Spain's Geography: Coasts, Mountains, and Plateaus

Spain's Diverse Coastal Regions

• Mediterranean Coast & Balearic Islands

  Includes the coastline from Cape of Creus to the Strait of Gibraltar.

• Cantabrian Coast (North)

  Located along the northern edge of the peninsula.

• Atlantic Coast (West)

  This Atlantic sector has two parts: Galician and Andalusian.

• Canary Islands Coastline

  Features a variety of coastlines with beaches and cliffs.

Prominent Mountain Ranges of Spain

Major External Mountain Systems

• The Pyrenees

  Located between Spain, Andorra, and France, featuring Mount Aneto.

• Basque Mountains

  Low mountains that connect the Cantabrian Mountain Range with the Pyrenees.

• Catalan Coastal Range

  Located in front of the Mediterranean Sea.

• Betic Systems: Penibetic & Subbetic

  Located in the southeast of the peninsula, made up of two mountain ranges:

  • Cordillera Penibética: Includes Sierra Nevada and Mulhacén.
  • Cordillera Subbética: Lower than the Cordillera Penibética.

Mountain Ranges of the Central Plateau

• Northwest Edge: Montes de León & Macizo Galaico

  Includes Montes de León and Macizo Galaico, with peaks like Teleno.

• Northern Edge: Cantabrian Mountains

  Parallel to the Cantabrian Sea, including the Picos de Europa.

• Northeast Edge: Iberian System

  Features Albarracín, Picos de Urbión, and Sierra Morena.

• Interior: Montes de Toledo

  Separates the Tagus River basin to the north and the Guadiana River basin to the south.

Significant External Depressions

• Ebro Depression

  Located between the Iberian System, the Pyrenees, and the Catalan Coastal Range.

• Guadalquivir Depression

  Located between Sierra Morena and the Betic Systems.

Insular Relief: Islands of Spain

• Balearic Archipelago

  Features a not very mountainous relief, with the important Sierra de Tramuntana in Mallorca.

• Canary Islands Archipelago

  Of volcanic origin, the islands that comprise it are Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote. The highest altitude is Mount Teide (3,718m) on Tenerife.

The Central Plateau and Interior Mountains

The relief of Spain is very varied. The Central Plateau occupies more than half of the peninsular territory and is divided by systems.

Division of the Plateau

• Central System

  Divides the plateau into two parts:

  • North Sub-plateau: Corresponds to the hydrographic basin of the Duero River.
  • South Sub-plateau: Corresponds to two hydrographic basins (Tagus and Guadiana).

Spain's Geographic Location & Situation

Spain is a member state of the European Union, located in the southwest of Europe and in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. It occupies 85% of the Iberian Peninsula (the third largest European country after Russia and France), including the Balearic and Canary Islands, and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, located on the coast of Africa. Spain is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Cantabrian Sea. It shares borders with France, Andorra, and Portugal.

Key Features of Spain's Physical Environment

• Compact Shape: Differences exist between coastal and internal areas.
• Plateau Inclination: The plateau is slightly inclined towards the Atlantic Ocean, which is why many rivers flow into its slope.
• Rectilinear Coast: The majority of the coasts have important geographical features.
• High Average Altitude: Spain has an average altitude of 660m.
• Varied and Fragmented Relief: The main units of the relief are found around the plateau.