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8 The Physical Geography of Spain
The Iberian Peninsula is a bridgebetween two continents: Europeand Africa. It is also a bridgebetween bodies of water: theMediterranean Sea to the Southand East and the Atlantic Oceanto the North and West.
The physicalgeography ofSpain offers a greatvariety of landscapes.Spain is amountainous country.
It is joined to the rest ofEurope by a chain of
mountains, the Pyrenees.
Where is the IberianPeninsula?Which oceanand seasurround it?
Look at thispicture. What kindof landscape is it?What is thegeography of Spainlike?
Spain is in thesouthwest of
Europe. Spanishterritory includes mostof the Iberian Peninsula,except Portugal, theBalearic and CanaryIslands, Ceuta andMelilla.
Where is Spainlocated? Whatdoes the Spanishterritory consistof?
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A Mappa Mundi was a map medieval map thatrepresented what weknew of the world. AMappa Mundi wasusually large andmade of cloth. Thelargest one was3.5 metres indiameter.
My words
Basin, Delta, Estuary, Peak, Plain,
Plateau, Range, Relief, Tributary,
Valley.
42
95
What did a Mappa Mundirepresent? Can youname a person who made one?
Read, listen and answerThe Italian explorer andcartographer Amerigo Vespuccilived in Spain andtravelled toAmerica.
1. Who was Amerigo Vespucci? 2. What did he do?3. How did he know the new
land was not Asia?4. Who did he travel with?
41
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Relief in Spain Can you name a mountainrange in Spain? Is Spain amountainous country?
1
Where is the Meseta located? What rivers flow across the Meseta? 2
What mountain ranges surround the Meseta? Where are thePicos de Europa?
3
Spain is mainly a mountainouscountry. Some mountain rangessurround the Central Plateau(the Meseta), and others areseparate from the Meseta. Theaverage altitude of the IberianPeninsula is 500m.
The Meseta is surrounded by different mountain systems.
The Montes de León, to the northeast, separate the Meseta from theMacizo Galaico. Teleno and Segundera are its main ranges. A range isa group of mountains within a system.
The Cordillera Cantábrica, to the north, separates the Meseta fromthe Bay of Biscay. The Picos de Europa is the main range.
The Sistema Ibérico, to the east, separates the Meseta from the EbroValley. Its main ranges are Picos de Urbión, Moncayo, Albarracín andthe Montes del Maestrazgo.
The Sierra Morena, to the south, separates the Meseta from theGuadalquivir Valley. It is not a high mountain system. The main rangesare Despeñaperros, Almadén, Madrona and Alcaráz.
Language Point
Average - The middle valueThe average altitude ofthe Iberian Peninsula is500 m.
The Meseta and itsmountain ranges
The Meseta consists of elevatedplains or plateaus. The riversDuero, Tajo and Guadiana flowacross it.
Two mountain ranges cross the Meseta: the Sistema Central, consistingof the Sierras de Gata, Gredos, Guadarrama, and Somosierra, and LosMontes de Toledo, a low mountain range in the south that includes theSierras de Montánchez and the Sierra de Guadalupe.
The mountain ranges in Spain.
MontePerdido3 355
Naranjo de Bulnes2 519
Peña Trevinca2 095
Aneto3 404
Mulhacén3 478
Teide3 712
Peñalara2 430
Moncayo2 313
CORDILLERA CANTÁBRICA PI R I N E O S S I S
T
EM
A
IB
ÉR
IC
O
S I S T E M A C E N T R A L
S I E R R A M O R E N A
C O R D I L L E R A SU B B É T I C
A
CORDILLERA PENIBÉTICA
Mon t e s de Toledo
Serranía
de Cuenca
S U B M E S E T A
N O R T E
S U B M E S E T A S U R
MontesVascos
Cordillera Coste
ro
Catalana
SierraTramuntana
Valle del Duero
V a l l e d e l T a j o
Depresión del Ebro
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What are the two main low areas in the Iberian Peninsula? Whatmountain ranges surround the Ebro lowlands?
