NATURE RESERVES

Governments create nature reserves to protect flora and fauna.
We call these places National or Regional Parks.
An example is Cañadas del Teide in the Canary Islands.
Spain has many nature reserves.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora is all the vegetation and fauna is all the animal life in a specific area.
Plant and animal life varies according to the climate.
In the Subtropical climate of the canary Islands, there are endemic plants such as tabaiba and dragon trees.
In the Mediterranean climate of lowlandcatalonia, you can find holm oak and pine trees.
On the higher land, there are decidious forests of ash and oak.
The fauna of the Oceanic climate of northern Spain includes squirrels, wolves and foxes, as well as fish.
In the Mountain climates there are deer, wild boar and rabbits.
Typical trees are pine trees and holly.

CLIMATES IN SPAIN

Spain has four different types of climate:

• The Oceanic climate. This is the mild climate on the Cantabrian and Galician coasts. Rainfall is abundant all year.
• The Mediterranean climate. This is the climate of most of Spain. In inland Spain, summers are hot and winters are cold. Rainfall is irregular. Near the sea, summers are hot and winters are mild. Rainfall is light.
• The Mountain climate. This is the climate of the elevated areas. Summers are mild and winters are cold. Rainfall is irregular.
• The Subtropical climate. This is the climate of the Canary Islands. It is hot all year round. It only rains a few months of the year.

SPANISH COASTS

There are three different coastal areas:

• The Cantabrian coast has rocky cliffs, estuaries and gulfs.
• The Atlantic coast is very varied. In the northwest, it is high and rocky with many estuaries. In the south, the coast is low and sandy. In the Canary Islands varies considerably: Tenerife has rocky cliffs, while Gran Canaria has long, sandy beaches.
• The Mediterranean coast is low and sandy, with long beaches. In the Balearic Islands, high coasts alternate with long, sandy beaches.

RIVER BASINS IN SPAIN

The Iberian Peninsula has narrow coastal plains and two large, low-lying plains called river basins.

• The Ebro river basin is in the north.
• The Guadalquivir river basin is in the south.

LANDSCAPES IN SPAIN

The Iberian Peninsula has many different landscapes.
Central Spain is dominated by a large plateau, called the Meseta Central or the Inner Plateau.
This is divided into two parts by the Central Mountain Chain.