Where we are

Where are in Spain

Spain and Portugal together make up the Iberian Peninsula, the westernmost of the three major peninsulas of southern Europe. It forms an enormous octagonal promontory at the extreme S.W. of the Continent. It is situated in a temperate zone, lying between 43 47' 24'' N. (Estaca de Bares), and 36 00' 03'' S. (Punta de Tarifa), latitude and between 7 00' 29'' E.(Cabo de Creus), and 5 36' 40' W. (Cabo de Tourinan), longitude. Spain occupies four fifths of the 580,825 square kilometres that make up the total area of the Peninsula. It borders to the north on the Bay of Biscay, France and Andorra, to the east, on the Mediterranean Sea, to the south, on the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west, on the Atlantic and Portugal.

In relation to many other countries of the world Spain, with its surface area of 505,957 square kilometres, takes up only a small part of the map. In terms of the European continent, however, Spain is the third largest country after the Community of Independent Sates and France.

The above mentioned surface area includes the larger part of the Iberian Peninsula, some 493,486 square kilometres of a total of 580,760 which completed by Portugal, as well as the 4,992 sq. kms. that make up the Balearic Islands lying to the East of the peninsula, and the 7,447 sq. kms. constituted by the Canary Islands, which are found more than 1,000 kms. south of the Peninsula, just off the coast of Africa.

These last form part of the island chain that leads to the Americas via the central Atlantic route. Two Spanish cities in the north of Africa also form part of the nation, Ceuta with 18 sq. kms. and Melilla with 14 kms.

Ancient historians gave Spain many different names in the remote past. For some it was Ophiusa, for others Edetania, Sacania, Tartessos, Hesperia ... It was the Romans who hit on the name of Hispania, a word which is apparently of Phoenician origin, derived from shepham which probably means 'coast or island of rabbits'. Professor Garcia y Bellido believes that the name of Hispania dates from two centuries B.C. Strabo considered the terms Iberia and Hispania to be synonymous. 'The Romans have called this whole region', he wrote, 'Iberia or Hispania, dividing it into two parts, Ulterior and Citerior, and reserving the right to change them yet again, should circumstances call for a further administrative division' (subsequently the division would be Baetica, Lusitania and Tarraconense).

Peninsular Spain has a total area of 493,486 sq kilometres, to which must be added 4,992 sq km for the Balearics, 7,447 for the Canary archipelago and 32 for the Spanish towns situated in North Africa: Ceuta, with 18 sq km, and Melilla, with 14 sq km.

The perimeter of peninsular Spain totals 5,849 kilometres. Of this distance, 3,904 are coastline and 1,945 land frontiers. The French and Andorran frontier account for 712 kilometres; the Portuguese frontier extends for 1,232 kilometres, while the border with Gibraltar is just a kilometre.

The most important part of insular Spain is the Balearic and Canary archipelagos. The first of these, situated at one side of the Peninsula, in the western Mediterranean, consists of the islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera, Cabrera and other similar ones, while the Canary Islands to the south in the Atlantic, off the African coast, comprise Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Gomera, Palma, Hierro and a few islets.

Tourism in Spain

Tourism in Spain was developed during the last years of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, when the country became a popular place for summer holidays, especially for tourists from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Scandinavia. Since then Spain has been the second most visited country of the world after France. In 2007 almost 60 million foreign tourists were received, according to the World Tourism Organization, which has its headquarters in Madrid. Spain's tourism spending annually is over £46 Billion, the highest tourism spending in any nation worldwide except the USA with $74 Billion.

Transport

Spain's national airline is Iberia (or Iberia Airlines), but the country can also be flown into on many international passenger airlines such as Spanair, Air Europa, Vueling, Air Berlin, Clickair and charter airlines, both of which fly to many tourist spots in the region. The main train operator is RENFE; the AVE (Spanish high speed train) or Talgo are the main intercity services for tourists. Many freeways link the main touristic cities.

Summer Resorts and Beaches

This modality of Tourism was the first to be developed in Spain, and nowadays, generates the most income for the Spanish economy. The mild climate during the whole year and the extensive sandy beaches by the Mediterranean as well as of its two archipelagos (the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands respectively) have been attracting tourists from the cold territories of North Europe for decades. Summer resorts are popular with Spaniards too.

The Spanish coasts suitable for summer vacations include, from north to south:

The Costa Brava, the Costa Daurada and the Costa del Maresme, in the autonomous community of Catalonia, very popular between tourist from inland Spain and France, including famous resorts like Salou and the city of Barcelona, that also has the largest harbour of Spain.

The Costa del Azahar, Costa de Valencia, whose capital city is Valencia and the Costa Blanca, (one of the most developed coastal areas of Spain, extremely popular for tourists from the United Kingdom and Germany, with Benidorm as the leading summer city of Spain), all in the Valencian Community.

The Costa Calida in Region of Murcia, Mediterranean Coasts and the Mar Menor (Small Sea), an inner salt lake separated to the Mediterranean by a large sandy strip.