4
Mountains far from the Meseta
River basins
The mountain systems in Spain that are notconnected to the Meseta are the following:
The Macizo Galáico is a group of low mountainsin the north east of the Peninsula. Its main rangesare Los Ancares and the Sierras de Manzanedaand Trevinca.
The Montes Vascos are in the north of thePeninsula. They are low mountains. The mainranges are the Sierras of Aralar and Aizkorri.
The Pyrenees are a large mountain system. Theyseparate the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe, and extend for about 430 km. The highest peak in the Pyrenees is theAneto (3,404 m).
The Cordilleras Costeras Catalanas run parallelto the Mediterranean Coast. They are quite lowmountains, and include the Montseny range.
The Sistema Bético consists of the CordilleraSubbética, where we find the Sierras of Cazorlaand Segura, and the Cordillera Penibética withthe Serranía de Ronda and Sierra Nevada, whichincludes the highest peak of the Peninsula,Mulhacén (3,478 m).
MontePerdido3 355
Cabeza deManzaneda
1778
Peña deAmboto
1296
Peña Gorbea1475
Farode Avión
1551
Aneto3 404 Puigmal
2 913
Montserrat1224
Mulhacén3 478Veleta
3 395
PI R I N E O S
S I E R R A M O R E N A
C O R D I L L E R A SU B B É T I C
A
CORDILLERA PENIBÉTICA
MontesVascos
Mac
izo
Gal
aico
Cordillera Coste
ro
Catalana
Sierradel Faro
Sierradel Gistral
Depresión CentralSierra del Montsech
Flatlands and lowlands with rivers running across them are anotherfeature of Spanish geography. These areas are called basins. The maindepression is the Ebro basin, between the Pyrenees and the SistemaIbérico. This basin grows wider when the Ebro reaches theMediterranean coast. There, it forms a large delta.
The Guadalquivir basin is situated between the Sierra Morena and theCordillera Subbética. It widens at the point where the Guadalquivirreaches the Atlantic Ocean.
Now I know
Write two facts about each of these. a. The Mulhacén.
b. The Sistema Central.
c. The Teide.
d. The Sistema Ibérico.
e. The Pyrenees.
f. The Macizo Galaico.
ListenWhat places in the IberianPeninsula are beingdescribed?
43
What is a basin? Where are the main depressions in the Iberian Peninsula?5
Mountains far from the Meseta
Doñana.
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Coasts, Islands and Rivers What Spanish islands do you know? Can you name the mostimportant rivers in Spain?
1
The Coast of the Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula has more than 5,000 km of coast.We can divide this coast into five parts. The Cantabriancoast is rocky. It has many cliffs, bays and beaches. TheGalician Atlantic coast is high and rocky. It has manycapes and rías. The Andalusian Atlantic coast is low andsandy. It has many beaches. The Southern Mediterraneancoast has many cliffs and is rocky. The EasternMediterranean coast is low, straight and sandy.
The Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are located in the Mediterranean Sea.They are made up of an archipelago of five islands:Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Cabrera.
Mallorca and Ibiza are joined to the Cordillera Bética under thesea. They are mainly flat islands. Mallorca has two mountainranges, the Sierra Tramuntana and the Sierras de Levante.
The Canary Islands
The Canary Islands are inthe Atlantic Ocean. Theyinclude the islands of LaPalma, La Gomera, ElHierro, Tenerife, GranCanaria, Fuerteventura andLanzarote. These islandshave a volcanic origin. Some of their volcanoes are still active. Onaverage they are high. The highest peak in Spain, El Teide, is inTenerife. The coasts here are rocky with cliffs.
What geographical features are present along the coast of theIberian Peninsula?
2
Which islands make up the Balearic Islands? 3
Which islands make up the Canary Islands? How did theseislands form?
