GEOGRAPHY OF SPAIN
Geographically Spain’s diversity is immense; there are endless tracts of
wild crinkled sierra to explore as well as some spectacularly rugged
stretches of coast between fine beaches.
Spain and Portugal share the Iberian Peninsula at the south western edge of
Europe. Spain occupies some 80% of this peninsula and spreads over 505,000
sq km making it the biggest country in Western Europe after France. The
Balearic Islands Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera lie 193km (120
miles) southeast of Barcelona.
The Pyrenees stretch roughly 400km (249 miles) from the Basque country in
the west to the Mediterranean Sea, at times the peaks rise to 1524m(5000ft),
the highest point being 3404m(11,169ft). The highest point on the Spanish
peninsula (The Pico del Teide) on Tenerife in the Canaries is the highest
peak in Spain. More than half of the country is made up of vast, elevated
tablelands- the mesetas – and five major mountain ranges stretch across the
country, in fact with an average altitude of 650m it’s the highest European
country after Switzerland. Landscapes range from the deserts of Andalucia to
the green wetlands of Galicia, from the sun-baked plains of Castilla-La-
Mancha to the rugged snow-capped Pyrenees
