More than 60% of the boundary of Spain is surrounded by water, while the rest is surrounded by land. A study of the geography of Spain shows that the major part of Spain is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, which starts from the border of France in the east to Gibraltar in the south. The Atlantic Ocean covers the northwest and southeast boundaries of Spain and in the middle portion between these two ends, at the western boundary of Spain, lies the land of Portugal. The total northern boundary of Spain is also surrounded by a water body called the Bay of Biscay. The northeastern boundary of Spain is enclosed by countries such as France and Andorra.

The geography of Spain shows that the country is broadly divided into four parts: the various mountain ranges, the central plateau with the mountains surrounding and intersecting the plateau, the low lying plains and the two set of islands. Spain has several rivers flowing throughout the state, though many of these are short and measure less than 100 kilometers. The majority of the rivers originate from the mountains associated with the Meseta Central Plateau and flow towards Portugal. The primary rivers that are part of the geography of Spain include: Ebro, Tagus, Duero, Guadiana, Mino and Guadalquivir. Out of these rivers Guadalquivir is the only one which helps in irrigating the major agricultural land in central Spain.

The Meseta Central Plateau occupies the major central part of Spain. It is on the same plateau where Madrid, the capital city of Spain, sits. The Meseta Central plateau is divided into northern and southern regions by the Sistema Central Mountain range, which stretches up to Portugal in the west, a significant aspect of the geography of Spain. The city of Madrid is surrounded by the Sistema Central Mountains with several of the range’s highest peaks located in different directions enclosing the city. The highest peak is more than 2500 meters high, and is located to the west of Madrid. Apart from the Sistema Central Mountains, other mountain ranges that encircle the total Meseta Central plateau include Sierra Morena, the Cordillera Cantabrica, and the Sistema Iberico mountains.

There are other prominent mountains that are part of the geography of Spain. There are the Pyrenees Mountains in the northeast, which form a boundary between Spain and its neighboring countries like France and Andorra. The Pyrenees has several peaks that have an average height of 3000 meters. The highest is around 3400 meters tall. The Sistema Penibeticoother Mountains are located in the southeast of Spain, while the other snow covered mountains can be found in the Sierra Nevada in Andalusia area of Spain. It is a famous skiing destination and has the tallest peak in Spain, which measures nearly 3500 meters.