Spain is the most reassuring shape in Europe: a big, nearly square box hanging off the bottom of France. Players relax, draw a clean square, and then remember — too late — the Balearic Islands bobbing in the Mediterranean.
The shape at a glance
Spain is a near-square mass, only slightly wider than tall, occupying most of the Iberian peninsula at Europe's southwestern corner. The top edge is the Pyrenees wall against France, running short and straight, while the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts make up the other three sides. The Balearic Islands — Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza — trail off the east coast in a loose line.
Step by step
- Draw a near-square box, just a touch wider than tall, at the bottom of France.
- Make the top edge short and straight — the Pyrenees border, tucked into the northeast corner of the peninsula.
- Drop the west coast down along Portugal, slightly concave where the two countries share their long border.
- Curve the south coast gently, dipping toward Gibraltar at the bottom corner.
- Run the Mediterranean east coast up with a slight bulge around Valencia.
- Trail the Balearic Islands off the east coast — three or four dots in a diagonal line, Mallorca biggest.
Mistakes that cost you points
- Absorbing Portugal — the western strip is a separate country with its own straight coast.
- Rounding the square into a blob; Spain's boxiness is its identity.
- Forgetting the Balearic Islands entirely, which sit surprisingly far from the coast.
- Making the Pyrenees border long when it's a short edge confined to the northeast.
Place it on the map
Spain fills most of the Iberian peninsula, walled off from France by the Pyrenees, with Portugal as its smaller neighbor along the west and Morocco just across the Strait of Gibraltar. It's Europe's southwestern corner.
Pro tip: Leave a clean bite for Portugal on the west edge — that shared border is long, straight and slightly angled, and keeping the notch honest sharpens both countries' scores at once. Then drop the Balearics deliberately; forgotten islands are pure lost points.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do you draw Spain from memory?
- Start with the overall box — is Spain wider than tall or the reverse — then place its signature feature first and build the rest of the outline around it. Finish with the coastline details, then compare against the real border in a free practice round to get a 0-100 score.
- How hard is it to draw Spain?
- Spain rates as easy difficulty. A famously boxy silhouette with few tricks — the main risks are rounding off the corners and forgetting the Balearic Islands.