Spain's geography
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The document provides an overview of the geography of Spain by describing the key facts about each of its autonomous communities. It discusses the capitals, historical significance, cultural contributions and attractions of regions such as Andalucía, Aragón, Asturias, Cataluña, Galicia, Madrid, País Vasco and others. It also briefly introduces bullfighting as Spain's national pastime and asks questions about its history and popularity.
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Spain's geography
- 1. S P A I N ‘ S G E O G R A P H Y Information about the geography of the motherland of the Spanish language
- 2. Andalucía Fun facts! • Capital is Sevilla • Larger than Portugal • Has the most diverse climate in all of Spain • Home of “Don Juan” • Moorish History • Home of bull fighting – where the bulls are raised • Birth place of flamenco dancing • Where the movie “Lawrence of Arabia” was shot • Home of the rock of Gibraltar
- 3. Andalucía • Let´s travel to Andalucía • Picture Slideshow!
- 4. Aragón Fun Facts! • Capital is Zaragoza • Home of “Our Lady of Pilar” • Birthplace of Fernando V of Aragón • Birthplace of Goya
- 5. Aragón • Let´s travel to Aragón • Picture Slideshow!
- 6. Asturias Fun Facts! • Capital is Oviedo • Ancient port city of Gijón • Never fully conquered by Moors due to mountains • First Christian King of Spain ruled there: Pelayo
- 7. Asturias • Let’s go to Asturias! • Photos
- 8. Islas Baleares Fun Facts! • Palma is the Capital on the island of Mallorca • Ruled by many ancient cultures: Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors and visited by Celts and Egyptians • Home of the Barbary Pirates • Birthplace of Junípero Serra
- 9. Islas Baleares • Let’s go to the Islas Baleares! • Pictures
- 10. Islas Canarias Fun Facts! • At one time, thought to be Atlantis • Volcanic Island chain – some islands are literally splitting in half • Ancient home of troglodytes or Guanches
- 11. Islas Canarias • Let’s travel to the Islas Canarias! • Pictures!
- 12. Fun Facts: • Los Picos de Europa along the coastline are the highest mountains in Spain • Santander is the major port city used by the conquistadores • Santillana del Mar is a town built around the monastery of St. Juliana which houses a perfectly preserved medieval village! • Cave paintings from 13,800 BC were found in Altamira, Cantabria
- 13. Cantabria • Let’s Travel to Cantabria! • Pictures
- 14. Castilla y León Fun Facts: • Many Famous Cities including: Valladolid, Salamanca, Ávila, Sergovia • Valladolid is the capital • Ávila is the famous medieval walled city • El Cid is buried in Burgos • Basilica of St. John the Baptist in the oldest church in Spain built in 611 • Salamanca University was founded in 1218 • Zamora is famous for its Maundy Thursday service during the Semana Santa • Leon was a refuge for Christians during the Moorish Rule
- 15. Castilla y León • Let´s travel to Castilla y León! • Pictures
- 16. Castilla y La Mancha • Fun Facts: • - Five provinces: Albacete, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Toledo, and Guadalajara • - Secano, or dry farming is practiced on the Meseta • Castilla means castle in Spanish and La Mancha comes from the Arabic “manxa” meaning parched earth • Don Quijote is set in La Mancha and was written by Cervantes. Campo de Cristano is the home of the many windmills that DQ fought. • Toledo is known for swordmaking and damascene metalworking. It was also the home of “El Greco” • Almaden and Guadalajara are known for their mining and heavy industry.
- 17. Castilla y La Mancha • Turismo en Castilla y La Mancha • Pictures!
- 18. Madrid • Fun Facts: • Capitol of Spain • Famous people from Madrid: Cervantes and Catherine of Aragon • Famous Museums: El Escorial y El Prado • Famous Memorials: El Valle de los Caídos
- 19. Cataluña • Fun Facts: • Both Catalán and Spanish are spoken there • Borders with France • Climate is mediterranean and is home to many coastal resorts • Capital is Barcelona – hosted the olympics in 1992, famous Sagrada Familia • Famous people – Gaudí, Picasso, Dalí and Miró
- 20. Cataluña • Turismo en Cataluña • Pictures!
- 21. Extremadura • Fun facts • Many sierras • Well known for pork products, cherries, and figs • Famous people: Hernán Cortés, Pizarro, Balboa • Many Moorish and Roman structures – Zafra, Jaradinilla de la Vera, and Bajadoz
- 22. Extremadura • Turismo en Extremadura • Pictures!!!
- 23. Galicia • Fun Facts: • North Borders with Portugal and home to the Costa Verde (along the Atlantic) • Very rainy • Santiago de Compostela is a famous town and pilgrimage site • Has its own language – Gallego which is a combination of Spanish, Celtic, and Portuguese • Has Spain’s best seafood
- 24. Galicia • Turismo en Galicia • Pictures!!!
