Developed by María Jesús Campos Fernández, teacher in a bilingual section in Madrid learningfromgeography.wikispaces.com learningfromhistory.wikispaces.com

1. María Jesús Campos
learningfromgeography.wikispaces.com

2. Spain: location
It is located in the Northern hemisphere
It is an European country

3.  Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula, the
Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the
Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, Ceuta and
Melilla on the north coast of Africa.
 It has an area of 505 370 km2

4. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean
Sea and the Cantabrian Sea.
It has borders with France, Andorra, Portugal and Morocco.
Spain is the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia,
Ukraine and France.

5. Spain: Relief

6.  The Meseta Central (Central
Plateau) is divided in two parts
by the Sistema Central: it
divides the peninsula in 2
regions Submeseta Norte and
Submeseta Sur.
 Valleys:
• Depresión del Ebro,
• Depresión del Guadalquivir
 Highest Mountains:
 Pico Mulhacen (3479 m),
 Aneto (3404 m),
 Monte Perdido (3355 m),
 Torre Cerredo (2648 m),
 Pico Almanzor (2591 m),
 La Sagra (2382),
 Teleno (2188 m)

7. Main mountain ranges:
• Macizo Galaico-Leonés
• Montes de León
• Cordillera Cantábrica
• Montes Vascos
• Pirineos
• Cordillera Costero-
Catalana
• Sistema Ibérico
• Montes de Toledo
• Sistemas Béticos:
Cordillera Subbética
and Cordillera
Penibética
• Sierra Morena.
•

8. • Other mountain ranges:
• Pico de Europa,
• Sierra de Guadarrama
Somosierra,
• Sierra de la Demanda,
• Picos de Urbión,
• Serranía de Cuenca,
• El Maestrazgo,
• Sierra de Gredos,
• Sierra de Gata,
• Sierra de Guadalupe,
• Sierra de Aracena,
• Sierra de Alcudia,
• Sierra Madrona,
• Sierra de Cazorla,
• Sierra de Segura.

9. •Other:
• Golfo de Vizcaya
• Golfo de León
• Rías Gallegas
• Golfo de Valencia
• Golfo de Cádiz
• Estrecho de Gibraltar
• Cabo de Creus
• Cabo de la Nao
• Cabo de Palos
• Cabo de Gata
• Punta de Tarifa
• Cabo de Finisterre
• Punta de Estaca de Bares

10.  The relief of the Balearic Islands can be
considered a continuation of the Peninsula:
 Mallorca: Sierra de Tramuntana
 Menorca
 Ibiza
 Formentera
 Cabrera
 The relief of the Canary Islands is hilly and
of volcanic origin:
 Tenerife: Teide (3718 m) the highest
mountain of Spain
 Gran Canaria: Pico de las Nieves
(1949m)
 La Palma: Roque de los Muchachos
(2426m)
 Lanzarote
 Fuerteventura
 LaGomera
 El Hierro

12.  Most rivers flow irregularly
and are not navigable.
 The only navigable river is
River Guadalquivir
between Sevilla and the
Atlantic Ocean.
 Spain has got different
catchment areas:
 Cantabrian Sea basin:
short rivers with a
regular flow.
 Atlantic Ocean basin:
long rivers with an
irregular flow (except
River Miño)
 Mediterranean Sea
basin: short rivers with
an irregular flow (except
River Ebro)

14.  Cantabrian Sea’s catchment
areas rivers:
 Bidasoa, Nervión, Nalón
 Atlantic Ocean’s catchment
areas rivers:
 Miño, Duero, Tajo,
Guadiana, Guadalquivir
 Mediterranean Sea’s
catchment areas rivers:
 Ebro, Turia, Jucar, Segura
 Important tributaries:
 Miño: Sil
 Duero: Tormes, Esla,
Pisuerga, Arlanza, Eresma
 Tajo: Alagón, Tietar,
Alberche, Jarama, Henares
 Guadiana: Cigüela, Záncara,
Jabalón, Zújar
 Guadalquivir: Guadiato,
Genil
 Ebro: Aragón, Gállego,
Cinca, Segre, Guádalope

16.  The Iberian Peninsula,
the Balearic Islands
and Ceuta and Melilla
are located in the
Earth’s temperate
climate zone.
 The Canary Islands
are located in the
Earth’s warm climate
zone.
 Spain’s average
altitude is fairly high,
at about 660 m.

