Spain is in Western Europe and covers most of the Iberian Peninsula (the other Iberian states are Portugal and Andorra, plus the British Gibraltar colony). Spain’s capital is Madrid. In the northeast, the Pyrenees form a natural border with France. The territory of the kingdom includes the Mediterranean archipelago of the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands off West Africa. The enclaves Melilla and Ceuta, which also belong to Spain, are located on Moroccan national territory, they represent the last remnants of the once powerful colonial empire of Spain.
The geography of Spain is mainly shaped by mountains. The most famous mountains are the Pyrenees, which run between the Mediterranean and the Basque Country. The highest point on the mainland of Spain at 3,404 m is the Mulhacén in the Sierra Nevada (3,482 m), but the highest point in Spain is on Tenerife (Pico del Teide, 3,718 m).
Spain’s coasts have a total length of about 5,000 kilometers. The coast of the Mediterranean, which is particularly attractive for tourists, stretches in Spain from the French border to Gibraltar. The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic with the Mediterranean and forms the dividing line between Africa and Spain. Holidaymakers love Spain because of the geographical and cultural diversity that can be found in the architecture, among other things. Another reason is of course the cheap flights to Spain, which are offered again and again. A flight to Barcelona, Madrid or Valencia or other major cities or holiday regions in Spain is often relatively cheap.
Along with France, Spain is one of the most popular travel and vacation destinations in the world. Europeans in particular cannot get enough of the beautiful country. A full seven percent of all tourists worldwide vacation and travel in Spain. That is over 55.6 million people annually.
The region of Catalonia and of course the Balearic Islands are popular. In addition, tourists like to come to Andalusia and Valencia. The Pyrenees are one of the most visited regions in Spain, because the mountain range is really impressive and known worldwide. The Canary Islands are also a popular tourist destination.
Spain climate
The Meseta (central highlands) and the catchment area of the Ebro have a continental climate: very hot summers, cold and dry winters. In Madrid, temperatures regularly drop below 0 ° C in December, January and February, and temperatures of more than 30 ° C are reached in July and August. Valladolid in the northern Meseta and Saragossa in the catchment area of the Ebro are dry (about 300 mm of precipitation per year). Andalusia is only a little more humid and very hot in summer, in Seville temperatures of 35 ° C and more are reached in midsummer.
The Pyrenees and the Cordillera Cantábrica in the hinterland of the Biscay are in the catchment area of cool north and northwest air currents, the lower temperatures and violent rainfalls bring on the north coast. Showers can occur here even in midsummer.
The Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands receive a little more rain than Madrid, the south of Spain is very hot in summer. In the Mediterranean, especially around Alicante, you will also find Spain’s highest water temperatures (around 27 ° C in August). Barcelona’s weather is milder and more humid than the cities further inland.
As a rule, temperatures from April to early November are pleasant to hot almost everywhere in the country. In Andalusia there are warm and sunny days even in winter. Temperatures inland can get uncomfortably high in July and August.
In the mountains it snows in part already in October, on the highest peaks there is snow for most of the year.
Spain – places of interest
Spain has completely different areas for its holidaymakers, such as Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Balearic Islands, etc., a large number of different sights can be found everywhere.
Worth seeing is for example the Renaissance-style cathedral in Faen.
But also the cathedral of Sevillia, the third largest in the world, should not be missed. At this point, there were already famous buildings in front of the cathedral, which was built in the eleventh century temple the Goths or a mosque of the Moors with the mighty Giradia tower, which at that time was the tallest building in the world.
It took almost more than five centuries to complete the construction of what is now Sevillia’s Cathedral. Inside the cathedral is the beautiful Madonna of Cano, the richly decorated early Gothic high chair, etc.
You should also have seen the museum in the cathedral of Seville. There are many religious objects to visit here, most of which are of historical and artistic value.
The Palacio Arzobispalin in Sevillia is impressive. The Archbishop’s Palace has a particularly magnificent entrance gate and dates from the sixteenth century.
Spain has a far greater number of different sacred buildings to offer than has been mentioned up to now.
There are also other historical buildings in abundance in the country, such as B. the Castillo de Santa Catalin in Jaén. The fortress from the Middle Ages was actually an Arab building in its original state, the tower of which has been preserved to this day. In 1246 the fortress was conquered by the Christians and adapted to Christian standards.
You should also see the Moorish baths in Jaén. They were only found at the beginning of the nineteenth century and are the most important in the country due to their area (470 square kilometers) alone.
The Alcazar Royal Palace in Sevillia is impressive. As you can tell from the name, the palace was a building by the Arabs. It was built in 884 under Caliph Mohammed V. Over the centuries, it was the residence of many important leaders in the country and was modified accordingly.
The columns of Hercules in Sevillia are also worth a visit. The ruins of the Roman Temple of Hercules can be seen right on the main square of the La Alameda district.
A visit to the archaeological museum of Sevillia is certainly interesting. The highlights include the treasure of Carom, as well as the statue of the Roman Emperor Trajan.
The Casa Pilatos in Sevillia is a palace from the beginning of the fifteenth century, richly decorated with ceramic work. Inside there are numerous ancient sculptures, a valuable collection of antiques, such as the magnificent frescoes by Francisco Pacheco.
But the absolute highlight of Spain is probably the Alhambra fortress in Granada. It is actually more of a complex consisting of a fortress, palace and gardens. Alhambra is the oldest, most important and best preserved Arab palace of its time.
It wouldn’t really make sense to describe it, you should have seen this impressive building yourself instead of reading about it.
Spain has many more old and historical buildings to show, many of them still descending from the Romans, but there is also a long list of Arab buildings to visit.
Those who have had enough to see various sights can relax in the Generalife gardens. They date from the fourteenth century and have been preserved in almost their original state to this day.
There are also a large number of different natural beauties to visit in Spain. These would be B. the nature reserve Sierra de Grazalema, Coto de Donana or the Laguna Fuente de Piedra.
