Spain vs. Gibraltar
Geography
| Spain | Gibraltar | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southwestern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, and Pyrenees Mountains; southwest of France | Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain |
| Geographic coordinates | 40 00 N, 4 00 W | 36 08 N, 5 21 W |
| Map references | Europe | Europe |
| Area | total: 505,370 sq km land: 498,980 sq km water: 6,390 sq km note: there are two autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla - and 17 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera | total: 7 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | almost five times the size of Kentucky; slightly more than twice the size of Oregon | more than 10 times the size of The National Mall in Washington, D.C. |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,952.7 km border countries (5): Andorra 63 km, France 646 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1224 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 8 km and Morocco (Melilla) 10.5 km note: an additional 75-meter border segment exists between Morocco and the Spanish exclave of Penon de Velez de la Gomera | total: 1.2 km border countries (1): Spain 1.2 km |
| Coastline | 4,964 km | 12 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean) | territorial sea: 3 nm |
| Climate | temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast | Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers |
| Terrain | large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees Mountains in north | a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 660 m | highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m |
| Natural resources | coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land | none |
| Land use | agricultural land: 54.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 24.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 9.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 20.1% (2018 est.) forest: 36.8% (2018 est.) other: 9.1% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 38,000 sq km (2012) | NA |
| Natural hazards | periodic droughts, occasional flooding volcanism: volcanic activity in the Canary Islands, located off Africa's northwest coast; Teide (3,715 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; La Palma (2,426 m), which last erupted in 1971, is the most active of the Canary Islands volcanoes; Lanzarote is the only other historically active volcano | occasional droughts; no streams or large bodies of water on the peninsula (all potable water comes from desalination) |
| Environment - current issues | pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification | limited natural freshwater resources: more than 90% of drinking water supplied by desalination, the remainder from stored rainwater; a separate supply of saltwater used for sanitary services |
| Geography - note | strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar; Spain controls a number of territories in northern Morocco including the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, and Islas Chafarinas; Spain's Canary Islands are one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), and Cabo Verde | note 1: strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea note 2: one of only two British territories where traffic drives on the right, the other being the island of Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory |
Source: CIA Factbook
