Maps of Spain

Perhaps, Mallorca is among the busiest towns in Spain. Although it is described as an island, tourists are not hesitant to spend at least memorable vacation on this side of Spain. I have not yet gone to Mallorca, but a friend of mine acquainted me with this place. According to him, it is a perfect summer destination. The sun and the sands suit a great beach adventure. To my surprise, he boasted that the sun never fails to shine on this island. If that is the case, then I do not think that a year-long beach activity would be very unhealthy especially to our skin.

However, there is more to Mallorca than meets the eye. If you happen to see a postcard bearing the vast groves of olive, villages on hilltops, or pictures of the Gothic architectures in Mallorca, then you have enough reason to believe your eyes. As a traveler, I know that you are also interested, first and foremost, in the hotels in Spanish cities. Well, if you have already gone to Madrid Westin Palace, I am sure that Mallorca also has grand hotels that will accommodate its guests.

Particularly, I am interested at the parties in the island. If I am not mistaken famous celebrities also flock to Mallorca especially during summer parties. Aside from that, I would also like to try water-sports, try golf, and explore the caves. Of course, that would be very ambitious, but there is no more enjoyable way to explore a city than doing outdoor activities.

Months before I started traveling to Spain, a friend of mine has inspired me to explore this European city. He is a city engineer assigned in Asturias. Aside from the fact that he has already worked with the top companies in the country, he has already established a name in the city. So, when I finally had the time to fly to Asturias, I dropped in Oviedo, the place of the abode of my friend.

Much to my surprise, Asturias resembles the geography of Wales. I do not mean to compare the two cities, but it was just apparent that Asturias is also mountainous, a city bound by a coastline. Add to that the magnificent churches that were built prior to the Romanesque era. Asturias is a small town that measures only 100 kilometers wide. On its one side, Cantabric, a mountain that produces the best calf meat, serves as its boundary. Meanwhile, on the farthest corner of the town, apple farms could be spotted. Take note, the wines in here are made from apples. Asturias is also the cheese kingdom in Spain. It produces at least 300 kinds of this tasty gourmet delicatessen. It was here that I tasted Cabrales that resembles the blue one.

Here is another great place to stay in Spain. I wonder if you have already heard of Algeciras. If you look at the map of Spain, Algeciras could be traced with a straight line from the point of Madrid. Amazing? What is more amazing about this southern most part of Spain is that it opens its boundaries to foreigners, and at the same time, shipping lines as well, so they will have a much shorter track to travel going Gibraltar.

I happen to visit Algeciras not for a leisure trip, but to see my friend, an engineer who works in a shale oil refinery located in the innermost part of this beautiful small city. Luckily, the day after next was his day-off, so we were able to travel some parts of this port city. As I have observed, Algeciras is quite small for the many industrial establishments built in there. My friend told me that the British settlers were the brainchild of the industrialization of Algeciras. Well, thanks to their effort, the city is popular now. Also, Algeciras is very different from other Spanish cities in the sense that it maintained the Arab influence in its culture. These could be seen in the restaurants. I even feasted on Arab cuisines and Moroccan tea.

I had a little help from my architect friend to renovate my two-storey house. It never occurred to me that he will incorporate the Bilbao architecture style in it. I was really amazed by the designs that I felt I was living in Spain. He was able to combine wood and glass to form a very sophisticated facade for my house. He even bragged that the design he used is unique in Bilbao.

So, what is so special about Bilbao? Well, my friend stayed there for quite a long time, and he already have a clear picture of the city. He told me of the beauty of Bilbao. Since, the city is located near the river Nervion, the place is a perfect hang-out for art enthusiast because the serenity there inspires them. Almost 350,000 people, live and work in Bilbao. Most of them are fishermen, while the others are already busy competing with other industrialized European countries. But, what made my friend like Bilbao most is the faith that binds its people together. There, he also met compassionate people who respected his talents.

When asked whether Bilbao passes as a travel spot, he answered me with a quick yes. Bilbao also has beautiful resorts. Since Bilbao experiences relatively low amount of rain throughout the year, residents there learned how to adjust to the warm but humid climate. But, the weather does not affect their passion for clothing. Bilbao people always see to it that they look elegant. Their choice of dress is mostly influenced by their conservative character, which, I have observed, my friend have adapted!

I was wrong when I thought that the Canary Islands in Spain is an actual aviary of canaries. Hey, you can not blame me for that. Anyone who is unaware of the place might associate the birds to the islands. Anyway, now that I stand corrected, I guess I will do justice to Canary Islands by learning about it. I hope this article will help in the promotion of tourism in the Islands.

