SPAIN

Spain occupies 85% of the Iberian Peninsula, which it shares with Portugal, in southwest Europe. Africa is less than 10 mi (16 km) south at the Strait of Gibraltar. A broad central plateau slopes to the south and east, crossed by a series of mountain ranges and river valleys.

Location

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France.

Geography

Strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar .

Capital

Madrid

Climate

Temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast.

Language

Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%

Monetary Unit

Euro (EUR)

Largest Cities

Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Zaragoza, Malaga, Murcia, Las Palmas, Bilbao, Palma, Valladolid, Cordoba, Vigo, Alacant, Gijon, Granada, A Coruna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Vitoria, Oviedo, Elx, Iruna, Jerez, Santander, Cartagena, Donostia, Almeria, Burgos, Salamanca, Albacete, Castello, Huelva, Cadiz, Badajoz, Leon, Logrono, San Cristobal de la Laguna, Tarragona, Jaen, Lleida, Marbella, Ourense, Algeciras

Principal rivers

Tajog, Ebro, Duero, Guadalquivir, Guadiana

Places to Visit

Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Granadas Alhambra, Seville

Airports

Alicante, Almeria, Asturias, Badajoz Talaveral, Barcelona, Bilbao Sondica, Cordoba, Fuerteventura, Gerona Costabrava, Gran Canaria, Granada, Ibiza, Jerez De La Frontera La Parra, La Coruna, Lanzarote, Madrid Barajas, Madrid Torrejon AFB, Malaga, Melilla Tahuima, Menorca, Murcia San Javier, Palma, Pamplona Noain, Puerto La Cruz, Reus, Salamanca Matacan, San Sebastian Fuenteraba, Santa Cruz La Palma La Palma, Santander, Santiago De Compostela, Seo De Urgel De La Seu, Seville San Pablo, Tenerife N Losrodeo, Tenerife Reinasofia, Torremolinos, Valencia, Valladolid, Valverde Hierro, Vigo, Vitoria, Zaragoza