European and Spanish Geography Overview
European Relief
The Mountains, Ancient Massifs, and Plateaus
The oldest mountains are located in the northwest and east of the continent. Notable for its magnitude are the Scandinavian Mountains and Ural Mountains. In the center are small mountain ranges and plateaus such as the French Central Massif.
Large Plains
These plains extend from northern France to Russia.
The Alpine Ranges
These are more recent mountains, including the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Balkans, the Carpathians, and the Caucasus Mountains.
The low altitude of the terrain and the prevalence of plains is not an obstacle to the settlement of the population and development activities.
Rivers and Lakes of Europe
Around the rivers are concentrated much of the continent’s population.
The Arctic Slope
Northern Dvina and Pechora are waterways between spring and autumn, while their waters remain cold in winter.
Atlantic Rim
The most plentiful rivers in the continent because they receive substantial rainfall throughout the year. They are navigable during part of their course. Examples include the Western Dvina, Vistula, Oder, Elbe, Rhine, Seine, Loire, and Tagus.
The Black Sea
The Danube and the Dnieper drain into the Black Sea.
Mar Caspian
The Volga, the longest river in the continent, and the Ural, whose course forms the border between Europe and Asia, flow into the Caspian Sea.
Most lakes are of glacial origin. They are found in northwestern Russia: including Lake Ladoga, the largest in Europe.
Geysers
A geyser is a violent eruption of hot steam from an underground source. Intermittently, it comes out through a hole in the earth’s surface due to high internal pressures.
Iceland has taken advantage of this natural resource, which is abundant in the country. Many homes in the capital, Reykjavik, are heated with water from these springs through pipes.
Climates and Landscapes of Spain
The Mediterranean climate predominates, but there are also oceanic, subtropical, and high mountain climates.
Oceanic or Atlantic Climate
It extends between Galicia and the Pyrenees. The vegetation is abundant and evergreen, with a predominance of moor in the Atlantic Forest coast and further inland. Human intervention in the landscape is manifested by the abundance of grassland for livestock and reforestation of pine and eucalyptus.
The Mediterranean Climate
This climate is found in the rest of the mainland, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla, with scarce rainfall.
- On the coast, temperatures are very hot in summer and mild in winter. In late summer, torrential rains occur as a result of an atmospheric disturbance known as a cold drop.
- In the interior of the Peninsula, temperatures are more extreme, very high in summer and very cold in the winter months.
- The southeast peninsula is characterized by excessive dryness.
The vegetation is dominated by shrubs and forest species native to the Mediterranean.
The Subtropical Climate
The Canary Islands enjoy a subtropical climate with warm temperatures all year round. Rainfall is concentrated in winter and is scarce. In the humid areas, laurel forest is developed, which abounds in laurel. Canary Island pine also occupies large areas. In arid areas, scrub and species adapted to drought dominate.
The High Mountain Climate
This climate only occurs at higher elevations.
The Spanish Climate in Detail
The situation of Spain to the south of the temperate zone causes higher temperatures and longer day lengths than in other European countries.
The Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea moderate temperatures.
The coastal mountains hinder the passage of the inland marine influence, causing a drop in temperatures and precipitation in the interior.
The high average altitude of the territory means that temperatures are lower in the higher regions, such as plateaus and mountains.
European Climates and Landscapes
Most of the European territory extends to the middle latitudes between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle. Temperate climates prevail in the continent.
The Oceanic Climate
Found on the Atlantic coast, from northern Portugal to the Norwegian coast, and inland as far as the influence of the sea reaches. The Atlantic forest consists of deciduous trees such as beech and oak. Heaths are composed of heather, gorse, and rushes.
The Continental Climate
This climate is found in central and eastern Europe. The characteristic vegetation is the prairie, and in the colder areas, the taiga with fir, pine, and birch.
The Mediterranean Climate
This climate is found in the south. There are plenty of bushes and shrubs typical of Mediterranean forest species: oaks, pines, and holm oaks.
Cold Climates
Found in the polar regions and high elevations in mountainous areas. The Arctic Circle runs on top of the polar region, with tundra vegetation. The highest peaks have a high mountain climate, with forests and meadows.
The Situation of Spain in Europe
Spain is located in the southwestern corner of Europe. With half a million square kilometers, it occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla in northern Africa, and some smaller islands and islets.
Coastal Definitions
- Ria: Inlet of the sea into the land which is an ancient coastal river valley as a result of the rise of sea level.
- Magra: Minimum flow which a river has at certain times of the year due to drought or lack of rain.
- Delta: Sediments deposited by a river at its mouth with a fan shape.
The Spanish Rivers
The Cantabrian Rivers
These rivers are short with an abundant and regular flow. They include: Bidasoa, Nervión, Nalón, and Navia.
The Atlantic Rivers
There are two types of Atlantic rivers:
- Galician rivers are short, except for the Miño and its main tributary, the Sil. They are also plentiful.
- The rest of the rivers are long and have a significant flow at the mouth, thanks to input from tributaries. The flow rate is higher in the rivers of the North because the Submeseta also experiences higher rainfall in these areas. The main ones are: Duero, Tajo, Guadiana, Guadalquivir. Some are navigable in the lower part of their course.
The Mediterranean Rivers
These rivers are shorter than those of the Atlantic, with a low and irregular flow. They may have large floods in autumn and spring, the rainy season, while in summer they suffer droughts. Examples include the Turia, Júcar, and Segura.
The exception is the Ebro, 910km long, the longest and mightiest of Spain. It crosses a great depression to lead to forming a delta. Its flow depends mainly on the contributions of the tributaries, which originate in the Pyrenees and receive the water of the thaw. For this reason, the highest recorded flow in the river is in spring.
There are also reservoirs.
In the archipelagos, there are streams that run at high speed through the ravines when it rains.