Spain has over 6,000 km of coastline surrounding the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands, and territories of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa. Its coasts include the Bay of Biscay, Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea. Spain has 3 major watersheds - Cantabrian, Atlantic, and Mediterranean - containing rivers like the Ebro, Tagus, Guadalquivir, and Guadiana. Notable lakes include Sanabria and Banyoles, while lagoons include Gallocanta and Mar Menor. Spain has a long history of water management through Roman dams and modern reservoirs. Wetlands like Doñana are ecologically important areas.
2. THE LOCATION OF SPAIN
Spain is located in the south-west of Europe.
Spanish territory includes:
85% of the Iberian
Peninsula
Balearic Islands
Ceuta and Melilla in
Canary Islands North Africa
4. Spain is surrounded by water (6000 km
of coastline):
• Bay of Biscay (770km of
coastline)
• Atlantic Ocean
- Galician (442km of
coastline)
- Andalusian (294 km of
coastline)
• Mediterranean Sea.
(1663 km of coastline)
5. CANTABRIAN COAST
FRANCE
ATLANTIC COAST
MEDITERRANEAN COAST
STRAIT OF GIBRALTER
6. CANTABRIAN COAST
It extends from the border of
France to Punta de la Estaca de
Bares, in Galicia.
It is steep and rocky and has
many cliffs and rias.
7. ATLANTIC COAST
The Atlantic Coast is divided into two areas:
• The Galician Coast
in the north
•The Andalusian
Coast in the south
8. GALICIAN ATLANTIC
COAST
It extends from Punta de
la Estaca de Bares to Portugal.
It is high, rocky and has many
capes and rias.
9. ANDALUSIAN
ATLANTIC COAST
It extends from Portugal to
the Strait of Gibraltar.
It is low and sandy and has
many beaches, salt marshes and
dunes.
10. MEDITERRANEAN COAST
It extends from the border with France to the Strait of
Gibraltar.
Catalan Coast: has
both steep and rocky
parts, and flat and
sandy parts.
Levante coast: is
mainly flat and sandy.
Andalusian Coast: has
steep and rocky parts
and flat, sandy parts.
13. WATERSHEDS
A watershed is an area of land that water flows
over on its way to the sea.
Spain has 3 watersheds:
o Cantabrian
watershed
o Atlantic watershed
o Mediterranean
watershed
15. CANTABRIAN WATERSHED
The rivers that flow into the Bay of Biscay are
short as they start in the mountains near the coast.
Their flow is regular and high due to abundant rainfall.
16. ATLANTIC WATERSHED
• The rivers are long and carry high volumes of
water that flow into the Atlantic Ocean.
17. Rivers that flow into the Atlantic
Ocean can be divided into:
• Short with high flow due to
Galician Rivers
abundant rainfall.
Rivers that cross • Long with high but
the Meseta irregular flow.
Andalusian • Usually long with very low
Rivers flow.
18. MEDITERRANEAN WATERSHED
• Most of the rivers that carry water to the
Mediterranean Sea are short and have limited
and irregluar water flow, except the Ebro.
45. XALLAS RIVER
Xallas River is a rare example in Europe: it dies as a waterfall
when it flows into the sea.
Unfortunally, an energy company keeps the river to itself and
there is almost no water in the fall. The company delights us "opening"
the waterfall 2 or 3 hours on weekends and during the summer.
52. Its course has been altered by
human activity: construction of
reservoirs and Tagus-Segura
water-diversion system.
Its flow increases in Portugal
due to rainfall.
81. Due to the lack of water in
the Southwest the Tajo-
Segura water-diversion
system was constructed.
This affected the
Tajo, Guadiana, Júcar and
Segura Basins.
107. Spain is home to almost all of Europe's
saline steppe wetlands.
108. Tablas de Daimiel. Ciudad Real
Groundwater extraction for irrigated agriculture has almost led to the
loss of the internationally important wetland of the Tablas de Damiel
marshes.
109. Doñana (Huelva) is one of the largest and most
important remaining wetlands in Europe.
In April 1998 there was an accidental spillage of toxic mining waste, which
contaminated a large area of these wetlands.
110. “Water is life's matter and
matrix, mother and medium. There
is no life without water.”
Albert Szent-Gyorgvi (Hungarian Biochemist 1937)
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