spain climate

7/29/2019 spain climate

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CLIMATEAlthough the climates in Spain are difficult

to classify because of their heterogeneity,it is possible to distinguish the followingtypes:

Atlantic or Oceanic Climate

Continental Climate Mediterranean Climate

Mediterranean Mountain Climate


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CLIMATEThere are other smaller but nevertheless

significant climate zones, as follows:

Cold Steppe Climate Hot Steppe Climate

Subtropical Climates


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TEMPERATURESWith regard to temperature, the most notable differencesare between the inland and the peripheral areas.

In the former, where temperatures are influenced by thecontinental factor, the winters are very cold, with averageJanuary temperatures ranging between 0 and 3C, whilethe summers are hot, with an average of 24C in July andAugust.

Meanwhile, in the peripheral areas the winters are mild,

with an average of 10C in January, and an average annualtemperature, especially on the Mediterranean coast, ofbetween 16 and 18C.


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PRECIPITATIONSPrecipitation is also marked by sharp contrasts:

The north and northwest, which are directly influencedby the Atlantic, have abundant rainfall and nodistinguishable dry season. This area is sometimesknown as La Espaa Hmeda, or Wet Spain, with

annual precipitation exceeding 600 mm and risingoccasionally to 2,000 mm.

The remainder of the country is predominantly dry, with

an annual precipitation of less than 600 mm. Thesoutheast of Spain is semi-arid, with annual precipitationbelow 300 mm and a semi-desert landscape that attimes is reminiscent of the Sahara.


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VEGETATIONSpains rich diversity in terms of its climate,

petrography and topography has given rise tothe formation of clearly defined ecological

compartments, which in turn have led to the

development of a broad spectrum of vegetationtypes.

Another factor is the intensity of human

activity, which has gradually transforme naturesince the Neolithic period, often adding to the

already diverse array of habitats.


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Under natural conditions,

virtually the entire country would be

covered by forests;only certain enclaves in the highestmountains and a few extremely dry areas

in the southeast and in the Canary Islandsdo not lend themselves to the naturaldevelopment of this type of vegetation.

However,


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Nowadays the vegetation cover in Spainresembles a type of mosaic in which the naturalformations of trees, shrubs and herbaceousplants are distributed unevenly throughout theland alongside crop fields and reforested areas.

This landscape variety is clearly reflected in theequally varied flora, which comprises

approximately eight thousand species andincludes plants from the whole of Europe andNorth Africa.

Hence, the European beech co-exists with theMediterranean holm oak, Aleppo pine, Africanpalm and even the Australian eucalyptus.


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The boundarybetween the wet and dry regionsof Spain also separates two types of peninsularlandscapes: that of Green Spain, with itsprevailing leafy evergreens and vastly varying

meadowlands, and the landscape ofMediterranean Spain, characterised byexpanses of scrubland and xerophilic plant life

plants capable of withstanding the summerdroughts alongside the ever-diminishingwoodlands.

In more arid areas La Mancha, Extremaduraand, particularly, the Ebro Valley holm oakshave been replaced by a sparse cover of dry,thorny bushes.


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The Mediterranean coastal areas display amore complex variety of vegetation. Here,

the holm oaks and cork oaks are joined,even on the coast itself, by a mass ofconiferous trees dominated by the Aleppo

pine, which on higher ground is replacedby other types of conifers more adapted tomountain conditions.


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By contrast, a desert-like landscape

extends along the Mediterranean shoresof south-eastern Murcia and Andalusia.

Here, exotic species such as Europeanfan palms, prickly pears and pitas arefrequently found, together with more

occasional compact or scattered palmgroves.


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In certain areas with a temperate climate and

abundant rainfall, subtropical-lauroidvegetation is still present.

So also is the continental steppe vegetation of

Eastern Mediterranean and Asian origin, as wellas Euro-Siberian vegetation represented by

certain evergreen forests, heaths, hayfields and

a few arctic-alpine plants and similar vestiges,which grow in the dampest and highest

Mediterranean mountain ranges.


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However, land use in Spain is currently

dominated by farming, stockbreedingand forestry, occupying over 42 millionhectares or 80% of the country. Of thisarea, just over 30% is used for dry-farmedcrops, 30% for forestry and 12% for

grazing and plant species requiring littlewater. Irrigated crops occupy 7% of theland.


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And yet, even in these areas the flora is

not without interest: many plants endemicto Spain grow there and a number ofanimal species are able to live there. Inaddition to all of this, there is anothertotally altered and irretrievable habitat: 8%

of the land is covered by urban areasand infrastructures.


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WILDLIFEThere are estimated to be between 50,000 and60,000 wildlife species in Spain. Of these, 770are vertebrates (excluding marine fish) and therest invertebrates. Both types represent over50% of the total number of species in each

group present in the European Union, and, onceagain, the merits of this biological diversity aremultiplied by the endemic factor.

This is particularly true of the Canary Islands,where 44% of the wildlife or 3,066 of the 6,893animal species present are endemic.


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The Iberian Peninsula, Ceuta and the twoarchipelagos are also significant in terms ofmigrations, receiving a vast quantity of animals.

Abundant species that cannot strictly bedescribed as Spanish wildlife mainly birds butalso marine fi sh and mammals use thecountry as a transitional territorybetween theirnorthern breeding grounds and theirMediterranean and Southern Sahara wintering

places, or between their reproductive grounds inthe Mediterranean and their resting places in theAtlantic.


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Endangered species are increasingly and

more efficiently protected in numerousnature reserves. This is the case, forexample, of the brown bear, which lives inevergreen and mixed mountain forests,the Iberian lynx, found in Mediterranean

forests and meadowland with thickundergrowth, the European mink, thegrouse and the Spanish imperial eagle.


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The southern part of the peninsula is home tocountless African-type wildlife species, whileon the Meseta or central plateau the mostpredominant species are the partridge, quail,

wolf and birds such as the great bustard, sandgrouse, imperial sand grouse and various birdsof prey.

The typically Spanish sub-species include theSpanish deer, the wild cat, the weasel and theAndalusian wild boar. This group also includesthe Iberian black pig, although it is not exclusiveto Spain, and, through the mutations in itsdomestication, the fighting bull.


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The marine wildlife is rich and varied. TheAtlantic offers a greater diversity of fish than theMediterranean, especially along the coast ofGalicia, with large continental platforms,abundance of plankton and, due to strong tides,the frequent renewal of its waters.

In the Bay of Biscay, which is deeper, the fish livefurther away from the coast. The southernAtlantic coast is characterised by abundant

migrant fish, such as the tunas that lay their eggsthere en route to the Mediterranean.


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The endangered Mediterranean monk seal fareswell on the rocky coasts least altered by human

activity and with abundant islets and caves.

However, the excessive hunting of largecetaceans has impoverished Spanish wildlife in

this respect, and nowadays it is rare to see

dolphins, sperm whales and porpoises in theseas that surround the peninsula.


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MINERALSIberia, Hesperia or Hispania the different

names by which Spain was known inAntiquity was famous for its naturalwealth, and for the abundance and variety

of its mineral resources in particular. Infact, such was this fame that it attracted

the attention of conquering peoples andbecame the battle field on which Carthageand Rome confronted each other.


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Even as late as the beginning of the 20th

century, Spain still boasted several of the worldsmost important mineral deposits, and the

economic development of certain regions, such

as the Basque Country and Asturias, was basedon their mineral wealth.

Although nowadays the situation has changed,

Spain still remains one of the richest countries inEurope in terms of its mineral wealth.


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ALMADRABA

PATRIMONIO ALMADROBERO I

PATRIMONIO ALMADROBERO II

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