The Costa de Almería, the Costa Tropical, the Costa del Sol and the Costa de la Luz, all in Andalucía. Some of its summer towns are worldwide famous, like Marbella or Sotogrande in San Roque, Cádiz, destinations of tourists with big purchasing power. Málaga is also one of the largest harbours in Spain.

Spain also has two archipelagos, the volcanic Canary Islands, in the Atlantic, and the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean, both very popular with Spaniards and foreigners.

In addition to the summer tourism, other modalities like cultural and monumental tourism congresses, sport or fun tourism have been developed in these areas, including such famous cities as Barcelona and Valencia, the biggest harbours of the Spanish Mediterranean coast.

The Beach Tourism also has been involved in the development of nightlife, present in all the coastal or island cities, as well as the excellent gastronomy.

Many coastal or island places also have great ecological and natural importance. Theme Parks like Port Aventura, Terra Mítica or diverse Water-fun parks are also popular.

Cultural Tourism, Business Tourism

Spain is also a popular destination of cultural tourism due to its historical importance, especially cities like Seville, Granada, Córdoba and Toledo. Thirteen Spanish cities have been declared World Heritage Cities by the UNESCO: Alcalá de Henares, Ávila, Cáceres, Córdoba, Cuenca, Ibiza, Salamanca, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Tarragona and Toledo. Spain is the country with most World Heritage sites designated by UNESCO along with Italy, each with 42 sites. Cultural tourism contemplates to the two big metropolis of Spain: Madrid and Barcelona, both with great historical importance. In addition, there are other important cultural places in Spain, including several cities in North Spain, like A Coruña and Vigo, in Galicia, Santander in Cantabria, Oviedo and Gijón in Asturias, Bilbao and San Sebastián in the Basque Country. North Spain is usually called "Green Spain" due to its lush green landscape, similar to the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is important in terms of folklore, nature, cuisine and even summer holidays, although beaches of the North are notably colder than the Mediterranean's.

Religion

Spain is an important place for Christianity and Judaism. In fact, some of the holiest places are in Spain: city of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (North-West Spain), the third holiest place after the Vatican City in Rome and Jerusalem. It's also the end of the Way of Saint James or Camino de Santiago in Spanish. Santo Toribio de Liébana, Cantabria (also at the North) is the fourth, followed by the Sanctuary of the Vera Cruz in Caravaca de la Cruz at the South-East, Region of Murcia (fifth holiest place). These places attract tourists from all the world.

Festivals

The running of the bulls in Pamplona.

Also important are the numerous festivities and festivals in Spanish cities, such as the Holy Week in cities like Seville. Very popular are the Seville Fair or Feria de Abril in Spanish or the world-famous festival of San Fermin in Pamplona, the Fiestas del Pilar in Zaragoza and many more in every town.

Spain enjoys a lot of culture festivals too, including the Carnival all over Spain, but especially in the Canary Islands and Cadiz. Movie festivals can be found in San Sebastian, Malaga and Sitges. Music festivals includes: the FIB, Festimad, Primavera Sound, Bilbao Live Festival... among others. Several cities have hosted international events, including: Universal Fair of 1888 and 1929 in Barcelona, the 1992 Summer Olympics, also in Barcelona, the Universal fair of 1992 in Seville, the America's Cup in Valencia, and the Expo 2008 in Zaragoza.

Nightlife

The nightlife in Spain is very attractive to both tourists and locals. Spain is known to have one of the best night lives of any country. Big cities such as Madrid and Barcelona are favourites amongst the large and popular discothèques. For instance, Barcelona is known as the number one party city for clubs such as Pacha and Razzmatazz, whereas Madrid is famous for its club, Kapital. The discothèques in Spain are open until odd hours such as 7am. The Baleraric Islands, such as Ibizia and Mallorca, are known to be major party destinations, as well as favored summer resorts.

Winter Tourism

Spain, as the second most mountainous country of Europe, is full of high mountains and good ski resorts, with famous ski slopes all over Spain, including the Pyrenees, the Cordillera Central, The Sistema Ibérico and Sierra Nevada.

Nature and Rural Tourism

The Picos de Europa National Park in the Green Spain.

Spain enjoys a diverse landscape and is full of places with great ecologic value all over the Spanish territory, including the Ordesa Valley and Monte Perdido between the autonomous community of Aragon and France, in the Pyrenees. Spain is a very mountainous country, but also has plains. The largest plain is the Meseta Central, with a "Castilian" landscape, full of prairies. There are also several wetlands with ecologic value, including the Picos de Europa National Park, the Doñana National Park, the Albufera of Valencia, the Lago de Sanabria (one of the largest lakes of Spain), the Lagunas de Ruidera and the Tablas de Daimiel National Park. North Spain is usually called the Green Spain because of its lush landscape, due to wet and rainy weather. However, the Canary Islands have an exotic volcanic landscape (including the Teide volcano, that is also the highest peak of Spain). Spain has a lot of importance in terms of archeology and paleontology including Atapuerca and the cave of Altamira.