4
Teide3 712
La Palma
El Hierro
La Gomera
Tenerife
Gran Canaria
Fuerteventura
La GraciosaAlegranza
Lanzarote
Language Point
Adjectives ending in ‘-y’Sand – sandy (with lotsof sand)Rock – rocky (with lotsof rocks)The EasternMediterranean coast islow, straight and sandy.
Mallorca
Cabrera
Menorca
Ibiza
Formentera
S.ª de T
ramontan
a
S.ª
de L
evan
te
Palma
San Franciscode Formentera
Ibiza
Mahón
AT
LA
NT
IC
O
CE
AN
B a y o f B i s c a y
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Ría de Ares y Betanzos
Ría de Arousa
M e d i t e r r a n e a n S e a
Golfo de Sant Jordi
Golfo de Vizcaya
Strait of Gibraltar
Golfo deRoses
Gol
fo d
e V
alen
cia
Cabo de La Nao
Cabo de Gata
Cabo de Palos
Punta de Tarifa
Cabo Fisterra
Punta de Estacade Bares
Cabo de Creus
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What are the main Spanish estuary groups? Which rivers carrythe most volume of water?
5
The rivers in Spain
Rivers are determined by climate andrelief. Most of the rivers in Spain areshort and have only a limited andirregular water flow. This is because,in general, Spain is not a rainycountry.
Spanish rivers flow into three seas oroceans. This means there are threegroups of estuaries.
The Mediterranean estuaries: therivers that flow into the MediterraneanSea usually carry little water and areshort (except for the Ebro). The mainMediterranean rivers are the Ebro,Júcar, Ter, Llobregat, Almanzora,Andarax, Guadalfeo, Guadalhorce,Mijares, Segura and Turia.
The Atlantic estuaries: the rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean arelong and the volume of water they carry depends on the season. Themain Atlantic rivers in the Meseta are the Duero, the Tajo and theGuadiana. In Andalucía, they are the Guadalquivir, the Tinto and theOdiel. The most important Galician rivers are the Miño, the Eume, theTambre and the Ulla.
The Cantabrian estuaries: the rivers that flow into the Bay of Biscayare short and have a regular and abundant volume of water. The mainrivers are the Bidasoa and the Nervión in the Basque Country, theBesaya and the Pas in Cantabria and the Sella, the Nalón and theNarcea in Asturias.
Now I know
Copy these sentences into your notebook and complete them.1. The rivers on the Cantabrian estuaries flow
into ......2. The rivers in Spain are affected by ......3. The islands in the Canary Islands are ......
4. We can divide the Spanish coast in five parts:......
5. Most of the rivers in Spain are short and have ......
ListenListen and correct the mistakes
44
Use the Internet to find outthe length of these Spanishrivers: the Tajo, the Ebro,the Duero, the Guadiana,the Guadalquivir, the Júcar,the Segura and the Miñon.Put them in order oflength.
Find out more
The rivers in Spain.
Tambre
M
iño
Ulla
Nar
cea
Sil
Esla
Bidasoa
Duero
Salor
Záncara Júcar
Matachel
Bembézar
Zújar
Ardila
Tint
o
Jalón
Ter
FluviáLlobr egat Nogue
ra Ri
bago
rzana
Gál
lego
Eo
Pisu
erg a
Esgueva
Tiétar
Alberche Taju
ña
Almonte
Guadal
imar
Turia
Arlanzón
Dev
a
B a y o f B i s c a y
M E D I T E R R A N E A N S E A
Órb
igo
Duero
Pormo
Cea
Carrión
Pas Nervión
Ara
gón Ebro
Hue
rva
Mar
tín
Flumen
Cin
ca
Eser
a
Nogu
era P
allar
esa
Segr
e
Hena
res
Eresma
Ada
ja Tormes
Tajo
Guadalete
Genil
Guadalmez Guadiato Guadajoz Gale
ra
Fardes
Jabalón
Cigü
ela
Guada
lén
Guadiana
Cabriel
Gua
dalo
pe
Jara
ma
Alag
ón
Guadiana
Biar
Corbenes
Mundo
SeguraQuipar
G
uadalquivir
Jándula
Bullaque
Andarax
Almanzora
Mijares Tajo
Nalón
Odi
el
AT
LA
NT
IC
O
CE
AN
Cantabrian Estuaries
Atlantic Estuaries
Mediterranean Estuaries
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The Climates in Spain What is the climate like in your town? What is precipitation?1
Types of climate
There are five types of climates inSpain. Galicia, Cantabria, Asturiasand the Basque Country have anoceanic climate. These places arenear the Atlantic Ocean. Thecharacteristics of this climate aremild temperatures throughout yearand abundant precipitation. Themost common types of vegetationin these climate areas aredeciduous oak, chestnut andconifer forests. There are alsoeucalyptus trees.
