GEOGRAPHY. 51 



of the Minho, we find the mountain terrace of the Paranneras. The 

 principal mountain in the interior is the Sierra de Guadarama, separating 

 the Duero from the Tagus, to which are joined on the west, the Sierras de 

 Gredos, de Bajar, and de Gata : to the east, the Sierras de Ayllon, de 

 Solorio, de Cuen^a, de MoHna, and de Albarracin. Between the Tagus and 

 Guadiana are situated the mountains of Toledo, the Sierras de Guadalupe, 

 de San Mamed, &:c. The Sierra Morena forms the water-shed between 

 the Guadiana and Guadalquiver, in conjunction with the Sierras de Aroche, 

 de Almaden, de Alcaraz, de Constantina, Sagra, &c. Lastly, in the southern 

 parts of Spain exist the loftiest mountains in the whole country, the Sierra 

 Nevada or the mountains of Granada. Particular portions of the Sierra 

 Nevada are : in the west. Sierras de Ronda, de Malaga, de Almijaras ; in 

 the east, the Alpujarras, the Sierras del Rallo, de Filabres, de Cabrera, de 

 Aljamilla, (fee. 



Spain possesses six principal rivers, of which five empty into the Atlantic, 

 and one into the Mediterranean. This latter is the Ebro, which rises in 

 the Cantabrian Mountains, is navigable to Tudela, and empties into the sea 

 below Tortosa. Tributaries, Aragon, Xalon, Gallegro, Segre. The 

 Atlantic streams are: 1. The Mifio (Portuguese Minho), which, like the 

 last, rises in the Cantabrian Mountains, and in the lower part of its course 

 forms the boundary between Spain and Portugal. 2. The Duero (Portu- 

 guese Douro) rises in the Castilian range, and flows through Portugal to the 

 ocean. Tributaries, Pisuerga, Esla, Tormes. 3. The Guadiana comes 

 from the Sierra de Albarracin, and empties into the ocean at Lisbon. 

 Tributaries, Xarama, Alagon. 4. The Guadiana rises in the Sierra d'Al- 

 caraz, has its course partly in Portugal, and is not navigable. Tributary, 

 Giquela. 5. The Guadalquiver rises in the Sierra Sagra, and is navigable 

 to Cordova. Tributaries, Guadalimar and Xenil. 



The climate of Spain is as unequal as its elevation above the sea ; rude 

 in Galacia, mild in Valencia and Murcia, and oppressively hot in Andalusia 

 and Granada. The principal exports are wines, raisins, grapes, oranges, 

 figs, almonds, and oil. The usual grains are wheat, rice, Indian corn, and 

 barley. Sheep and horses are raised in large numbers, mules and goats are 

 abundant. The silkworm is much cultivated in the south. The most 

 important metals are silver, mercury, lead, and iron : there are also stone 

 coal, salt, alum, vitriol, saltpetre, marble, and alabaster. 



The inhabitants amounted, in 1836, to 12,386,841, at present the number 

 is about 14,000,000. The interior provinces are much less thickly inhabited 

 than the northern. The population is distributed among 16,990 towns, 

 villages, and hamlets, forming 18,871 parishes. The Spaniards are a 

 mixture of aborigines, Romans, Phoenicians, West-Goths, Arabians, Vandals, 

 <fec. There are also over 500,000 Basques in the north-east, about 60,000 

 Moriscoes in the south, and above 40,000 Zigeuni. The principal language 

 is the Spanish, a branch of the Romanic ; of its dialects, the Castilian is 

 used in writing. The Basques have a very peculiar language of their own. 

 Prevailing religion the Roman Catholic. 



Form of Government. The kingdom of Spain is ruled by a line of the 



51 



