Geography

Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Portugal and France

Map references: Africa, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area 504,750 sq km
land area 499,400 sq km
comparative area slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
note includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera

Land boundaries: total 1,903.2 km, Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km

Coastline: 4,964 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone 200 nm
territorial sea 12 nm

International disputes: Gibraltar question with UK; Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Morocco contests, as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas

Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast

Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north

Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower

Land use:
arable land 31%
permanent crops 10%
meadows and pastures 21%
forest and woodland 31%
other 7%

Irrigated land: 33,600 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from untreated sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; air pollution; deforestation; desertification
natural hazards NA
international agreements party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Law of the Sea