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Spain is one of the world's most popular holiday destinations, with great beaches, many cultural regions and historic cities.
Spain has a mild climate during the whole year, and the extensive sandy beaches by the Mediterranean as well as of its two archipelagos (the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands) have been attracting tourists from the cold territories of North Europe for decades.
Among the most popular Spanish holiday destinations are the Costa Brava in northeastern Spain, it is located in the autonomous community of Catalonia, where the city of Barcelona also is found; Costa Blanca, further down the eastern coast is another popular Spanish holiday destination, with cities like Valencia, Benidorm and Alicante. To the south is found Costa del Sol , maybe the best Spanish beach destination, and with cities like Malaga and Marbella, on the west coast is Costa de la Luz and to the north Costa Verde.
Spain is a popular tourist destination of cultural tourism due to its historical importance, especially cities like Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Toledo. Spain is the country with most World Heritage sites designated by UNESCO along with Italy, each with 42 sites. Cultural tourism contemplates the two big metropolis of Spain: Madrid, the capital city, and Barcelona, both with great historical importance. In addition, there are other important cultural places in Spain, including several cities in northern Spain.
Spain is also a destination for winter tourism. Spain is the second most mountainous country of Europe, and is full of high mountains and good ski resorts, with famous slopes all over Spain. The two main areas for skiing in Spain are the Pyrenees on the border with France, and Sierra Nevada in southern Spain. Among other areas are the Cordillera Central and Sistema Ibrico.
Apart from mountains, Spain also has plains. The largest plain is the Meseta Central, with a 'Castilian' landscape, full of prairies. There are also several wetlands with ecologic value, including the Picos de Europa National Park, the Donana National Park, the Albufera of Valencia, the Lago de Sanabria, the Lagunas de Ruidera and the Tablas de Daimiel National Park. North Spain is usually called the Green Spain because of its lush landscape, due to wet and rainy weather. The Canary Islands have an exotic volcanic landscape, including the Teide volcano, the highest peak of Spain.
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