Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains; southwest of France and east of Portugal
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 4 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area:
total:
504,782 km²
land:
499,542 km²
water:
5,240 km²
note:
includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberanía) on and off the coast of Morocco - Ceuta, Melilla, Islas Chafarinas, Peñón de Alhucemas, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
Land boundaries:
total:
1,917.8 km
border countries:
Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km
Coastline: 4,964 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nautical miles
exclusive economic zone:
200 nautical miles (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)
territorial sea:
12 nautical miles
Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Pico del Teide (Tenerife) in the Canary Islands 3,718 m
Note. Highest mountain in continental Spain is Mulhacén, in Granada, Andalucía, at 3,481 m
Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land
Land use:
arable land:
30%
permanent crops:
9%
permanent pastures:
21%
forests and woodland:
32%
other:
8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 34,530 km² (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification
Geography - note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
- See also :
