Throughout this page we look at the map of Spain and important areas. We will focus most on the Spanish mainland but also touch on the islands. Some of our other pages already go into great detail about both island groupings. We will point out these pages if you want to visit them for more information.
Covering an area of 505,990 km 2 (195,360 square miles), Spain is the fourth largest country in Europe. Only Russia, Ukraine and France cover larger areas. This may come as a surprise to some when you compare the population here to other countries.
It´s important to point out that this includes the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The total landmass also includes the colonies of Ceuta and Melilla. Both are small Autonomous territories in Morocco.
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Map Of Northern Spain
We begin the map of northern Spain with Galicia which lies above Portugal. This is one of the greenest parts of Spain or Costa Verde when we refer to the coastal areas. Forming Galicia are the four provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra. Santiago de Compostela is the capital city of this large region.
East of Galicia is Asturias which is one of the more mountainous areas of Spain. The famous Cantabrian Mountain range runs through both Galicia and Asturias. This major mountain system continues east through Cantabria stretching for over 300 km. Oviedo is the capital of Asturias.
As we continue east we come to Cantabria which is another mountainous region. Picos de Europa lies here which is a top spot for hikers and climbers. If hiking is your thing you can plan you visit here and find lots of useful information. The coastal area and Capital Santander boasts a beautiful port and some fine beaches. This part of Spain also has many cave systems to explore.
The final region further east is Basque Country (Pais Vasco). Forming this area are the provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa. The major cities here include Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz and San Sebastián.
Map of Southern Spain
Forming the map of southern Spain is the massive region of Andalucia for the most part. There are 8 provinces that form this vast part of the country and many major cities. The provinces are Seville, Málaga, Córdoba, Granada, Cádiz, Almería, Huelva and Jaén. Most will be familia with at least some of these which are also cities.
Seville is the Capital of Andalucia which is also one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. The famous Costa del Sol makes up a good chunk of the coastal areas to the south. This part of Spain attracts more tourism than anywhere else on the mainland.
East of Andalucia is Murcia with the Costa Calida forming it´s coastal areas. To the north are Extremadura and Castile La Mancha.
Northeast Spàin
Forming the northeast of Spain are two more large regions, Aragon and Catalonia. These areas both share a border with France and the Pyrenees mountains. Foming Catalonia are the four provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona. Barcelona is also the capital city and one of the most famous cities in Spain.
There are two major Spanish Costas which help to form the coastal areas here. In the northeast is the Costa Brava which is another top tourist location. There are some beautiful resorts here such as Lloret de Mar, Blanes and Tossa de Mar.
The coastal areas to the south take you to the Costa Dorada (Golden Coast). Salou is without doubt the top place to visit here which is also home to Portaventura. Cambrils is another pretty town to the south if you prefer traditional Spain. This is very much a typical Spanish town without the noise of Salou.
Forming much of eastern Spain is the Valencian Community. This is another large region with many beautiful cities. The most obvious is Valencia which is also the capital city of this part of Spain. There are three provinces here which are Alicante, València and Castellón.
Castellón is the most northern which includes cities such as Peñiscola and Benicarlo. Benicassim is another interesting place which hosts the biggest music festival in Spain. Making up the coastal areas of Castellón is the Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast).
Alicante is the southernmost province which is also one of the top locations to take a holiday. There are many major cities here such as Benidorm, Alicante, Elche and Torrevieja. These coastal areas are the Costa Blanca (White Coast). This part of Spain is home to many fantastic resorts such as the Orihuela Costa. Some of the top beach resorts here are Playa Flamenca, Cabo Roig and La Zenia. These are all popular location in which to holiday.
Central Spain is where Madrid is which is also the Capital City of the country. The Autonomous Region is home to 6.5 million people with 3.1 million in the city limits. This makes Madrid the third largest Capital in Europe. Only London and Berlin have bigger populations.
There are many other old and famous cities apart from Madrid though. Northwest of Madrid is the beautiful city of Salamanca. Northeast is Guadalajara with Toledo to the south. To the East is Cuenca which is one of the oldest cities in Spain.
Ceuta And Melilla
Ceuta and Melilla are the two Spanish colonies which lie in Morocco. The autonomous city of Ceuta is one of the closest points of Africa to Europe. This small enclave is what many say is the gateway to Europe. Melilla is actually close to 400 kilometres east of Ceuta. This would take you well over 6 hours to drive between the two colonies.
