Spain, on Europe's Iberian Peninsula, is really 17 autonomous regions, each with its own geography and culture. Spain has both a North Atlantic and Mediterranean coastline. The rocky Atlantic coast has many fishing ports and not many yacht harbours and is frequented by large and powerful swells. La Coruna, Bayone and Puerto Sherry are three of the most popular harbours for yachts on the Atlantic coast. The Mediterranean coastline is more gentle and forgiving and home to many popular marinas including Almerimar and Palma de Mallorca.
"Spain (Spanish: España, [esˈpaɲa] (listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a country in Southwestern Europe with some pockets of territory across the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean. Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula. Its territory also includes two archipelagos: the Canary Islands off the coast of North Africa, and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The African enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, makes Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country (Morocco). Several small islands in the Alboran Sea are also part of Spanish territory. The country's mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and northeast by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean respectively.
With an area of 505,990 km2 (195,360 sq mi), Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe, the second-largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, and the fourth-largest country by area on the European continent. With a population exceeding 47.3 million, Spain is the sixth-most populous country in Europe, and the fourth-most populous country in the European Union. Spain's capital and largest city is Madrid; other major urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Málaga, and Bilbao.
Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago. Iberian cultures along with ancient Phoenician, Greek, Celtic and Carthaginian settlements developed on the peninsula until it came under Roman rule around 200 BC, after which the region was named Hispania, based on the earlier Phoenician name Sp(a)n or Spania. At the end of the Western Roman Empire, Germanic tribal confederations migrated from Central Europe, invaded the Iberian peninsula and established relatively independent realms in its western provinces. One of them, the Visigoths, forcibly integrated all remaining independent territories in the peninsula, including the Byzantine province of Spania, into the Visigothic Kingdom.
In the early eighth century the Visigothic Kingdom was conquered by the Umayyad Islamic Caliphate. The Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula (al-Andalus) soon became autonomous from Baghdad. A handful of small Christian pockets in the north were left out of Muslim rule, along the presence of the Carolingian Empire near the Pyrenées, eventually led to the emergence of the Christian kingdoms of León, Castile, Aragon, Portugal and Navarre. Over seven centuries, an intermittent southwards expansion of these kingdoms (metahistorically dubbed as a reconquest: the Reconquista) culminated with the Christian seizure of the last Muslim polity (the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada) in 1492, the same year Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World. A process of political conglomeration among the Christian kingdoms also ensued, and the late 15th-century saw the dynastic union of Castile and Aragon under the Catholic Monarchs, sometimes considered to be the emergence of Spain as a unified country. The Conquest of Navarre occurred in 1512, while the Kingdom of Portugal was also ruled by the Hapsburg Dynasty between 1580 and 1640.
In the early modern period, Spain ruled one of the largest empires in history which was also one of the first global empires, spawning a large cultural and linguistic legacy that includes over 570 million Hispanophones, making Spanish the world's second-most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese. Spain hosts the world's third-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Spain is a secular parliamentary democracy and a parliamentary monarchy, with King Felipe VI as head of state. It is a major developed country and a high income country, with the world's fourteenth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the sixteenth-largest by PPP. It is a member of the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the Eurozone, the Council of Europe (CoE), the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), the Union for the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Schengen Area, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and many other international organisations. While not an official member, Spain has a "Permanent Invitation" to the G20 summits, participating in every summit, which makes it a de facto member of the group." Wikipedia
Latest Reviews
Cabrera Island
4.3
A beautiful historic island with a dark past worth a night stop over. Not a huge amount to do but still super pretty.
Cala'n Porter
4.9
We found a music bar set into a mountain cave overlooking the sea and sunset and loved the atmosphere. Spent the morning swimming in the bay to clear our heads before setting off for Mahon.
Cala'n Porter
4.8
A stunning blue water location to anchor with an elevated coastal view of the horizon and sunset. Got lost following a random track along the coast but found some amazing views.
Ciutadella de Menorca
4.7
Lots to do and friendly locals. We had so much fun here. Will definitely come back.
Cadiz
4.7
A pleasant stop over to shelter from the high winds for a few days. Interesting and pretty town worth a visit.
La Manga Dos Mares Marina
4.2
Brad at the yacht services was very helpful. The water in the inner sea is a bit murky.
Cartagena
5.0
A wonderful marina and a super interesting town with something going on all the time, a great place to stay for a week or more and explore.
Lanzarote Island
4.5
A very windy desert/moon like landscape with wide sandy beaches and a large national park around the volcano.
Forecast
Open Windy
Top facilities
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1 . Endeavour Sailing |
2 . Lava Charter |
3 . Canary Sail |
4 . Canary Sail |
5 . Yachting Soto Grande |
6 . Menorca Cruising |
Top Marinas, Harbours and Anchorages
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4 . Duquesa Marina |
5 . Puerto De Almerimar Marina |
6 . Molla Kirol Marina |
7 . La Concha Bay |
8 . Donostia San-Sebastian Marina |
9 . Ria de Orio Marina |
10 . Getaria Marina |
11 . Marina Urola Marina |
12 . Mutriku Marina |
13 . Lekeitio Harbour |
14 . Elantxobe Harbour |
15 . Bermeo Marina |
16 . Getxo Marina |
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18 . Las Arenas Marina |
19 . Castro-Urdiales Harbour |
20 . Laredo Marina |
21 . Santona Marina |
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23 . Darsena de Molnedo Marina |
24 . Santander Marina |
25 . Pedrena Marina |
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27 . Ribadesella Marina |
28 . Lastres Harbour |
29 . Gijon Marina |
30 . Marina Yates Marina |
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Top Towns
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1 . Cala'n Porter
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2 . Fuenterrabia/Hondarribia |
3 . Cartagena |
4 . Soller
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5 . San Sebastian/Donostia |
6 . Bayona/Baiona |
7 . Cadiz |
8 . Ciutadella de Menorca
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9 . San Javier |
10 . Palma
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11 . Cadaques |
12 . La Savina
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13 . A Coruna |
14 . Badalona |
15 . Alcudia
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16 . Ibiza
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17 . Errenteria |
18 . Pasaia/Pasajes |
19 . Orio |
20 . Zarautz |
21 . Getaria/Guetaria |
22 . Zumaia/Zumaya |
23 . Mutriku |
24 . Ondarroa |
25 . Lekeitio/Lequeitio |
26 . Elantxobe/Elanchove |
27 . Bermeo |
28 . Plentzia |
29 . Bilbao |
30 . Castro-Urdiales |
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