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The Effect of the Geography of Spain on the People and the Country - What A Relief!

One of the things that characterizes the geography of Spain is that – with an average height of 660 metres – after Switzerland, it's the highest country in Europe. This has profound effects on life in this wonderful country and means that a lot of the clichés directed against the Spanish are more than a little unfair. They've created a great nation under not the easiest of circumstances.

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Book Recommendation

One of the books that most profoundly describes the effect of Spanish geography on the people of Spain is Laurie Lee's 'As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning'. Written along with 'Cider With Rosie' and 'A Moment of War' in the 1960s, this autobiographical novel tells the tale of how Lee left his home in England in 1934, boarded a boat to Santander and then spent a year walking across a Spain that was on the brink of Civil War until he reached the Andalusian coast.

Laurie Lee's eye for geographical detail is only equalled by his capacity for human observation. Add this to an almost poetic style of writing and we have a book that speaks of a terrain and of its people. It is a truly wonderful work of art.

See More Books by Laurie Lee on Amazon.co.uk or Click Here for Laurie Lee on Amazon.Com

A Tortured Soul

Spain's mountains are obviously important but everything begins at its heart. And the heart of Spain is the Meseta – the enormous central elevated plain that tilts towards the Atlantic and few beach-loving tourists ever get to experience.

Because so many come for the sea and the sunshine – the trapezium-shaped Iberian Peninsula is 80% coastline, after all – they are often oblivious to Spain's tortured soul. Given the nature of the coast and the peripheral mountain ranges, there are no maritime winds to soften the extreme continental climate of the centre.

Just Look At The Map

You can see just how mountainous Spain is and how the altitude begins to fall away as you reach the south-west coast.

Spanish topography, Iberian peninsula, meseta, mountains

The Mountain Ranges

But the Cantabrian, Iberian and Bético mountain systems also profoundly affect the geography of Spain - just one example is the Sierra Nevada, which reaches heights of over 3,000 metres. Inevitably, these mountain ranges do more than just affect the climate of this raw paradise.

People may laugh about the inefficiency of the Spanish transport system but the fact that it exists at all is a testament to the tenacity of the Spanish people. Having to go through, across or round mountains has made the building of roads and railway lines an incredibly expensive endeavour, but transport in Spain is good and getting better. While not perfect the national rail company RENFE does a more than acceptable job compared with the companies in many other European countries.

Damned and Blessed Rivers

People from the north of Europe – myself included, when I first arrived - often criticise Spain's rivers but stop and think for a moment. These rivers have massive unequal land masses to negotiate. They – like the roads and railways – have to go up, down, around and through the mountains. This means that - whether they are big or small, full or empty, Spanish rivers are incredibly erosive. And the ecological damage they do to the geography of Spain is an important financial burden for the Spanish state and local people.

So next you look at the weather-beaten face of a Spaniard and become enchanted by his open – yet wry – smile, just think about what it must be like to have been born into this harsh rugged earth.

Geography of Spain Books on Amazon.Co.Uk

Geography of Spain Books on Amazon.Com

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