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| General Information |
| Area :
504,750 sq km; 194,884 sq miles Population : 39.5 million (growth rate 0.2%) Languages : Castilian Spanish (official language)Catalonian, Galician, Valenciano, Vasco (are also official languages in the autonomous communities of Catalonia, Galicia, Valencia and Basque Country, respectively) Religion : 99% Roman Catholic Capital : Madrid Head of State : King Juan Carlos Tourism : 45 million visitors per year Time : GMT/UTC plus 1 hour Electricity : 220V Weights and Measures : Metric Credit Cards : Visa, Eurocard, American Express, MasterCard, Diners Club and Access are widely accepted. Nature : Spain, occupying the greater part of the Iberian Peninsula and positioned as the nexus between Europe and Africa, boasts a range of widely contrasting natural attractions. Its extensive perimeter of coastline -bathed by three different seas- and its Mediterranean (Balearics) and Atlantic (Canaries) island possessions are eloquent testimony to its seafaring traditions. At the same time however, the distance separating the seaboard from large tracts of the hinterland, along with the mountainous nature of the intervening terrain, act as a brake on this maritime influence and imbue the territory with an unmistakeably continental character, relatively isolated from ocean-borne penetration. A continent in miniature, its link with Europe lies through the mountainous folds of the Pyrenees, an unbroken line stretching for 440 kilometres (273 miles) at an average height of around 2,000 metres (6,400 ft.). In the interior, more than 400 protected natural areas have been set aside to conserve the principal mainland and island ecosystems. Spain's mean altitude is 660 metres (over 2,000 ft) above sea level, far above the European average. In fact, almost half the country's surface area lies at altitudes ranging from 1,900-4,000 ft. above sea level, with its chief mountain ranges flanked along the coast. The Mountains : The mountains reach their maximum height in the Pyrenees (north) and the Sierra Nevada (south), the latter system containing the highest peak on the mainland, Mt. Mulhac?n, which rises to 3.482 metres (11,425 ft.). These uplands are home to glaciers, alpine lakes and an overwhelming display of flora and fauna. National Parks and Game Reserves, wintersports and outdoor-adventure facilities are just some of the attractions lying in store for the visitor to Spain's high mountain areas. Numerous mountain ranges and systems criss-cross the mainland, the most notable being: the Cantabrian Range with the Picos de Europa; the Central system with the Gredos massif; and the Iberian and B?tica Ranges. Protected areas and natural spaces, abounding in impressive swathes of forest and woodland, act as a wildlife habitat for animals, such as the bear, wolf, wood grouse (capercaillie) and ibex, and a haven for valuable indigenous flora. The Central Plateau : Thanks to its central position, the Central Plateau or Meseta, the largest of its kind in Europe, has played a dominant role throughout the country's history. It is an essentially agrarian region where Spain's time-honoured classic crops are still grown, i.e., winter cereals (wheat, barley), grapes and olives. To the north and east of this Meseta lies an extensive stretch of mountainous country and a coastal fringe washed by the waters of the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean. This is the area known as Green Spain, a lush wet area with abundant rainfall, mild temperatures and verdant, leafy, woodland vegetation. The Mediterranean Region : To the east, against a backdrop of serried mountains, Mediterranean Spain opens out, an alternating strip of sandy flats, salt marshes (the Mar Menor and the Albufera of Valencia) and sheer cliffs (Costa Brava, La Nao). The area's traditional agriculture, wheat, grapes and olives -now supplemented by modern irrigation systems that yield vegetables and citrus fruit- co-exists alongside a prosperous industrial sector. The south too reveals sharp contrasts: a shoreline, Mediterranean for the greater part, sown with crops suited to the varying micro-climates and terrain, buttressed by a folded mountainous region that is given over to animal husbandry (cattle, pigs, horses and fighting bulls). Out in the waters of the Mediterranean, the Balearic Isles are singular in being blessed with an interesting and changing coastline, birdlife of note and matchless scenery. Lying off the western shores of North Africa, the Canary Islands, with their volcanic topography and unique species of flora akin, in many cases, to living fossils, not only account for four of Spain's twelve National Parks but run the entire gamut, from beaches to mountains, from arid deserts to lush valleys. From its readily accessible coasts, dotted with white sandy beaches, to the heights of its snow-capped peaks, Spain embraces a surprising wealth of Nature, in which broad bands of wetland, semi-desert areas, bleak moors, mountain ranges and river valleys highlight the differences in splendid degrees of nuance, shading and tone. Scenery : Spain is a land of contrasts, with marked differences in natural surroundings, climate, culture and lifestyles. This plurality is equally evinced in its scenery which, to the eyes of the traveller, seems to change with startling swiftness. Inland Areas : Occupying the entire central portion of the Iberian Peninsula, a high plateau, the Meseta, opens out onto another of Spain's most powerfully expressive and distinct areas of scenery. Running across the centre, a mountainous watershed bisects the land into two well-defined physical and historical units. Throughout the length of Castile -structured nowadays into the Autonomous Regions of Castile & Le?n, Castile-La Mancha and La Rioja- this vast plain, along with the farmlands of Extremadura, offers the traveller vistas of wide open horizons, seen across flowing fields of wheat and other cereals, river valleys, and tiny villages which, together with cities steeped in history, house a veritable treasure-trove of art and monumental sights. The Mediterranean Coast : From the Pyrenees to Andalusia, Mediterranean Spain is a shifting kaleidoscope of sand flats, marshland (the Valencian Albufera, the Mar Menor in Murcia) and plunging cliffsides (Costa Brava), where the steep rocky coast is broken here and there by a sprinkling of small coves and huddled fishing villages. Away from the coast, typical Catalonian farmhouses (mas?as) and vineyards preside over a landscape which, moving southwards, takes on new colour, in almond groves and orchards of oranges and lemons, and softens along the shoreline, opening out into beaches of fine white sand. On reaching Andalusia, through olive groves and salt marshes, the scenery shimmers with light and the sun reigns supreme in towns and beaches of dazzling white. Soaring mountains (the Alpujarras and the Sierra Nevada) strike an awesome contrast, as do the desert dunes and wastes of Almer?a, moulding areas of great diversity and beauty. Perched on the African continent, Ceuta and Melilla are two warm and pleasant cities. Situated in the Atlantic Ocean to the south, the Canary Islands, with their spectacular volcanic backdrop and tourist developments, offer a scenic display that is at once unique and impressive. |
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