| Spanish territory, including the Canary and Balearic Islands, is approximately the size of Arizona and Utah combined. Its geographic location and natural surroundings have helped shape the culture of the nation. The success of the Basques, for example, in maintaining a separate culture than the rest of the country has doubtless been aided by the mountainous geography of their region. Several separate parts of Spain have strong maritime traditions, including inland ports on rivers. Sevilla, for example, was a major inland port until the Guadalquivir River filled with silt. The warm Mediterranean beaches have been a prime tourist destination for northern Europeans seeking winter reprieve. The country’s terrain consists of high plateaus in the central regions, lowland areas in the coastal plains, and the Pyrenees and Pico de Europa mountains of the north and Sierra Nevada in the south. The climate varies by area but generally the summers are hot in the interior and more moderate and cloudy along the coast; winters are cold in the interior and partly cloudy and cool along the coast. The generally warm and relatively dry summers have led to a culture in which a lot of life is lived outdoors, whether on a patio in the courtyard of a building or on a public plaza. In the Mediterranean areas (and in the Canary Islands), outdoor meals can be a nearly year-round phenomenon |