GEOGRAPHY OF SPAIN. 5th LEVEL. English

RELIEF OF SPAIN. 5th level

C.E.I.P. Santa Ana (Madridejos)

GEOGRAPHY OF SPAIN: RELIEF, RIVERS & COASTS. 5th YEAR. 1. LOCATION:

Andorra

Most of the Spanish territory is in the Iberian Peninsula, Includes the states of Spain and Portugal.

It is bordered: .- On the North by the Cantabrian Sea, France and Andorra (Pyrinees). .- On the West by the Atlantic Ocean. .- On the East by the Mediterranean Sea.

IBERIAN PENINSULA

.- On the South by both seas separated by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Apart from the peninsular territory, Spain has got the Balearic Islands (in the Mediterrean) and the Canary Islands (in the Atlantic Ocean), and two cities in the north of Africa (Ceuta and Melilla).

2. LANDFORMS: 2.1. The MESETA CENTRAL in the middle of the peninsula. It’s a large plateau about 650 m. above sea level. It’s divided in two parts: .- The Submeseta Norte, that extends over Castilla y León .- The Submeseta Sur, that extends over Castilla–La Mancha, Madrid and Extremadura.

2.2.MOUNTAIN RANGES: There are mountains inside the Meseta, surrounding the Meseta and exterior to it.

A.- INTERIOR to the ‘Meseta’: 1.- Sistema Central, that divides the plateau in two parts.

2.- Montes de Toledo They separate the ‘Tajo valley’ from the ‘Guadiana valley’ in the ‘Submeseta Sur’.

RELIEF OF SPAIN. 5th level

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B.- SORROUNDING to ‘la Meseta’: 1.- The ‘Montes de León’ that separate the Meseta and Galicia.

2.- The ‘Cordillera Cantábrica’ is in the north, and separates the 'Meseta’ from the Cantabrian sea.

3.-The Sistema Ibérico, separates the ‘Meseta’ from the ‘Ebro depression’.

4.- Sierra Morena, separates the ‘Meseta’ from the ‘Guadalquivir depression’.

C.- EXTERIOR to ‘la Meseta’: 1.- Macizo Galaico, in Galicia. They are very old mountains.

2.- Montes Vascos, that are between the ‘Cordillera Cantábrica’ the ‘Pyrinees’.

3.-Pyrinees (Pirineos), is the natural border between France and Spain. There are some peaks higher than 3,000m.

4.Cordillera CosteroCatalana, runs parallel to the coast in ‘Catalonia’ 5.- Sistemas Béticos, in the South-East of the Peninsula.

They are two mountain ranges.

5.1.- ‘Cordillera Penibética’, is next to the ‘Mediterrean Sea’, and it has got the highest peak in the peninsula: ‘el Mulhacen’ in ‘Sierra Nevada’.

5.2.- Cordillera Subbética, is in the North of the ‘Cordillera Penibética’.

6.- In the Balearic Islands is ‘la Sª de la Tramontana’, and ‘el Teide’ in the Canary Islands (this volcano is the highest peak in Spain).

2.3. DEPRESSIONS. A depression is an area that is sunk below its surroundings. There is always a river running along the depression, and it has got fertile soils good for agriculture. The most important are:

RELIEF OF SPAIN. 5th level

C.E.I.P. Santa Ana (Madridejos)

a.- ‘Ebro Depression’, in the North-East in the peninsula. It has a triangular shape. It’s run by the Ebro river and its tributaries to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms the ‘Delta del Ebro’. b.- ‘Guadalquivir Depression’, in the South-West in the peninsula. It also has got a triangular shape, and it’s run by the Guadalquivir river to the Atlantic Ocean (in ‘Doñana Park’).

3.- COASTLINES: Spanish coastline is very long (more than 6.000 km). There are three seas sorrounding the Iberian Peninsula: the Cantabrian Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. There are cliffs and beaches.

3.1. Cantabrian coastline: It’s in the North, it runs from France to the ‘Estaca de Bares’ cape in Galicia. It has got many cliffs because of the proximity of the mountains to the sea.

3.2. Atlantic coastline: It has got three parts: a.- Costa atlántica gallega: from ‘Estaca de Bares’ to Portugal. It’s a sheer coast with many inlets and capes.

There are ‘rías’ and the ‘Finisterre cape’. b.- Costa atlántica andaluza: from Portugal border till Tarifa.

It’s a sandy coastline. The main landforms are ‘the Gulf of Cadiz’, and Tarifa cape (that is the most Southern point in Spain).

c.- Costa atlántica canaria: (The Canary Islands: Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma y El Hierro).

