Spain is situated in southwestern Europe. It occupies the Iberian Peninsula and is bathed by the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea.It also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic and the cities of Ceuta y Melilla. Its total surface area is 504,788 sq. kms.
Spain, influenced throughout many centuries by occidental and oriental cultures, is a country with an amazing variety of landscapes and ways of living.
Iberians, Celts, Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Goths, Moors, Jews and Christians have built up its richness. Being in Spain is like roaming in a time machine, thanks to the impressive legacy of all this civilizations.
From the archeological remains of prehistory to the pieces of art and architecture of Picasso, Dalí or Gaudí, Spain offers a great variety of possibilities for visitors.
Not only art and the remains from the past are the attractive of Spain, but the hospitality and happiness of Spaniards is something that people from other countries remember forever after a visit to Spain.
At the same time, the prestige of Spanish gastronomy ads another good reason to come to the Iberian Peninsular.
Spain is a modern and democratic country integrated in the European Union and in the North Atlantic Treaty. Its political system is called Constitutional Parliamentary Monarchy.
Climate
Although Spain lies in the temperate zone, its rugged relief gives rise to a great diversity of climates.
The Cantabrian mountains mark the first well-defined climatological dividing zone.
To the north of this range, i.e. in the narrow northern strip, where the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia are situated, lies what we may call rainy Spain, with a maritime climate par excellence, with only slight variations in temperature, mild winters and cool summers, an almost constantly cloudy sky and frequent rainfall, although less so during the summer.
This climate, which is typical of Western Europe, favours a northern European type of vegetation.
To the south of the Cantabrian range lies dry Spain, which has extremely varied climated, always characterized by scarce rainfall and a pitiless burning sun in an intensely blue sky, occasionally crossed by shortlived, fierce local thunderstorms.
In terms of surface area, rainy Spain accounts for about a third of the country, while the other two thirds make up dry Spain.
Predominantly continental climate with hot, dry summers and rather harsh, cold winters. Wide diurnal and seasonal variations in temperature and low, irregular rainfall.
Maritime climate prevails in northern part of country, characterized by relatively mild winters, warm but not hot summers, and generally abundant rainfall spread throughout the year.
Slight diurnal and seasonal variations in temperature. Mediterranean climate experienced from Andalusian Plain along south and east coasts, characterized by irregular, inadequate rainfall, mostly in autumn and winter.