17.  Spain has a variety of climate types:
 Warm climates: Sub-tropical climate
 Temperate climates:
 Maritime
 Mediterranean coastal
 Mediterranean inland
 Cold climates:
 Alpine climate

19. Maritime or Oceanic Climate
 North and North-west
of the Iberian
Peninsula.
 Temperatures are
mild in winter and
coll in summer due to
the influence of the
sea.
 Precipitation is
abundant and
regular, more than
800 mm annually.
Santander

20. Mediterranean Climate
 In most of the Iberian
Peninsula with variations:
 Mediterranean Inland
climate:
 Big difference between hot
summers and cold winters.
 Rainfall is scarce and
mainly during spring and
autumn.
Talavera

21. Mediterranean Climate
 In the East and South coast
of Spain:
 Mediterranean coastal
climate:
 Dry in the summer and
moderate precipitation in
spring and autumn.
Temperatures are mild in
winter and hot in summer.
Cullera
Almería

22. Sub-tropical Climate
 In the Canary
Islands.
 Mild temperatures
all year round.
 Scarce precipitation.
Las Palmas

23. Alpine or High Mountain Climate
 In the highest
mountain ranges.
 Temperatures are
lower than in the rest
of Spain. They
decrease as we move
up the mountain.
 The average
precipitation is over
1500 mm annually. It
may fall as snow.
Benasque

25.  Deciduous forests
 Mediterranean
forest and
scrubland
 Sub-tropical forests
 Alpine landscapes

27. Deciduous Forests
 In areas with Maritime
climate
 Vegetation:
 Deciduous trees that lose
their leaves in autumn:
beech, oak.
 Also moorland and grassland.
 The indigenous vegetation
(oak trees, beech trees and
moors) has almost
dissaperared due to
extensive logging.
 Non-native vegetarion: pines
and ecucalyptus trees.
 Forests have been cut down
to make space for pastures,
for livestock or farmland.
 Fauna: capercaillies, hares,
otters, wolves, bears and
foxes

29. Mediterranean Forest and Scrubland
 In areas with
Mediterranean coastal
climate or
Mediterranean inland
climate.
 Vegetation:
 Trees that can survive
the dry summers: holm
oaks, cork oaks, pine
trees
 Bushes and aromatic
plants: lavender, thyme

30.  In Mediterranean inland
climate the main
landscape is the steppe.
 The territory has
suffered a severe
deforestation due to the
human use of the land
for agriculture and
livestock.
 Fauna: rabbits, wolves,
lynxes and imperial
eagles.

32. Sub-tropical Forest
 In areas with sub-
tropical climates.
 Vegetation:
 Vegetation is scarce.
 Pine trees and
evergreen laurisilva
forests.
 Endemic species such
as the dragon tree or
the Canary island pine
 Fauna: endemic
animals, such as
Bolle’s pigeon.

34. Alpine Landscape
 In areas with Alpine
climate.
 Vegetation:
 Forests of pine
trees and fir trees
 Above 2000m there
are thorny bushes
and grassland.
 Fauna: Spanish ibex
and vultures

36.  Earthquakes: are rare
but they may happen in
the south-east connected
to the tectonic boundary.

37.  Volcanic
eruptions: also rare
but may happen in
the volcanic Canary
islands.

38.  Cold snaps: when
cold air from the
norht and north-
east of Europe
moves over the
peninsula.
Temperatures fall
and precipitation
happens as snow
and ice which
damages crops and
affect transport
system

39.  Floods: from abundant
precipitation or melting
snow from the mountains.
Cause damages in crops
and cities/villages. They
occur specially on the
Mediterrean and
Cantabrian coasts.

40.  Droughts: they
happen more often
in the south and
Mediterranean
regions affectin
agriculture and
people.

41.  Deforestation: when
the forest is destroyed or
cleared to make space
for crops and grazing or
for building. It affects not
only vegetation but also
the soil
 Erosion: it increases
after deforestation or by
the use of heavy
machinery, fertilisers or
pesticides, overgrazing or
excesive building.
 Desertification: caused
by deforestation,
overgrazing and poor
agricultural irrigation
systems. It is becoming
serious in the south-east
of the Iberian Peninsula.

42.  Atmospheric
pollution
 Noise pollution:
caused mainly by
traffic
 Water and land
pollution: caused
by waste products
from agriculture,
industry and
homes.

43.  Creating more forests
mainly with native trees
and protecting the current
ones.
 Using modern irrigation
systems to prevent erosion
and desertification
 Improving forest fire
prevention
 Using public transport
 Reusing goods and
recycling waste
 Increasing the number of
protected areas like
national parks.
 Reducing our own impact in
nature

47. Developed by María Jesús Campos
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