N-340
Encyclopedia
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is over 1,000 km long starting south of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and running predominantly along the coast to Chiclana de la Frontera and the N-IV
N-IV
The N-IV is a major highway in Spain. It connects Madrid to Cádiz. It has generally been up-graded or replaced by the Autovía A-4. It passes via Valdepenas, Córdoba, Ecija, Seville and Jerez de la Frontera.It forms part of European route E-5....
to Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
. In many places the road has now been by-passed by the Autovía A-7
Autovía A-7
The Autovía A-7 is a Spanish autovía which starts in La Jonquera, near the French frontier and ends in Algeciras....
and Autopista AP-7
Autopista AP-7
The Autopista AP-7 is a Spanish autopista . It is a toll motorway that runs along the Mediterranean coast of Spain.AP-7 has two different sections :...
.
It follows the former Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
Via Augusta
Via Augusta
Via Augusta was a Roman road crossing all the Hispania Province, from Cádiz in the southern tip of current Spain, to the Coll de Panissars, where it crossed the Pyrenees close to the Mediterranean Sea, and joined the Via Domitia...
, that was one of the main roads of Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
. The N-340 route passes under the Arc de Berà
Arc de Berà
The Arc de Berà is a triumphal arch some 20 km north of the city of Tarragona, Spain, close to Roda de Barà. It stands on the line of what was the Via Augusta, now the N-340 road.Its name derives from the count Berà...
, a Roman arch.
The road starts at the Passeig de Josep Carner in Barcelona. It follows the Avinguda del Parallel, Plaça d'Espanya, Carrer de Sants and Carretera de Collblanc before becoming the Carretera de Cadiz a Barcelona and heading through a series of suburbs and industrial areas.
The road crosses the Llobregat
Llobregat
The Llobregat is the second longest river in Catalonia, Spain. It originates in Castellar de n'Hug at an altitude of 1,259 meters in the Serra del Cadí, and ends in the Mediterranean Sea, in the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat, near Barcelona...
valley with a junction with the Autovía A-2
Autovía A-2
The Autovía A-2 is a Spanish autovía and autopista route which starts in Madrid and ends in Barcelona. It replaces the former N-II.- Sections :- Major cities crossed:*Madrid*Guadalajara*Zaragoza*Fraga*Lleida...
and Autovía B-24
Autovia B-24
The Autovia B-24 is a highway in Spain. The road connects Barcelona to the towns of Penedès.It starts at a junction with the Autovía A-2 south of the City centre. The road is under construction and will form an upgrade of the start of the N-340....
, it heads through the Garraf Massif
Garraf Massif
The Garraf Massif is a mountain range of the Catalan Coastal Range, Catalonia, Spain. Its cliffs reach the Mediterranean waters. Its highest point on the coastal side is La Morella, 593 metres above sea level and further inland rises the higher, although less conspicuous, Montau .The Garraf Massif...
to Vilafranca del Penedès
Vilafranca del Penedès
Vilafranca del Penedès, or simply Vilafranca, is the capital of the comarca of the Alt Penedès in Catalonia, Spain. The Spanish spelling of the name, Villafranca del Penedés, is no longer in official use...
. It then heads along the coast to Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
, then to the River Ebro delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
and on to Peníscola
Peñíscola
Peníscola or Peñíscola is a municipality in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. The town is located on the Costa del Azahar, north of the Serra d'Irta along the Mediterranean coast...
. Then it passes through Castellón de la Plana
Castellón de la Plana
Castellón de la Plana or Castelló de la Plana is the capital city of the province of Castelló, in the Valencian Community, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea...
after which much of the road has been superseded by the Autovía CV-10 and Autovía V-21 to Valencia.
South of Valencia the road is the Autovía V-31 before becoming the N-340 after junction 536 km of the A-7. The road then heads inland with a junction with the Autovía A-35
Autovía A-35
The Autovía A-35 is a highway in the province of Valencia, Spain.It connects Xàtiva and the N-340/ CV-40 to Almansa and the N-330 otherwise known as the Autovía de Levante....
before crossing the Sierra de Benicadell through Alcoy
Alcoy
Alcoy may stand for:* Alcoy, Spain , a municipality in the province of Alicante, Spain* Alcoy, Cebu, province of Cebu, Philippines....
