Spain Tourist Attractions

General Information

The Kingdom of Spain with its capital city in Madrid is located in the south-western Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula. It is one of the most popular tourist countries on the old continent. Apart from its continental part, the Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic and two small enclaves on the Moroccan -African Coast.

Spain has the population of approximately 40 millions, the majority of inhabitants are Castilian Spaniards, Catalans, Galicians and Basques. Almost all inhabitants of Spain are Catholic.

Spain is surrounded by seas from almost all sides, although there are also mountain and highland areas. The central part of Spain belongs to a vast plateau: the Iberian Meseta. This area is dry and woodless. It is crossed by deep river valleys and has relatively low mountain ranges. The longest of them is called the Central Cordillera. The historic Somosierra Pass lies there. This mountain range divides central Spain into two parts. In the north, there is a Valley of Old and New Castile. The range of high Pyrenees constitutes the border between Spain and France. The highest peak in Spain, however, is located in the Canary Islands and it is the peak of a volcano called Pico del Teide. There are only few lowlands in Spain. They spread only along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and in the western part of Andalusia. The main rivers in Spain are the following: the Tag, Ebro, Guadiana and Guadalquivir. They all play a very important role in the irrigation of dry Spanish regions, which supports the existence of agriculture. Tourists visiting Spain, can not only admire magnificent beaches and the blue sea, but they can also visit one of ten national parks of this country. The biggest of them, Donana, has unique habitats of migratory birds from the south of Africa. The Ordesa y Monté Perdido Park in the Pyrenees has the highest calcareous peak in Europe. The Cabaneros preserves unique European forests of evergreen sharp-leaved and cork oak trees. Moreover, the biggest palm forest in Europe, El Caracol, lying in the neighborhood of Elche, is also located here.

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