Country Guide

Spain is a country almost as large as France. Together with Portugal, with which it has a long land border on the west, it forms a large peninsula south of the Pyrenees, with the Atlantic Ocean on its western and northern side and the Mediterranean Sea to its south and east.

The large size of the peninsula and the different climatic influences of the Atlantic and Mediterranean result in a variety of climates within Spain. It is a mistake to think of the whole country as having a typical Mediterranean climate such as is found in the tourist areas along the east and south coasts and in the Balearic Islands.

In the north the Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains rise to between 1,800 m/6,000 ft and 3,000 m/10,000 ft. Much of interior Spain is a plateau with an average height of 450 m-900 m /1,500 ft-3,000 ft, crossed by a number of mountain ranges (sierras).

In the south of the country (Andalusia) the valley of the Guadalquivir river forms a wide lowland. To the south of this lies the high Sierra Nevada, which dominates the narrow Mediterranean coastlands.

These large differences of altitude and the contrast between coast and interior give Spain a range of climatic and weather conditions. Although most of the country is hot and sunny in summer there are great differences of temperature in winter; coastal areas are mild but the interior is frequently cold and snowy. Skiing can be enjoyed on the nearest mountain ranges to most of the large towns of the country.

Click on the links below for a detailed look at Spain's regions:

Spain
North and Northwestern Spain
Central Spain
Mediterranean Spain
Canary Islands