. The road then branches off along the Rio Torremanzanas towards Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
. Through traffic now takes the Autovía A-36. The N-340 then passes through Elche and Murcia
Murcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
, where the road is at parts dangerous. after which the road is downgraded and joins the A-7 for several stretches. It goes through Lorca
Lorca
Lorca is a municipality and town in the autonomous community of Murcia in southeastern Spain, 36 miles southwest of the city of Murcia. It had a population of 92,694 in 2010, up from the 2001 census total of 77,477. Lorca is the municipality with the second-largest surface area in Spain with...
.
At junction 516 km the road branches in two with the N-340A heading west to Tabernas
Tabernas
- Cinema :The Desert Tabernas, because of its similarities with the North American deserts like the Far West of the American West, northern Africa, the Arabian deserts, and its lunar landscape, served from 1950s and onwards for the shooting of many films and westerns making the area famous around...
and the Autovía A-92
Autovía A-92
The Autovía A-92 is a highway in Andalusia, Spain. It is a major east–west route running north of the Sierra Nevada and is known as the Carretera Sevilla a Granada and Autovía de Andalucia....
. The main N-340 becomes the A-7
Autopista AP-7
The Autopista AP-7 is a Spanish autopista . It is a toll motorway that runs along the Mediterranean coast of Spain.AP-7 has two different sections :...
past Almería
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
until Adra where the Autopista is under construction. The N-340 passes along the coast past Motril
Motril
Motril is a town and municipality on the Mediterranean coast in the province of Granada, Spain.Motril is the second largest town in the province, with a population of 59,163 as of 2008...
, Nerja
Nerja
Nerja is a municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga, Andalusia, southern Spain. It is on the country's southern Mediterranean coast, about 50 km east of Málaga.-History:...
where the A-7 begins again. After Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
the road heads through Torremolinos
Torremolinos
Torremolinos is a municipality on the Costa del Sol of the Mediterranean, immediately to the west of the city of Málaga, in the province of Málaga in the autonomous region of Andalusia in southern Spain...
and Fuengirola
Fuengirola
Fuengirola, in ancient times known as Suel and then Suhayl, is a large town and municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga, autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is a major tourist resort, with more than 8 km of beaches, and home to a mediæval Moorish fortress...
before becoming the A-7 again. The N-340 re-emerges at Marbella
Marbella
Marbella is a town in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Málaga, beneath the La Concha mountain. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234, in 2010 approximately 135,000....
and Puerto Banús
Puerto Banús
Puerto José Banús, more commonly known as Puerto Banús is a marina located in the area of Nueva Andalucía, to the southwest of Marbella, Spain on the Costa del Sol. It was built in May 1970 by José Banús, a local property developer, as a luxury marina and shopping complex for the rich and famous...
and follows the coast south to Estepona
Estepona
Estepona is a town and municipality in the region of the Costa del Sol, southern Spain. It is located in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. Estepona is renowned for its beaches, which stretch along some 21 km of coastline...
where it joins the A-7 again to Algeciras
Algeciras
Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
past Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. The Autovía A-381
Autovía A-381
The Autovía A-381 is a highway in Andalucia, Spain.It connects Algeciras with Jerez de la Frontera taking a spectacular route through the Parque Natural de los Alcornocales.-External links:**...
takes most traffic west to Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...
through the Sierra Blanquilla.
The N-340 passes Tarifa
Tarifa
Tarifa is a small town in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, on the southernmost coast of Spain. The town is located on the Costa de la Luz and across the Straits of Gibraltar facing Morocco. The municipality includes Punta de Tarifa, the southernmost point in continental Europe. There are five...
past the Punta Marroquí o de Tarifa. It then passes Vejer de la Frontera
Vejer de la Frontera
- Gallery :-External links:* * * * http://www.360cities.net/image/vejerplaza...
and ends at Chiclana de la Frontera
Chiclana de la Frontera
Chiclana de la Frontera is a town in southwestern Spain, in the province of Cádiz, near the Gulf of Cadiz. The area is a fertile region, with much agriculture, including vineyards...
and the N-IV
N-IV
The N-IV is a major highway in Spain. It connects Madrid to Cádiz. It has generally been up-graded or replaced by the Autovía A-4. It passes via Valdepenas, Córdoba, Ecija, Seville and Jerez de la Frontera.It forms part of European route E-5....
. The last section is being upgraded to the Autovía A-48
Autovía A-48
The Autovía A-48 is a highway in Andalucia, Spain.It follows the route of the N-340 around the southern tip of Spain it is currently under construction....
.
See also
- Autovía del Mediterráneo
- Autopista del Mediterráneo
- Autovía Costa de la Luz
- N-232 road (Spain)