Spain is located in the southwest of Europe. Its territory extends to most of the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, and several minor enclaves in North Africa, including the cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

Spain is one of the largest Western European countries (505,998 square kilometers; 195,362 square miles), but it is not very densely populated (41.8 million inhabitants, i.e., less than 83 inhabitants per square kilometer, according to the official estimate of 2002). Most of the population lives in the coastal areas, where the climate is mild, even if rather hot in spring and summer in the east and south. Extreme weather conditions prevail in the plateau that makes most of the interior of the peninsula. Thus, it is sparsely populated, with the only exception of the capital city of Madrid (3 million inhabitants).

Spain's geography has rendered communications with...