Lesson 2 Coastal landforms in Spain
The Spanish
coastline
The Spanish
coastline is about 7800 km long and it is divided into peninsular
coast, Balearic and Canary Islands and Ceuta and Melilla and are surrounded
by the Atlantic Ocean, Cantabrian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Spanish
coast are made of cliffed
and rocky coasts and plains with beaches. The coasts are determined by various
factors:
- The
land Relief: Mountain ranges form cliffed and rocky shorelines and plains near
the coast form beaches.
- The
tides: cause sand
and marine deposits and form beaches.
- Coastal
Erosion: Is the breaking down of land near coasts.
The spanish
coastlines
There are five different coastlines:
- Atlantic
coast of Cantabria:
In the north between Francia and Cabo Ortegal.
- Atlantic
coast of Galicia: northwest
between Cabo Ortegal y Portugal.
- Atlantic
coast of Andalucía:
southwest between Portugal and the Estrecho de Gibraltar.
- Mediterranean
coast of Andalucía:
In the Southeast between Estrecho de Gibraltar and Murcia.
- The
Eastern Mediterranean Coast:
From Murcia to Francia:
- Canary
Islands are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Ceuta, Melilla and Balearic
Islands are surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea
The Atlantic
Coastline
The
Atlantic coast of Cantabria: formed
by high rocky cliffs. There are rías and sandy beaches. This
coast is bordered by the Cantabrian Sea which connects to the Atlantic Oceans. Its
waters are cold with strong waves. Notable landforms of this coast are: Estaca
de Bares, Cabo de Peñas, Cabo de Ajo y Cabo de Machichaco. Ría
de Nervión Bidasoa and the Bahía de Santander.
The
Atlantic Coast of Galicia: Irregular coast formed by rocky cliffs. It has got
deeper rías than the
rías we find in Cantabria. There are two kind of
rías Altas (al norte del cabo Finisterre) and Bajas (al sur del cabo
Finisterre).
Notable
landforms of this coast are: Cabo Ortegal, Cabo de Finisterre, Ría de Vigo, Ría
de Arousa y ría de Pontevedra.
The Atlantic coast of Andalucía: From the Guadiana River to the Estrecho de
Gibraltar (300 km). The coast is straight and sandy (it has dunes
too in Cadiz and Huelva) because it´s near the Guadalquivir depression the
lowest area of Spain. Notable landforms of this coast are:
Ría de Huelva, Golfo de Cadiz, Bahía de Cadiz, Cabo de Trafalgar y Punta de
Tarifa.
The Mediterranean
Coastline
Mediterranean
coast of Andalucía
From the Estrecho de Gibraltar to the border of
Andalucía and Murcia.
The coast is formed by cliffs because it´s near the cordillera Penibética.
Flatter zones can be found in Malaga. Notable landforms are the Golfo
de Almería y el Cabo de Gata.
The Eastern Mediterranean
coast
- The
East Coast: Its made up
of the coasts of Murcia, Com. Valenciana y el Delta
del Ebro. It
has small deltas, saltlakes, lagoons and sandy beaches. There are coastal
areas with rocky cliffs such as Cabo de la Nao. We canfound the Golfo
de Valencia too.
- The
Catalan Coast: From the Delta del Ebro to France. Rocky sea cliffs can be found
in la Costa Brava in Girona and some plains forming beaches. The most important
landforms are the Cabo de Creus and the Golfo de Rosas.
The Spanish
Archipielagos
There are two archipielagos:
- The
Balearic Islands: In
the Mediterranean sea and formed by five islands: Mallorca,
Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera y Cabrera. There are mountainous reliefs.
The highest peack is Puig Major in la sierra de Tramuntana. The coasts
are high and the mountains reach the sea (in Mallorca y Menorca) and sandy
beaches in Formentera.
- The
Canary Islands: In the Atlantic ocean. It´s formed by
seven islands: Tenerife, La Palma, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Santa Cruz, El
Hierro y Gran Canaria. They
are volcanic in origin (formed by molten rock or magma). The highest peack is Teide. The coast is
cliffed. We can find pebbles beaches on the western islands and sandy beaches
in Fuerteventura y Lanzarote.
