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 kilometers 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 kilometers, 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 Iberan Peninsula, some 493,486 square kilometers 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. contituted 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
Although Spain lies in the temperate zone, its rugged relief gives rise to a great diversity of climates.
The Cantabrian mountains mark the first well-defined climatological dividing zone. To the north of this range, i.e. in the narrow northern strip, where the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia are situated, lies what we may call rainy Spain, with a maritime climate par excellence, with only slight variations in temperature, mild winters and cool summers, an almost constantly cloudy sky and frequent rainfall, although less so during the summer. This climate, which is typical of western Europe, favours a northern European type of vegetation.
To the south of the Cantabrian range lies dry Spain, which has extremely varied climated, always characterized by scarce rainfall and a pitiless burning sun in an intensely blue sky, occasionally crossed by shortlived, fierce local thunderstorms.
In terms of surface area, rainy Spain accounts for about a third of the country, while the other two thirds make up dry Spain.
