From north to south and from east to west, the Spanish geography is full of corners worth visiting. It would be difficult to choose any one, since they all have peculiarities that make them unique, but only some have extremes that take them to unattainable heights. These places are not only important for their geographical location, but also for breaking with the oldest myths, for offering an almost virgin landscape where the hand of man has not yet reached, or for containing a story that one day placed them in a privileged place on the maps.
1. Stake of Bares, in La Coruña
Its coordinates reveal it as the northernmost point of the Peninsula, as well as being the dividing line between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea. With a strategic position, the cape of Estaca de Bares was declared a Natural Site of National Interest during the Second Republic. However, if more is specified, the northernmost point of Spain is located on a plateau called Ventueiro, on a mound whose prolongation forms the cape. And, right at the end, you can see the Estaquín de Sigüelos, the last of the islets that protrude from the sea.
Due to its location, in Estaca de Bares there is also the northernmost lighthouse in Spain and a viewpoint in the old traffic light of the Marina, now converted into a hotel and from which you can see the remains of an old maritime control base. In addition, the enclave is one of the best bird-watching points in all of Europe, being a transit area for various migratory routes of marine and terrestrial species from the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Arctic.
2. Punta de Tarifa, in the province of Cadiz
Punta de Tarifa, also known as Punta Marroquí, is a cape located at the southwestern end of the Isla de las Palomas or Tarifa Island and constitutes the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula and also of continental Europe. In addition, it is the geographical dividing line between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, located right in front of the urban area of Tarifa. The highest point of the island rises on the tip, and the lighthouse is built there.
3. Punta Restinga, on the island of El Hierro
On a national scale, the southernmost point located is Punta Restinga, located in front of the fishing pier of the town that gives it its name, at the southern end of the island of El Hierro. Of volcanic origin, its relief is extremely varied, so you can find cliffs, cliffs, sandy platforms or caves at depths of more than 300 meters, which, in turn, makes this place one of the best for practicing scuba diving On the other hand, you can find large groupers, stingrays or trumpet fish, a whole variety that has made it a Marine Reserve of Fishing Interest since 1996.
4. Cabo Touriñán, the westernmost in Spain
Back in Galicia, here is the westernmost point of mainland Spain. Curiously, it is not Finisterre, as the Romans believed, who placed the end of the world at this point, the one where the ships disappeared on the horizon. This is Cabo Touriñán, an inhospitable geographical feature in a place of extreme weather and great storms, which over the years have made it an involuntary witness to countless tragic shipwrecks on the Costa da Morte. In fact, only in summer, coinciding with low tide, you can see the work of the barnacles, who risk their lives in search of the precious shellfish.
Within it, is the island known as Herboso Island, do Castillo or A Insúa, where there are various archaeological remains. Visitors will also be able to find an 11 meter high lighthouse that was built in 1981 to replace an older one, created in 1898 and whose facilities are still standing.
5. Punta de la Orchilla, ancient zero meridian
Looking at the entire national territory, the westernmost Spanish point is what, until the 19th century, was considered the zero meridian, Punta de la Orchilla, located on the island of El Hierro. Before the discovery of America and when the earth was still thought to be flat, the Canary Island was considered the westernmost island in the world. In this way, in the 2nd century, Claudio Ptolemy took it as a reference to make it the zero meridian, and it remained so, until in 1884 it was moved to the Greenwich meridian.
Currently, a lighthouse stands on the imaginary line that one day located the Canary Island at the westernmost end of the entire planet.
6. Masa de Oro Island, in Cabo de Creus
The first ray of sun that reaches the Iberian Peninsula enters through the island of Masa de Oro, which is why it constitutes the easternmost point of the peninsula.
The fishermen call it that because at dawn it shines like a jet of oil and the fishing in its waters is abundant. It is protected within the Cabo de Creus Natural Park, the first maritime-terrestrial park in all of Spain.
7. Cabo del Esperó, on the island of Menorca
In Spain as a whole, the compass indicates that the eastern end is located at the Fortaleza de la Mola (Cabo del Esperó), at the entrance to the port of Mahón, in Menorca. This site was built in the 19th century, opposite the Castillo de San Felipe, to defend the port against British and French attacks.
8. The peninsular center of discrepancy
As for the location of the peninsular center, there are many more disputes. Geographically and historically it has been attributed to Cerro de los Ángeles, located in the Madrid municipality of Getafe. Its origin dates back to the time of the Muslims, who considered it the geometric center. For centuries, this place has been very important for the different kingdoms and governments that have existed in the country. Thus, Alfonso VI erected a hermitage on its peak and, in the 20th century, Alfonso XIII inaugurated the statue of the Sacred Heart. In addition, due to its strategic position, it was a place hotly contested by the Republican and national sides during the Spanish Civil War. In 1965, Franco inaugurated the monument that currently stands on the hill.
But not everyone agrees. The municipality of Pinto, in the Community of Madrid, also claims this reference. Its place name comes from punctum (point), because the place was also the central space of the Peninsula for the Arabs. Until the 1960s, in the place considered the center there was a large circular stone with a cross in the middle, known as La Exacta. This made reference to a legend that ensures that an ark was buried under it in which the founders of the city kept the instruments with which they calculated the center of the peninsula.
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