Unit 2.1- Geopolitical and Geoeconomic characteristics of Spain

Question 1

General geographical dimensions (landmass):

Answer 1

• 4th largest country in Europe and the second in the EU
• separated by the Pyrenees, so Portugal and Spain has traditionally been more connected to the rest of the continent by the Mediterranean and Atlantic basins than by land.
• dominated by mountain ranges and river valleys
• Due to this particular landscape, the extractive and agricultural activities have been historically important in the territory, being Spain one of the most important mining and agricultural and livestock producing countries in Europe.

Question 2

General geographical dimensions (climate):

Answer 2

• wide range of temperate climates (semi-tropical in Malaga and subarctic in the Pyrenees)
• rain, especially in September and October by the mediterranean coasts
• the orographic conditions create sub-zones
• the diversity creates a large biological diversity, one of the most diverse in Europe

Question 3

General geostrategical overview:

Answer 3

• Three are the most important geostrategic areas for Spain:
  — The Atlantic-The Mediterranean-The European.
• Our main geostrategic interests are closely linked to these three areas. As a result, Spain’s international projection is highly dependent on the results of our international actions towards the countries involved in these areas, including the member states of the Ibero-American Community, the USA, Canada, the member states of the EU, the UK, Russia and our main partners in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Libya), the Middle East (Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt) or the Sahel region (Mauritania, Senegal or Mali).
• The geostrategy of Spain as an independent state actor cannot be understood without taking into account what is happening in these regions and how it affects the economic, political and security dimensions of the Spanish FP.

Question 4

Spanish territorial and maritime disputes:

Answer 4

• The previous map showed the various territorial and maritime disputes in which Spain is involved with other countries, notably Morocco, France, the UK, Ireland and Mauritania.
• Ceuta, Melilla and the Spanish “Plazas de Soberania”
• Western Sahara
• Gibraltar

Question 5

Ceuta, Melilla and “Plazas de Soberania”

Answer 5

(some small islands) off the coast of Morocco, which are central to the territorial disputes with our southern neighbour and crucial to the Spanish regulation of illegal immigration.

Question 6

Western Sahara

Answer 6

a former Spanish colony, was abandoned in 1975 when the “Green March” of unarmed Moroccan civilians, led by the former King Hassan II, occupied the Spanish settlements and took control of the territory. In this case, the Spanish position was neutral, since the territory was under the UN decolonisation resolutions and was crucial for trilateral relations between Algeria, Morocco and Spain, for agricultural production and fishing and, more recently, for the possibility of extracting oil and gas off the coast of the Canary Islands. The current government has decided to recognise the Moroccan project of autonomy and has changed a traditional perspective on this issue, damaging relations between Spain and Algeria (our former main supplier of gas), with no clear impact on our relations with Morocco.

Question 7

Gibraltar

Answer 7

Which will be analysed in our historical approach to Spanish foreign policy, as one of the most important milestones of Spanish foreign policy in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Gibraltar question is linked to the status of the non-nuclear country of Spain, the control of the Straits of Gibraltar and offshore practices.

Question 8

Spanish demographics and economic activity:

Answer 8

• metropolitan areas hosting most people
• enormous areas of land nearly unpopulated
• the vast majority live in the coastal areas
• 3 of the 17 autonomous communities (Basque Country, Navarre and the Canary Island) + Ceuta and Melilla have different fiscal regimes than the rest of the country