14
The world around us
What are Spain’s coasts and islands like?
Spain is on a peninsula and its coastline is varied. There are rocky
coasts with high cliffs and flat coasts with wide, sandy beaches. There
are
capes
, which often have lighthouses to warn boats about the rocky
coast. There are also archipelagos, islands,
bays
and
gulfs
and
rias
.
1
Tell a friend what you think these words mean.
archipelago
gulf
rias
cape
G
E T T I N G S T A R T E D
The main capes
on the Atlantic
coast are
Cabo
de Fisterra
and
Trafalgar
.
A cape is a peninsula which
protrudes
into a body
of water. The main capes on the Cantabrian coast
are
Cabo de Machichaco
in Bizkaia, Ajo in Cantabria
and
Ortegal
and
Estaca de Bares
in Galicia.
A gulf is sea cutting into land. A small
gulf is often called a bay. Spain’s
biggest gulfs are the
Golfo de Cádiz,
Valencia
and
Roses
.
In the Mediterranean the best-
known capes are
Cabo de Gata
,
Palos
,
La Nao
and
Creus
.