- 25. La Rioja • Fun Facts • Spain’s smallest province • Great Red Wine or “tinto” country! • Many Roman ruins and architectural features like the spire of Santa Maria de Palacio • St. James (San Diego) fought against the moors in the area of Logroño in 844 • Ebro River flows into the Mediterranean
- 26. La Rioja • Turismo en La Rioja • Pictures!!!
- 27. Murcia • Fun Facts • Costa Cálida is the big resort area • Two largest cities – Murcia and Cartagena (very important port) • Fransisco Zalzillo – famous sculptor • Founded by Moors
- 28. Murcia • Turismo en Murcia • Pictures!!!
- 29. Navarra • Fun Facts • Lots of French influence – in 778 Charlemagne kicked out the Moors • Pamplona is the capital – famous for the festival of San Fermín • Pyrenees mountains are along the border to the north
- 30. Navarra • Turismo en Navarra • Pictures!!!
- 31. País Vasco • Fun Facts: • Vitoria is known for the catedral of Santa María • Bilbao is Spain´s largest port and sixth largest city • Guernica – town that was bombed during the Civil War • Basque is the unique language spoken here
- 32. País Vasco • Turismo en el País Vasco • Pictures!!!
- 33. La Comunidad Valenciana • Fun Facts: • Valencia is the capital – Lots of medieval and Moorish legends related to Valencia • Holy Grail • St. Joseph´s feast day • Speak a version of Catalán (Alicante) • Last city to surrender to Fascists during the Civil War • Known for it´s orange groves and huertas
- 34. La Comunidad Valenciana • Turismo en la Comunidad Valenciana • Pictures!!!
- 35. Spain’s National Pastime • Bullfighting!!! – What do you know about the history bull fighting? – How often do you think bullfighting still happens in Spain? – How popular is bullfighting in the rest of the world?
Editor's Notes
- Valle de los Caídos From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos, view from the esplanade The Valle de los Caídos (in English: Valley of the Fallen) is a Catholic basilica and a monumental memorial in the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, erected at Cuelgamuros Valley in the Sierra de Guadarrama, near Madrid, conceived by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco to honor and bury those who fell during the Spanish Civil War. It was also claimed by Franco that the monument was meant to be a "national act of atonement". The monument, a landmark of 20th-century Spanish architecture, was designed by Pedro Muguruza and Diego Méndez on a scale to equal, according to Franco, "the grandeur of the monuments of old, which defy time and forgetfulness". Together with the Universidad Laboral de Gijón, it is the most prominent example of the original Spanish Neo-Herrerian style, which was intended as a revival of Juan de Herrera's late renaissance architecture, exemplified in El Escorial. This uniquely Spanish architecture was widely used in public buildings of post-war Spain and is rooted in International classicism exemplified by Albert Speer or Mussolini's Esposizione Universale Roma. The monument precinct encloses over 3,360 acres (13.6 km2) of Mediterranean woodlands and granite boulders on the Sierra de Guadarrama hills, over 3,000 feet (910 m) over sea level where stand the Basilica, the Benedictine Abbey, the Hospedería, the Valley and the ‘Juanelos,’ four cylindrical monoliths dating from the 16th century. The most prominent feature of the monument is the towering 150-meter-high (500 ft) cross erected over a granite outcrop 150 meters over the basilica esplanade and visible from over 20 miles (32 km) away. Work started in 1940 and took over eighteen years to complete, the monument being officially inaugurated on April 1, 1958. According to the official ledger, the cost of the construction totalled 1.159 billion pesetas, funded through National Lottery draws and donations. As a surviving artifact of Franco's rule, the monument and its Catholic basilica remain controversial, particularly due to the fact that 10% of the construction workforce were convicts, some of them Popular Front prisoners. The complex is owned and operated by the Patrimonio Nacional, the Spanish governmental heritage agency, and ranked as the third most visited monument of the Patrimonio Nacional in 2009. The Spanish socialist government closed the complex to visitors at the end of 2009, basing the decision on safety reasons connected to restoration on the facade. Controversy arose upon this decision, as the closure was attributed by part of the public opinion to the "Memoria Historica" law enacted during president Zapatero's mandate, as supported by some media [1]. Other media support that the abbey monks are misinterpreting the closure due to restoration works with a political decision.[2] The works include the Pietà sculpture prominently featured at the entrance of the crypt, using hammers and heavy machinery.[3][4] In November, 2010, alleging safety reasons, the Spanish government closed down the Basilica for Mass.[5] Mass was celebrated in the open during several weeks; with an attendance of 3.000 faithful, in a rainy day on November 14th. Checkpoints were set up, according to government sources, to prevent political manifestations such as Falange flags, in accordance to the Law of "Memoria Histórica". However, Catholic sources claimed that the government was simply trying to interfere with the celebration of the Mass.