The continental climate is found in most of the central areas of Spainsuch as The Meseta, the Ebro valley and parts of Andalucía andExtremadura. Temperatures are extreme. It is very hot in summer andin winter it is colder than in coastal areas. Precipitation is light in theseareas, but it often snows in winter.
The vegetation is adapted to more extreme temperatures. There arepines, firs, oaks, poplar trees and smaller plants like thyme androsemary.
What factors affect the climate? What is the temperature like inplaces near the coast?
2
What is the climate in Asturias like? What vegetation can youfind in the Meseta?
3
Atmospheric conditions are called weather when we measure them atone specific time. Climate consists of the average weather conditionsin an area over a period of time. Climate includes temperature,precipitation, wind and humidity. Climate depends on these factors:
1. The latitude, or distance of an area from the Equator.
2. The distance of an area from the sea. Places close to the sea haveless difference between summer and winter temperatures.
3. The altitude of an area. In mountain areas temperatures are lowerand there is more precipitation (rain, fog and snow).
Language Point
is found = we findThe continental climateis found in most of thecentral areas of Spain =We find the continentalclimate in most of thecentral areas of Spain.
Mountain climate.
The climates in Spain.
Atlantic Climate
Alpine Climate
Continental Climate
MediterraneanClimate
Subtropical Climate
Castilla-La Mancha
Melilla
Ceuta
Regiónde Murcia
Andalucía
Islas Canarias
Islas Baleares
C. ValencianaExtremadura
C. deMadrid
CataluñaAragón
Castilla y León
La Rioja
C. F. deNavarra
P. VascoCantabriaP. de Asturias
Galicia
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Why is the temperature in a subtropical dry climate warm all theyear? What type of precipitation does a mountain climate have?
1
More climate types
The coastal areas near theMediterranean and the Atlanticcoast of Andalusia have aMediterranean climate. Thereare high temperatures in summerand mild winters. Precipitation islight and infrequent. Plants in theMediterranean climate areadapted to receiving little water.The most common types of vegetation are pine forests, oaks andchestnuts, shrubs, thyme, rosemary and in some places, palms.
High altitude areas in the mountains (over 1000 m) have a mountainclimate. Temperatures are low in winter (often below 0° Celsius), andcool in summer. These places have abundant precipitation in the formof snow. Their vegetation is affected by its location and the amount ofsunshine. There are oak trees in the coldest places and evergreen treesin the warmest places.
The Canary Islands have a subtropicaldry climate. Temperatures are warmall year and precipitation is light andinfrequent. Their vegetation is affectedby the altitude.
In low areas bushes and cacti arecommon, and in medium altitudeareas bay, holly and lime trees can befound. In addition, Canary pines growat higher altitudes.
Now I know
Read and complete.
1. Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias have ..... climate.
2. Palms grow in places with a ..... climate
3. In a ..... climate, plants are adapted to need little rain.
4. Most of the central areas of Spain have a ..... climate.
ListenListen and guess the typesof climate.
45
subtropical dry continental oceanic mediterranean
Apart from oak trees andevergreen trees, what otherplants and animals live inmountain climates. Use theInternet to find out andmake a poster.
Find out more
Mountain climate.
The Canary Islands.
Mediterranean climate.