I sought help from the Internet browser in searching for the necessary information. I confess that it was difficult to find Canary Islands. But, at long last I found it. According to the article, the Island is liken into a paradise. I was reminded of the La Manga Club, a resort in Spain that is also famous for its paradise island. Canary Islands is composed of seven equally beautiful islands. Each is considered a splendid beach. By the way, climate in the islands is fair through out the year.

On the lighter side, they are called by the Greeks as Happy Islands. Please do not ask me of the reason behind that. Also, the Canary Islands were regarded as the origin of Atlantis. You know, the famous fictitious island that is believed to have been an island where perfect people lived. Stories also tell of the discovery of the Island by Christopher Columbus, one of the great explorer in our world history.

There are very few available information with regards to the Spanish cities. That reason alone made it difficult for me to search on the geographies of each city. But, destiny was kind, it gave me something about Aragon. I hope you consider this one useful should you want to travel to Spain.

Aragon, if I remember it right, was mentioned in a Keanu Reeves movie, A Walk In The Clouds. It is the family name of a wealthy clan who owns the largest vineyard in town. This made me wonder if Aragon is really associated with wealth. Well, the real Aragon convinced me that my guess is true.

Aragon belongs to the independent states of Spain. It is divided into three provinces. Of which, the most popular is Zaragoza. Occupying only 47,700 square kilometers, it houses 1,200,000 citizens. Now I remember. When I came to Madrid, I passed by Aragon on my way to Barcelona. So, Aragon is situated in a strategic area which keeps it open for communication with other cities.

Also, the city is famous for its mountain ranges and valleys where mighty rivers with fish biodiversity flow. Incredibly, the Aragons adapted to the contrasting climates. In one point in time, it can get very cold in Aragon to the extent that the Alps develop in to something like the Italian Ski resorts, though this part is seldom visited. While on the other side, it can get very hot, where temperature rises up to 40 degrees.

Honestly, I am not aware of the other Spanish cities except for Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville. But, a very distinct name in the book Angels and Demons moved my curiosity. The name is Vittoria, the love interest of the lead character. However, I tried to find what the name means, but I landed in Spain. What I meant was, I found an article about Vitoria, Spain. Minus the other T, the city of Vitoria is one of the most peaceful in Spain.

With merely 220,000 residents, Vitoria belongs to the independent regions of Spain. According to its history, it was established back in the 12th century by a king named Navarre. Vitoria has also participated in wars, and was under the colonization of French government. But, that did not take long, since Vitoria got its independence back in 1813. Its rich history could be seen in the art collections in its museums and monuments. I was not surprised to learn of the strong faith of the Vitorians. By the way, it only occurred to me now that it hosts the annual Jazz festival. If I were not mistaken, the Mercedes Benz company also has a manufacturing plant there. Wow, I never thought that Vitoria is not my typical Spanish province. It is making its way to popularity in gradual pace.

When my aunt came home from a trip to Spain, she showed me the map she used while traveling. I thought it was clever of her to bring a map so she would not get lost. After a while, I spent time looking at the map, reading the major cities, and learning about the locations of the famous landmarks in Spain. Suddenly, I realized the big picture: Spain is made up of three key cities – Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville.

I found Barcelona the most interesting place since it is near the Mediterranean Sea. It has a total land area of one-hundred square kilometers. I was not surprised to find that the present demography of Barcelona is, if not less than, two million. There are many rivers around and within Barcelona. Some of them serve as borders, while some are shortcuts to neighboring regions. Barcelona has a Mediterranean type of climate. The plantations in the city bring good harvest.

I find it amusing that almost all the places in Barcelona are named after saints since the people are baptized Roman Catholics. Barcelona is an influential city when it comes to industry and commerce. It has an advance and state-of-the-art system of transportation and the airports are inviting.

Spain occupies about 85% of the Iberian Peninsula. The remaining 15% land area is occupied by Portugal. Spain has total land area of 499,542 square kilometers and is located in the geographic coordinates of 40 degrees north latitude and 4 degrees east longitude. Spain has the Pyrenees which act as a natural boundary that separates it from continental Europe.

Spain has three major cities, namely, Madrid, Barcelona and Seville. Madrid is the seat of government and the largest city of Spain. Madrid is the financial and political center of Spain. The population of Madrid is estimated at 3.2 million which is about 7.5% of the 40,341,462 total population of Spain.