Spain occupies a surface of 500.000 Km2 at
the southwest corner of Europe. This includes
the Canary Islands and the African enclaves
of Ceuta and Melilla. With this size it is
one of Europe's largest nations. Together
with Portugal, it forms the Iberian peninsula.
With its more than 3.000 kilómetres
of coastline and its higher temperatures compared
to northern Europe, Spain has become a common
holiday destination for many tourists from
all parts of the world.
The pyrenees are the tallest
mountain range in the country, but Spain has
numerous mountain ranges: the Cordillera Cantábrica
and the Cordillera Galaica in the north, as
well as the Bética. At the centre the
'meseta castellana' a plateau some 600 metros
above sea level, surrounded by the mountains
of the 'Sierra de Gredos' in Castilla, 'Guadarrama'
between Castilla and Madrid, 'Sierra de Guara'
in Aragón, and 'Sierra Morena' in Andalucía.
The country has many rivers with and lakes
though it suffers a gradual desertification
in some regions.
The Canary Islands are a volcanic
paradise and with the Balearic Islands they
are Spain's most popular tourism destination.
However there is such an amount of cultural,
artistic, nature and entertainment choice,
that almost all regions of Spain can be gonsidered
good tourism destinations.
