Download UNIDAD 2: SPAIN 2.1. SPANISH RELIEF Spain is a European

UNIDAD 2: SPAIN
2.1. SPANISH RELIEF
Spain is a European country located between 36º and 43º north latitude. Spain
is located on the Iberian peninsula and its territory also includes: the Balearic
Islands in the Mediterranean sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic ocean and
two autonomous cities in North Africa: Ceuta and Melilla.
Spain's total surface area is 504,645 km2. It occupies around 80% of the Iberian
peninsula. The Balearic Islands are 4,992 km2, while the Canary Islands are
7,447 km2. There are also a few smaller islands and territories including the two
Spanish cities in North Africa : Ceuta , with 20 km2 and Melilla with 13 km2.
24% of Spain surface area is above 1000 m. and 76% between 500 and 1000
m. Spain has an average altitude of 660 metres. Only Switzerland, with an
average altitude of 1,300 metres, is higher.
The Meseta (a plateau) occupies about 40% of the country - 210,000 km2, and
has an average altitude of 650 m. It is divided in two by the Sistema Central
(Guadarrama and Gredos ranges), creating Old Castile to the north and New
Castile to the south (nowadays called 'Castilla León' and 'Castilla La Mancha').
The northern 'submeseta' is the higher of the two at between 850-800m, while
the southern 'submeseta lies between 500 and 700m high.
Cantabrian Mountains
The Cantabrian Mountains (Cordillera Cantábrica in Spanish) is a mountain
range extending approximately 300 km across northern Spain. They run from
the western limit of the Pyrenees to the borders of Galicia, limited by the valley
of the river Miño, and several smaller rivers. They move nearly parallel to the
coast of the Gulf of Biscay.
Sistema Central
The 'Sistema Central', sometimes described as the 'dorsal spine' of Spain, is a
range of mountains splitting the Meseta Central into northern and southern
regions. The 'Sistema Central' runs from east to west along the southern border
of the Spanish autonomous community of 'Castilla y León' continuing into
Portugal. It was formed more than 300 millions years ago
The 'Sistema' can be divided into two major ranges divided by the Rio Alberche:
the 'Sierra de Gredos' and the 'Sierra de Guadarrama'. Much of the range is
made up of granite.
The Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a range of mountains in northeast Spain that form a natural
border between France and Spain. They separate the Iberian peninsula from
the rest of continental Europe. It extends for about 430 km (267 miles) from the
Gulf of Biscay to the Mediterranean sea.The Pyrenees are typically divided into
three sections: the Atlantic (or Western), the Central, and the Eastern Pyrenees.
The Central Pyrenees extend westward from the Aran Valley to the Somport
pass, and they include the highest summits of this range:
- Aneto: 3,404 metres (11,168 ft),
- Posets: 3,375 metres (11,073 ft),
- Monte Perdido 3,355 metres (11,007 ft).
In the Western Pyrenees the average elevation gradually increases from the
west to the east, from the Basque Mountains near the Gulf of Biscay of the
Atlantic ocean.
Baetic Mountains
The Baetic 'Cordillera' is a mountain system in the southern and eastern part of
Spain. Also known as the Baetic ranges or Baetic mountains, the Baetic
'Cordillera' is made up of multiple mountain ranges that reach from western
Andalusia to Murcia, trending generally southwest-northeast. The 'Sierra
Nevada' is part of the Baetic system.
Sierra Morena
The Sierra Morena is a mountain range which stretches for 400 km East-West
across southern Spain, forming the border of the central plateau (Meseta
central). It divides the valleys of the Guadiana to the north and the Guadalquivir
to the south.
The name is also applied to the highest point on Kings Mountains in Califirnia,
in the U.S.A.
2.2. Rivers
Of the roughly 1,800 rivers and streams in Spain, only the Tagus is more than
960 kilometers long; all but 90 extend less than 96 kilometers. These shorter
rivers carry small volumes of water and they have seasonally dry river beds.
However, when they flow, they are often torrential. Most major rivers rise in the
mountains through the Meseta Central and flow westward across the plateau
through Portugal to empty into the Atlantic ocean. One significant exception is
the river with the most abundant flow in Spain, the Ebro, which flows eastward
to the Mediterranean Sea.
Rivers in the extreme northwest drain directly into the Atlantic Ocean. The
northwestern coastline is also truncated by 'rias', waterbodies similar to fjords.
The major river in the northwest region is the Miño.
The major rivers flowing westward through the Meseta Central include the
Duero, the Tagus, the Guadiana, and the Guadalquivir. The Guadalquivir is one
of the most significant rivers in Spain because it irrigates a fertile valley,
creating a rich agricultural area, and because it is navigable inland, making
Seville the only inland river port in Spain.
The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian peninsula. It measures 1,038
kilometers in length, 716 km of which are in Spain, 47 km as border between
Portugal and Spain and the remaining 275 km in Portugal, where it empties into
the Atlantic ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of 80,100 km² (the second largest
in the Iberian peninsula after the Duero).
The Ebro is Spain's most voluminous river. Its source is in Fontibre (Cantabria).
It flows through cities such as Logroño, Zaragoza, and Tortosa before
discharging in a delta on the Mediterranean Sea in the province of Tarragona.
