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DESCRIPTION:
SPAIN (Espana), a kingdom in the extreme south-west of Europe, comprising
about eleven-thirteenths of the Iberian Peninsula, in addition to the
Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, and the fortified station of Ceuta,
on the Moroccan coast opposite to Gibraltar. Each of the two island
groups forms one of the forty-nine provinces of the kingdom, although
only the first named belongs geographically to Spain. Ceuta is included
in the province of Cadiz. In 1900 the kingdom (exclusive of its colonies)
had a population of 18,607,674, and a total area of 194,700 sq. m. It
is thus rather more than twice the size of Great Britain., nearly 50,000
sq. m. larger than Japan, and nearly 85,000 sq. m. larger than Italy
and Sicily. Exclusive of the Canaries its area is 191,893 sq. m. On
all sides except that of Portugal the boundaries of continental Spain
are natural, the Peninsula being separated from France by the Pyrenees
and on every other side being surrounded by the sea. On the side of
Portugal a tract of inhospitable country sled originally to the separation
between the two kingdoms, inasmuch as it caused the reconquest of the
comparatively populous maritime tracts from the Moors to be carried
out independently of that of the eastern kingdoms, which were also well
peopled. The absence of any such means of intercommunication as navigable
rivers afford has favored the continuance of this isolation. The precise
line of the western frontier is formed for a considerable length by
portions of the chief rivers or by small tributaries, and on the north
(between Portugal and Galicia) it is determined to a large extent by
small mountain ranges. The British rock of Gibraltar, in the extreme
south of the peninsula, is separated from Spain by a low isthmus known
as the Neutral Ground.
PORTUGAL, a republic of western Europe, forming part of the Iberian
Peninsula, and bounded on the N. and E. by Spain, and on the S. and
W. by the Atlantic Ocean. Pop. (1900), 5,016,267; area, 34,254 sq. m.
These totals do not include the inhabitants and area of the Azores and
Madeira Islands. which are officially regarded as parts of continental
Portugal. In shape the country resembles a roughly drawn parallelogram,
with its greatest length (362 m.) from N. to S., and its greatest breadth
(140 m.) from E. to W. The land frontiers are to some extent defined
by the course Of the four principal rivers, the Minho and Douro in the
north, the, Tagus and Guadiana in the south; elsewhere, and especially
in the north, they are marked by mountam ranges; but in most parts their
delimitation was originally based on political considerations. In no
sense can. the boundary-line be called either natural or scientific,
apart from the fact that the adjacent districts on either side are poor,
sparsely peopled, and therefore little liable to become a subject of
dispute. The Portuguese seaboard is nearly 500 m. long, and of the six
ancient provinces all are maritime except Traz-osMontes. From the extreme
north to Cape Mondego and thence onward to Cape CarvOeiro the outline
of the coast is a long anti gradual curve; farther south is the prominent
mass of rock and mountain terminating westward in Capes Roca and Espichel;
south of this, again, there is another wide curve, broken by the headland
of Sines, and extending to Cape St Vincent, the southeastern extremity
of the country. The only other conspicuous promontory is Cape Santa
Maria, on the south coast. The only deep indentations of the Portuguese
littoral are the lagoon of Aveiro (q.v.) and the estuaries of the Minho,
Douro, Mondego, Tagus, Sado and Guadiana, in which are the principal
harbours. The only islands off the coast are the dangerous FarilhOes
and Berlings (Portuguese Berlengas) off Cape Carvoeiro.
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