Each of its 17 regions manages its own schools, hospitals, and other public services. With vibrant, historic cities and sunny beaches, Spain attracts more tourists than any other European country except France. Services to the tourism industry drive Spain's economy, the eighth largest in the world.
In Spain joined the European Community and further modernized its economy. Important industries include mining, shipbuilding, and textiles. Settlers have migrated to Spain from Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean since the dawn of history. The Phoenicians, who came in the 8th century B. By the first century B. Spain became mostly Christian under the Romans, who were followed by the Vandals and the Visigoths, Germanic peoples from Europe. The Visigoth rulers fought among themselves, and in A.
Islamic culture spread across Spain as Muslim rulers introduced new crops and irrigation systems, and trading increased. Mathematics, medicine, and philosophy became more advanced, peaking in the tenth century—the golden age of Islamic rule in Spain. In Christian kingdoms in northern Spain conquered the Muslims and spread the Catholic religion. Enriched by silver from the Americas, Spain grew more powerful. It later lost land and power in the Napoleonic Wars, which ended in More than , people died in the Spanish Civil War of the s.
The victorious Gen. Francisco Franco ruled as a brutal dictator until his death in Soon after, Spain began to transform itself into a modern, industrial, and democratic European nation. All rights reserved. Two mountain ranges attached to the alpine system come to join them: in the north, the Pyrenees and, in the south, the Betic mountain range.
The Meseta is rugged, on its periphery, by high mountainous rims: the Cantabrian mountains in the north, the Iberian mountains in the northeast, the serrania of Cuenca in the east and the Sierra Morena in the south. It is cut at its center by the sierras of Guadarrama and Gredos, which separate the plateaus of Old Castile, to the north, from the plateaus of New Castile, to the south.
The plains of Guadalquivir Andalusia , to the south-west, and that of Ebre Aragon , to the northeast, are tertiary collapse basins, in contact with the Meseta and the great alpine chains. In the northeast of the peninsula, the Pyrenees chain forms a continuous mountainous barrier, km long, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. It culminates at the summit of the peak of Aneto 3, m. The coastal plain is narrow, rarely exceeding 32 km wide. The Mediterranean coast is the steepest.
Large port sites are rare, except for the port of Barcelona. Riding rollercoasters led me to travel. FollowthePIN is merely an extension of the travel guidance I've been giving since Round the World. The Autonomous Community of Valencia is home to two major cities, as well as to popular stretches of Mediterranean beach. Alicante , about 80 miles south of Valencia, is a popular beach resort that still manages to be a cozy, attractive, genuinely Spanish city.
The stretch of coast between the two cities is known as the Costa Blanca. Costa del Sol. Costa de la Luz. Jerez de la Frontera, the third city, lies about 10 minutes inland by rail or road. The Basque Country. This region, with its cool, damp climate and green hills, lies in northern Spain just west of the French border. Its northern border is the chilly waters of the Bay of Biscay. Once a gritty industrial city, Bilbao today is beautiful and user-friendly. Home to the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, it has a lively, well-preserved historic center, walking paths and park space along its estuaries, a hopping bar scene, and plenty of culture.
And the tapas are to die for. The interior. Learn more about Spain and other countries in our free daily postcard e-letter. Skip to content Where Is Spain? Where is Spain on a Map of the World? Where Is Spain? How to Get There Spain is the third-most popular tourist destination in the world.
However, the interior that is, the Meseta tends to have cold winters including with snow , while more southerly areas and areas nearer the coast have mild winters. Southwest and northern Mexico. Northwest Spain has an oceanic climate, with cool, mild temperatures, frequent rain, and green hills running down to the sea.
0コメント