The Duero is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its
source near Duruelo de la Sierra in the province of Soria, across northerncentral Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto. Its total length is 897 km. of
which only sections on the Portuguese river are navigable by light rivercraft.
The Guadalquivir is the fifth longest river in Spain (after the Tagus, Ebro, Duero
and Guadiana), and the longest in Andalusia. The Guadalquivir is 657
kilometers long and drains an area of about 58,000 square kilometers. It begins
at Cañada de las Fuentes in the Cazorla mountain range (Jaén), passes
through Cordoba and Seville and ends, in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, flowing into
the Gulf of Cádiz, in the Atlantic ocean. The marshy lowlands at the river's end
are known as 'Las Marismas'. It borders Doñana National Park . The
Guadalquivir river is the only great navigable river in Spain. Currently it is
navigable up as far as Seville, but in Roman times it was navigable to Córdoba.
2.3. CLIMATE
Due to Spain's geographical situation and orographic conditions, the climate is
extremely diverse; discounting the mountain climate, it can be roughly divided
into five areas:
• A Continental Mediterranean Climate in the inland areas of the
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•
•
•
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Peninsula.
A semiarid climate or arid Mediterranean in the southeast.
A Mediterranean climate region extends from the Andalusian plain
along the southern and eastern coasts up to the Pyrenees, on the
seaward side of the mountain ranges that run near the coast. Also in
Ceuta and Melilla.
An Oceanic climate in Galicia and the coastal strip near the Cantabrian
mountains. This area is often called 'green Spain' or 'wet Spain'.
A Subtropical climate in the Canary Islands.
Continental Mediterranean climate is a variant of Mediterranean climate in
the interior of the Iberian peninsula, the interiors of the Anatolian peninsula,
Sicily and the inland of Central Chile, due to the limited influence of the sea.
It is a Mediterranean climate, but with some typical features of Continental
like cold and dry winters and warm summers. The difference between
average temperatures in winter and summer is 18.5ºC. In summer,
temperatures are often above 30°C, and frosts are common in winter.
Rainfall is very similar to Mediterranean climate: 400-600 mm, with peaks in
autumn and spring.
- A Semi-arid climate generally describes climatic regions that receive low
annual rainfall (250-500 mm or 10-20 in).
- A Mediterranean climate is the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean
Basin. It is also possible to find this climatic type in southern California, in parts
of Western and South Australia, in southwestern South Africa, and in parts of
central Chile. The climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet
winters.
- An oceanic climate (also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate
and British climate) is the climate typically found along the west coasts at the
middle latitudes of all the world's continents.
- The term "subtropical" describes the climatic region found adjacent to the
tropics, usually between 20 and 35 degrees latitude in both hemispheres, but
occasionally found at slightly higher latitudes.
Questions:
1. Fill in the gaps.
1. Spain is a European country located between ..............and
43º .................. latitude.
2. Spain is located on the ...................... peninsula.
3. Spain's total surface area is about .................... km2.
4. The Spanish cities
and .........................
in
North
Africa
are:
...........................
5. Spain has an average altitude of .................... metres
6. The 'Meseta' occupies ........................... of the country
7. Cantabrian Mountains run from the western limit of the .............. to the
borders of .................... .
8. The 'Sistema Central' runs from ............... to .............. along the
southern border of the Spanish autonomous community of 'Castilla y
León'.
9. The Pyrenees are a range of mountains in northeast Spain that form a
natural border between ................ and ................. .
10. The Baetic Cordillera is a mountain system in the ................... and
eastern part of Spain.
2. Match the following words with their definitions:
navigable
river beds
streams
flow
drain
source
– _____________________ : is the ground which a river flows over.
– _____________________ : ths place where a river begins.
– _____________________ : small rivers.
– _____________________ : a river wide enough or deep enough for a boat
to travel.
– _____________________ : when rivers move continuously.
– _____________________ : make a liquid, especially water, gradually flow
out until there is move.
3. Find these words in the text about rivers and complete the sentences:
navigable
river beds
irrigate
source
flow
torrential
empty
drain
– Some shorter rivers have seasonally dry __________ __________.
– These shorter rivers sometimes carry big volumes of water and can become
________________.
– Some rivers _____________ westward and others eastward.
– In the past, the Guadalquivir was _______________ up to Cordoba.
– The Tagus ______________ into Atlantic Ocean.
– The _____________ of the Duero is near 'Duruelo de la Sierra' in Soria.
– The Guadalquivir ___________ an area of about 58 000 sq. km.
4. Write down at least six words (nouns, verbs or adjectives) directly connected
to climate and try to write one or two sentences using some of them.
5. Choose the correct answer:
1. The climate in Spain is:
a) The same in all regions.
b) Extremely diverse.
c) Always cold in the north and hot in the south.
2. The subtropical climate is typically found in:
a) The interior of the Iberian peninsula.
b) Galicia.
c) Tha Canary Islands.
3. The semiarid climate can be usually found in:
a) In the Southeast.
b) In Seville and Cadiz.
c) In Madrid.
4. The continental Mediterranean climate is found:
a) Only in Spain.
b) In many countries in the Mediterranean.
c) In the inland of some countries all over the world.
5. If you live in Cordoba you will not found:
a) Oceanic climate.
b) Semi-arid climate.
c) Mediterranean climate.