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My turn
102
Make a climate diagram
Draw a bar to represent the amount of precipitation. Colour them.7
Mark each month’s temperature with a red dot.9
Mark ten marks at 5mm intervals on the left axis, one for eachfive degrees of temperature from 0 to 40.
8
Make a climate diagram for the place where you live. Ask yourteacher for the information to complete the table.
1
Copy the table and add the data.2
Draw the main axes on a piece of graph paper.3
Make twelve marks at 5 mm intervals on the horizontal axis.Write the months below them.
4
Make 10 marks at 5mm intervals on the right axis. One for each5 mm of precipitation from 0 to 50.
6
Label the left axis “Temperature” and the right axis “Precipitation”.5
S28
O N D37 35 26
Average temperatureRainfall
(mm)
566 7 11 12 16 21 25 24 21 15 9 7
Climate diagram of Madrid
605040302010
00
302520151050
(ºC)
J F M A47 52 25 15 10 49 57
M J J A
A climate diagram shows the weather conditions in a particular placeduring a period of time.
MONTHS
AVERAGETEMPERATURE (Cº)
TOTAL PRECIPITATION(MM)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Choose a foreign city youwould like to visit andinvestigate its climate.Make a climate diagramwith the information youfind then display thediagrams in the class.
Find out more
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Our world
103
High Mountains
Spain is one of the mostmountainous countries inEurope, with an average altitudeof 500 metres. Only Switzerlandhas a higher average altitudethan Spain. However, in theworld, there are many countrieswith a higher average altitudeand higher peaks.
Which two countries inEurope have the highestaverage altitude?
1
Where are the highest mountains in the world located? 2
Are there any mountains higher than Mount Everest? 3
What affects can high altitude have on our bodies?4
Mountains cover 24% of theEarth’s surface. 64% of Asia,36% of North America, 25% ofEurope, 22% of South America,17% of Australia, and 3% ofAfrica.
The world’s highest mountain is Mount Everest. It is 8.848 m high. It islocated in the Himalayan mountain range. There are more than 30peaks in the Himalayas over 7,620 m. The Himalayas is one of theyoungest mountain ranges in the world and it is still growing.
But there is a mountain that is even higher than MountEverest!
Mount Olympus is the highest known volcano andmountain in the Solar System. It is located on theplanet Mars. It is three times higher than MountEverest.
When we are at the top of a high mountain we oftenfeel weak and disorientated. This is because the airpressure at the top of high mountains is lower than atsea level and this affects our respiratory system.
The Teide.
TheHimalayas.
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My progress
104
Complete the sentences with one or more words.
1. Spanish territory includes most of the Iberian Peninsula, theBalearic and Canary Islands ......
2. ..... was the first person to show that the New World discoveredby Christopher Columbus in 1492 was not Asia.
3. Spain is joined to Europe by a chain of mountains called ......4. Two mountains ranges cross the Meseta are ......5. ..... are flat and lowlands with rivers running through them. 6. The Balearic islands are made up of an archipelago of five
islands: ......7. The main rivers in the Meseta that flow into the Atlantic Ocean
are: ......8. Precipitation is the amount of ......9. The rivers in Spain are affected by ......
10. The five types of climates in Spain are: ......
1
Explain these terms in your own words.
1. The Iberian Peninsula is ...... 4. The Meseta refers to ......2. A Mappa Mundi was ...... 5. Ceuta and Melilla are ......3. Vespucci was the man who proved ...... 6. Precipitation refers to ......
2
Copy and complete the map.3
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Organising what I know
105
Look at the mind map. Copy and complete it.1
Listen. Which terms are defined?3
Can you add any more words?2
46
Montánez and Guadalupe
RELIEF OF SPAIN
.....
.......... ..... .....
..... ..... .....
..... ..... ..... .....
..... .....
SISTEMA BÉTICO
exterior mountain ranges
mountain ranges around the Meseta
.....
Gata, Gredos, Guadarrama and Somosierra
in the centre of Spain
.....
important rivers that cross itmountain ranges that cross it
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