

Physical Characteristics

• Climate: Cold winters in the Plateau and Aragon, with irregular rainfall and dry summers.
• Hydrographic network: Rivers flow irregularly, except for the Ebro, which has a significant flow.
• Vegetation determined by climate.
• Forests and agricultural soils.
• Mountains: Oak and beech trees.
• Western half: Oak trees.
• Lowlands: Dry vegetation and grain.

Social Characteristics

• Extensive cereal fields and vineyards.
• Industry: Dispersed cities, dominated by sectors such as textiles, food, chemicals, automotive, and machinery.
• Uneven population distribution, with demographically empty villages and cities with high concentrations of people.

Mediterranean and Insular Spain

Physical Characteristics

• Orographic limits, coastal ridges, and depressions along the littoral.
• Rivers:
  • Very fast-flowing rivers in the Catalan Pyrenees.
  • Moderate drought in Mediterranean rivers.
  • Very dry season in rivers of the interior and Andalusia, except for the Guadalquivir.
• Climate:
  • Peninsula: Dry summers, mild winters, and low rainfall.
  • Balearic Islands: Mediterranean climate.
  • Canary Islands: Specific climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

Flora

• Evergreen forests (oak and Mediterranean pine).
• Riverbanks: Elms, poplars, aspens, and thorny shrubs that form the garrigue.

Social Characteristics

• Many human and material resources for agricultural wealth, as well as tourist establishments for the population during holiday periods.
• Peninsula: 50% of the population.
• Islands: 70% of the population in this sector.
• Agriculture:
  • Rainfed: Mediterranean trilogy of cereals, olives, and grapes.
  • Islands: Bananas.
• Industry:
  • Valencia and Catalonia: 30% of the population.
  • Islands: 10% of the population.
• Population concentrated in cities.
• 70% of the population benefits from the tourism sector.
• Rural population in clear decline.