2. The Iberian peninsula is located in the southwest of Europe. The
Cantabrian Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea
surround it. The Balearic Islands are located in the Mediterranean, and
the Canary Islands in the Atlantic. The cities of Ceuta and Melilla are
found in the north of Africa
3. The Iberian
Peninsula is
dominated by a
large central
plateau.
CENTRAL
PLATEAU
This central
plateau has two
interior
mountain
ranges.
CENTRAL
MOUNTAIN CHAIN
MOUNTAINS OF TOLEDO
Mountain ranges
that surround
the central
plateau:
MOUNTAINS
OF LEON
CANTABRIAN RANGE
IBERIANMOUNTAINCHAIN
SIERRA MORENA
There are four
mountain chains
external to the
central plateau
GALACIAN
MASSIF PYRENEES
CATALAN
CO
ASTAL
CHAIN
BETIC CHAIN
4. Spanish rivers are generally short with
small, irregular flows.
Their flows mainly depend on rainfall, and
they increase in spring when the snow
melts.
The rivers which flow into the
Cantabrian Sea are short and steep.
Cantabrian Sea
Their flow is large because they run
through mountains with abundant
rainfall.
Atlantic Ocean
The rivers which flow into the Atlantic
Ocean have large flows.
Their tributaries are in mountains
with abundant rainfall
Mediterranean Sea
Many Mediterranian rivers
are short with small flows
because there is little
rainfall.
However, the River Ebro is
the longest river in Spain
and has the largest flow.
River Ebro
Many of its tributaries
begin in the Pyrenees,
where there is abundant
rainfall.
