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Bible Encyclopedias
Spain (2)
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or In ancient times what is now the kingdom of Spain was called Iberia. Its Latin name was Hispania, which, changed into Spanish, became Espana. With Portugal, it forms what is called the Pyrenean Peninsula, the whole constituting the most southerly and also the most westerly part of Europe. The average breadth of the whole peninsula is not far from 480 miles, and its length 600 miles, with an area of nearly 220,000 square miles. The area of Spain, which occupies by far the greater part of the Pyrenean Peninsula, is a little more than 184,000 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the Bay of Biscay and the Pyrenees, on the east by the Mediterranean Sea, on the south by the Mediterranean, the Straits of Gibraltar, and the Atlantic Ocean, and on the west, its southwesterly section by Portugal, and its northwesterly section by the Atlantic Ocean.
I. Physical Aspect. — Spain has an extended coastline, it being not far from 1400 miles in length, of which 770 miles belong to the Mediterranean and 600 miles to the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic. A part of this coast line is mountainous, and a part of it, especially to the southwest, is low and swampy, until it reaches the extreme south, when it rises suddenly to the well known Rock of Gibraltar. Another noticeable feature in the physical aspect of the country is its mountain system. Geographers lay down five distinct mountain belts, which are subdivided into minor ranges. These are the Pyrenees, which separate Spain from France, the Sierra de Guadarrama, the mountains of Toledo, the Sierra Morena, and the Sierra Nevada. Among the highest of these mountains are the Cerro de Mulahacen, 11,655 feet; Mount Nethou, 11,427 feet; Vignemale, 10,980 feet; Peak of Oo, 9730; and the Puerto del Pico, 8000. The river system of Spain embraces many deep and rapidly flowing streams. Among the largest of these are the Ebro, which flows east and empties into the Mediterranean, and the Douro, the Tagus, the Guadiana, and the Guadalquivir; the first two flowing nearly west and the last two southwest, and emptying into the Atlantic. Some of the smaller rivers are the Minho, the Guadalaviar, and the Xucar. So long a coastline as that of Spain furnishes, as might be supposed, many commodious bays and harbors. Among those on the east are Barcelona, Tarragona, Valencia, Alicante, and Cartagena; on the north are Santander and Bilbao.
The physical features of Spain to which allusion has been made give to this country marked variety in climate and soil and vegetable productions. The northern section of the kingdom is mountainous and hilly, and the character of the climate is such as to invite the labors of the husbandman. Accordingly this section of Spain has been given up largely to agriculture. The middle section is not so well situated. The absence of rains is followed by sterility and unproductiveness of the soil. There are great extremes of temperature, the summers being very hot and the winters very cold, while the springs and autumns are pleasant. Passing to the southern section, we find ourselves in a country having the characteristics of a tropical region. The winds from Africa blow upon it, and the effect of the hot rays of the sun reflected from the lofty mountain walls is very marked. And yet, as a whole, Southern Spain is exceedingly fertile. Frosts are not known in Andalusia. Snow seldom falls, and when it does melts at once. Such is the character of the climate and soil of the country that Spain ranks among the most fruitful of all the countries of Europe. Every kind of cereal can be grown in some part of the kingdom, and the fruits of the most northern part of the temperate zone and of the most southern part of the tropical regions are raised there. The cultivation of the vine has been carried to a high state of perfection, and the Spanish vines are reckoned among the finest in the world. Perhaps the most noted of these are the Xeres, or sherry, and the Malaga.
II. Political Divisions. — We give these as they were a few years ago, no essential changes having occurred since with the population as shown by the census of 1884.
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