The city of
Santander is located in the self-governed region of Cantabria, which lies on
the northern coast of Spain between Asturias and the Basque Country. Its climate is very mild and the whole region offers the varied landscape and weather features typical of this fringe of green land so different from the rest of Spain.
Cantabria is a one-province region that is an excellent place to learn Spanish because this is the only official language spoken here. It also stands out because of the great diversity of its environment. The coastal landscape of beaches, bays and cliffs blends together with valleys and highland areas, such as the mountain range of The Picos de Europa, situated in the western area. Several short but fast-flowing rivers cross the region, forming valleys perpendicular to the Bay of Biscay.
The weather in Cantabria is very mild and rainy throughout the year (the average temperature in August is approximately 19 C° and in December 9.5 C°). This humid, mild weather gives the region a rich and varied nature with plenty of woods and meadows.
The surrounding nature and the historical importance of many of its villages and buildings make this region very appealing for tourism, especially during the summer season. From the historical point of view, the region preserves important remains. Examples from the Prehistoric Era (the Altamira and Puente Viesgo Caves), Roman ruins such as those of Julióbriga, medieval settlements, such as Santillana del Mar and several examples of the civil and religious architecture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (The Palaces of Elsedo, Soñanes and Rañada, among others).