RELIEF OF SPAIN. 5th level

C.E.I.P. Santa Ana (Madridejos)

3.3. Mediterranean Coastline: From ‘Creus cape’ to Cádiz, and the Balearic Islands. a.- Costa mediterránea catalana, rocky coasts (cliffs) and lots of beaches. We find la Costa Brava and Ebro Delta. b.- Costa mediterránea levantina, with straight and long beaches. We find ‘the Gulf of Valencia’, and ‘el Mar Menor’ in Murcia. c.- Costa mediterránea andaluza, with rocky places and lots of beaches. The most important landform is ‘Gata cape’. d.- The Costa mediterránea balear, has got 4 islands: Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Cabrera.

4. RIVERS. Spanish rivers have got the following characteristics: The course of rivers: (The route flowed by a river). They aren’t long rivers. Only the Tajo river is longer than 1.000 km. If they have their sources in mountains near the sea are very short, if mountains are farther away from the sea are longer.

The flow of rivers: (the amount of water that a river flows). They’ve got more water if they’ve got lots of tributaries or in wet climates. Rivers in the Atlantic climate have a regular pattern, and rivers in the Meditarrean climate have an irregular pattern because they are almost dry during summer.

The drainage basin (the region where rivers draining into the same sea). There are three basins:   

Cantabrian basin.

Atlantic basin (rivers in Galicia, rivers in la Meseta and rivers in Andalucía).

Mediterranean basin.

RELIEF OF SPAIN. 5th level

C.E.I.P. Santa Ana (Madridejos)

4.1. CANTABRIAN BASIN. They are short rives, with a plentiful and regular pattern, cause it’s a wet climate and mountains are very near the sea.

Main rivers: .- Eo river, between Galicia and Asturias. .- Navia and Nalón, in Asturias. .- The Besaya and the Pas, in Cantabria. .- The Nervión, and the Bidasoa in the País Vasco.

4.2. ATLANTIC BASIN. It’s the biggest and with the longest rivers in the peninsula. There are three groups. a.- Rivers in Galicia: They are short (the mountains are near the sea), and plentiful of flow. They have a regular pattern because of the humid climate.

The most important one is the Miño making the border between Spain and Portugal. b.- Rivers through the Meseta: They are long rivers (mountains are far away from the coast).

They have a plentiful flow but irregular pattern because summers are very dry. b.1.- The Duero has its source in the Sistema Ibérico (Picos de Urbión) and flows in Oporto (Portugal). b.2.- The Tajo also has its source in the Sistema Ibérico (Sª de Albarracín) and flows in Lisboa. It’s the longest river in the peninsula. b.3.- The Guadiana has its source in the ‘Campo de Montiel’ (between Albacete and Ciudad Real). It flows at the border with Portugal.

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c.- Rivers in Andalucia: .- The Guadalquivir, has its source in ‘la Sª de Cazorla’ and flows in Cádiz.

4.3. MEDITERRANEAN BASIN. Except the Ebro river, the rest are short with irregular pattern, and its flow is very poor. They are dry during the summer, but sometimes they produce floods from time to time .- Rivers in Cataluña: the Ter and the Llobregat. .- The Ebro river has its source in the Cordillera Cantábrica and flows in Tarragona forming a delta. .- Rivers in ‘Levante’: the Turia, the Júcar and the Segura.

WATER IN ARCHIPELAGOS. In the Canary and Balearic islands there aren’t permanent rivers, but ravines. Often they are characterized by intermittent streams where water runs while it’s raining.

RELIEF OF SPAIN. 5th level

C.E.I.P. Santa Ana (Madridejos)

RELIEF OF SPAIN: GLOSARY-VOCABULARY. Climate zone: zona climatic

border: límite, frontera

around: alrededor

Basin: vertiente, cuenca

location: localización

strait of Gibraltar: estrecho de…

North: norte

South: sur

East: este

to extend: se extiende

to be sunk: estar hundida

above the sea level: sobre el nivel…

West: oeste

Plateau: meseta

Peak: pico

valley: valle

Depression: depresión

tributary: afluente

coastal plain: llanura costera o litoral

Cliff: acantilado

cape: cabo

gulf: golfo

coastline: línea costera

Bay: bahía

inlet: entrantes

sheer: escarpado

rocky, sandy: rocosa, arenosa

Below: debajo

shape: forma

till: hasta

fertile soil: suelo fértil

Straight: recto

islands: islas

source: fuente, nacimiento de un rio

Tributary: afluente

almost dry: casi seco regular pattern: régimen regular

Course: curso

far away: lejos

floods: inundaciones

Pentiful: abundante

ravine: barranco, torrente

Mountain range: cordillera

drainage basin: vertiente, cuenca to flow: fluir, desembocar