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In order to present Spain, Elisée Reclus studies the historical weaknesses of the state as well as the ferments of a national union. His analysis of the contemporary geographical phenomena leads him to raise hypotheses on the future evolution of the country, as a whole but also the evolution of each region. For his descriptions he relates to the extremely varying phenomena, from the physical geography to the representations that the populations have of themselves and of Spain, including languages and landed property. He also considers the influence of various actors, and mainly the Church. His reflection privileges the long periods needed to set up contemporary structures. He does not approach the political conjuncture of the country at the time he passes through it, but tries togive historical and geographical keys to foresee the future evolution of the Spanish state.