About Spain
Spain, a country on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula, includes 17 autonomous regions with diverse geography and cultures. Capital city Madrid is home to the Royal Palace and Prado museum, housing works by European masters. Segovia has a medieval castle (the Alcázar) and an intact Roman aqueduct. Catalonia’s capital, Barcelona, is defined by Antoni Gaudí’s whimsical modernist landmarks like the Sagrada Família church.
The Kingdom of Spain is a European state in southwestern Europe, with archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. It has common borders with France, Andorra, Portugal and Morocco.
Madrid is the capital of Spain, and its largest city. Spanish is the official language spoken by more than 400 million people in Latin America.
Spain's population number is 46,030,109 (2010 estimate) and it occupies an area of 504,030 km2. Spain is the second largest country by population in Western Europe following France, and the fourth largest country in the European continent following Russia, Ukraine, and France. Spain's average height is 650 m above sea level, which makes it the fifth biggest mountainous country in Europe following Switzerland, Austria, Andorra and Liechtenstein.
Spain includes most of the Iberian Peninsula Spain, the Balearic Islands, south of the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands, and north of the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa.
Spain is a member of the United Nations, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Trade Organization.
Climate
Spain has a varied climate due to its geographical situation. It can be divided into four main climatic zones: Continental, Mediterranean, Oceanic and Subtropical climate.
Economy
Spain has witnessed a rapid economic growth since the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 that became famous as the "Spanish Miracle“. Tourism, industry and agriculture became the main pillars of the country’s economy. However, with the beginning of the global financial crisis in 2008, the government undertook austerity measures to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors which led to a staggering 22% unemployment rate in 2015, one of the highest in Europe.
Nonetheless, Spain has started to show signs of recovery since 2014. According to the European Commission 2016 country profile report, Spain is currently considered the fourth largest economy in the euro area, accounting for some 10 % of its overall GDP.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report for 2014/2015 ranked Spain 33rd out of 140 countries. Spain’s competitiveness performance is boosted by the large market available to its national companies, strong technological adoption and first-class infrastructure. Spain also ranked 32nd on the Global Finance magazine's 2016 list of The Richest Countries in the World based on GDP.
Religions
Christianity
76 %
No Religion
19 %
Islam
2.3 %
Judaism
0.1 %
Other religions
1.7 %
Even though the second chapter of the Spanish constitution states that the state has no religion, Roman Catholicism is the main religion in the country. Around 76% of the Spanish population is a Catholic Christian. While around 19% don't follow any religion.
The wave of Muslim immigration has increased. The number of Muslims reached around 1 million.
Education
Spain has a great verity of public and private universities, some of which are considered among the oldest in the world. For example: The famous UA university (Universidad Autónoma) in Barcelona and Madrid which are considered two of the best and most famous Spanish universities. The UA University of Madrid has one of the most important Arab studies departments in Spain. The Complutense University, the biggest in Spain and one of the oldest in the world, teaches scientific disciplines.
Sport
Spanish people are fond of all types of sports and Spain is an accomplished country in this aspect as it won several world championships. Football is the most popular sport in Spain; the Spanish tournament is considered one of the best football tournaments in the world. Among the most prominent football teams are the Barcelona, Real Madrid, Seville, Valencia and Atletico de Madrid. It is worth mentioning that Real Madrid won the European Cup 11 times. In 2010, Spain won the World Cup after winning the European Cup two times in a row in 2008 and 2010.
Spain is also interested in other sports as well, and boasts distinguished players, such as Tennis, Bicycle and Formula races.
GEOGRAPHY
Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula, stretching south from the Pyrenees Mountains to the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Spain from Africa. To the east lies the Mediterranean Sea, including Spain's Balearic Islands. Spain also rules two cities in North Africa and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic.
The interior of Spain is a high, dry plateau surrounded and crisscrossed by mountain ranges. Rivers run to the coasts, creating good farmland. Still, the interior of the country gets very hot in summer and very cold and dry in the winter. Droughts are common.
Plants and trees grow so well on the northwestern coast, in Galicia and along the Bay of Biscay, that the area is called Green Spain. Rain, trapped by the mountains farther inland, is frequent. Beech and oak trees flourish here. Numerous coves and inlets break up the coastline.
The southern and eastern coasts of Spain, from the fertile Andalusian plain up to the Pyrenees, are often swept by warm winds called sirocco winds. These winds originate in northern Africa and keep temperatures along the Mediterranean coast milder than the interior.
PEOPLE & CULTURE
Many Spaniards share a common ethnic background: a mixture of the early inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula, the Celts, and later conquerors from Europe and Africa. The origins of the Basque people in the north of Spain remain unknown. Recent immigrants from North Africa and Latin America have added to the mix.
Spaniards are known for their love of life and for eating and drinking with family and friends. Traditional appetizers like tapas or pintxos, the Basque country equivalent, are popular. Regional dances and music are almost as important as soccer and religious festivals.
NATURE
A link between Europe and Africa, Spain is an important resting spot for migratory birds. Spain is also home to such mammals as the wolf, lynx, wildcat, fox, wild boar, deer, hare, and wild goat. Streams and lakes shelter trout, barbel, and tench fish. But many species of wildlife face threats from habitat loss and pollution.
Due to centuries of tree cutting, large forests are now found only in the north Pyrenees and the Asturias-Galicia area. Planting new trees is difficult where sheep and goats graze. Erosion and river pollution are also problems. Spain has created many national parks and refuges, but they only cover about 7 percent of the country.
One protected area is Doñana National Park, a region of marshes, streams, and sand dunes where the Guadalquivir River flows into the Atlantic. The park's diversity of life is unique in Europe and includes the European badger, Egyptian mongoose, and endangered species such as the Spanish imperial eagle and the Iberian lynx.
GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY
In Spain, which is a parliamentary monarchy, the king and the elected president share the power. Although there is a national parliament, Spain is one of the most decentralized democracies in Europe. Each of its 17 regions manages its own schools, hospitals, and other public services.
With vibrant, historic cities and sunny beaches, Spain attracts more tourists than any other European country except France. Services to the tourism industry drive Spain's economy, the eighth largest in the world. In 1986 Spain joined the European Community and further modernized its economy. Important industries include mining, shipbuilding, and textiles.
HISTORY
Settlers have migrated to Spain from Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean since the dawn of history. The Phoenicians, who came in the 8th century B.C., called the peninsula "Span," or hidden land. By the first century B.C. the Romans had conquered Spain.
Spain became mostly Christian under the Romans, who were followed by the Vandals and the Visigoths, Germanic peoples from Europe. The Visigoth rulers fought among themselves, and in A.D. 711 Muslims from Africa invaded Spain.
Islamic culture spread across Spain as Muslim rulers introduced new crops and irrigation systems, and trading increased. Mathematics, medicine, and philosophy became more advanced, peaking in the tenth century—the golden age of Islamic rule in Spain.
In 1492 Christian kingdoms in northern Spain conquered the Muslims and spread the Catholic religion. Enriched by silver from the Americas, Spain grew more powerful. It later lost land and power in the Napoleonic Wars, which ended in 1815.
More than 500,000 people died in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. The victorious Gen. Francisco Franco ruled as a brutal dictator until his death in 1975. Soon after, Spain began to transform itself into a modern, industrial, and democratic European nation.