Doñana National Park, Spain
37.0N 6.4W
June 6th, 2009
Category: Snapshots
Doñana National Park, Spain - May 30th, 2009
The Spanish land along the Gulf of Cádiz sports a varid terrain. Of particular interest is the tan, sandy area along the coast, which is part of the Doñana National Park and wildlife refuge.
Doñana National Park is located in Andalusia, in the provinces of Huelva and Seville, and covers 543 km², of which 135 km² are a protected area. The park is an area of marsh, shallow streams, and sand dunes in Las Marismas, the Guadalquivir River Delta region where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
The original area was established in 1963 when the World Wildlife Fund joined with the Spanish government and purchased a section of marshes to protect it from the constant threat of draining the marshes, using the river water to boost agricultural production by irrigating land along the coast, and expanding tourist facilities.
Such drained marshes and agricultural lands are visible above the park, around the tan line of the Guadalquivir River. The light green areas are used for agriculture, while the bright green and greyish tan patches are salt flats from which salt is extracted for commercial purposes.
Tags: Andalusia Doñana National Park Guadalquivir River Guadalquivir River Delta Gulf of Cádiz Huelva Las Marismas Salt Flats Seville Spain |
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
| 
| Leave a response, or trackback
January 16th, 2010 at 11:02 am
[...] The Guadalquivir is the second longest river in Spain (fifth after the Tagus, Ebro, Duero and Guadiana), and the longest in Andalusia. The Guadalquivir is 657 kilometers long and drains an area of about 58,000 square kilometers. It begins at Cañada de las Fuentes in the Cazorla mountain range (Jaén), passes through Córdoba and Seville and ends at the fishing village of Bonanza, in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, flowing into the Gulf of Cádiz, in the Atlantic Ocean. The marshy lowlands at the river’s end are known as “Las Marismas”. It borders Doñana National Park reserve. [...]