Spain is a member of the European Union. Its capital city is Madrid. Spain occupies most of the Iberian peninsula and the archipelagos of the Balearic Islands in the Western Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands.

Spain has an area of 504,645 km  .With an average altitude of 650 meters above sea level. Spain is a nation organized territorially into 17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities.

The peninsula shares land borders with France and the Principality of Andorra in the north, west with Portugal and the British territory of Gibraltar in the south. In its African territories, it shares land and sea borders with Morocco.

Etymology

The name of Spain comes from Hispania term that is derived from the name Iberia. The Romans interpreted the “i” as “coast”, “island” or “land”, and also has the meaning of “region.” The “spn”, which in Hebrew can be read as Sapho, was translated as “rabbits”. The Romans, therefore, gave Spain the meaning of “land rich in rabbits.

Weather

Spain’s climate is very diverse throughout its territory. The Mediterranean weather is in almost the whole geography. The south coasts of  and Mediterranean climate have called Mediterranean coast which also owns the Valle del Guadalquivir: mild temperatures, abundant rainfall almost all year round except in summer.

The mountain climate can be seen in high altitudes, Cantabrian Mountains, Pyrenees, the high points of the Iberian Central System and in the Cordilleras B ticas, as well as in high altitudes in the Canary Islands, where there the temperatures are low (cold or very cold winters) and generally abundant rainfall.

Arid or semiarid climates are found at certain points as Almer a (Tabernas desert ) or the Cape of Gata (where there rains are less than 200 mm annually), Granada, Murcia, Alicante and Ebro valley where the foehn effect is the main cause of such low rainfall.

The subtropical weather is typical of the Canary Islands, with warm temperatures throughout the year and little precipitation (most abundant in the Western Isles). However, this climate is also found in the southern coasts of Spain (Malaga, Granada, Almer a), where temperatures are relatively mild throughout the year, although the rainfall is more abundant than in the Canaries.

Languages

According to the Spanish Constitution, Castilian or Spanish is the official state language and is the common language of all Spaniards. The estimated number of speakers around the world ranges from 450 to 500 million people. Spain also has other languages: Catalan, Aragon, Galician, Basque, Occitan.

Economy

Spain is currently the eighth largest economy worldwide and has become the seventh, as the nominal GDP. Spain is an agricultural country, but since the mid-1950s industrial growth has soon reached a greater weight than agriculture in the economy.

Agriculture

The main crops are wheat, barley, sugar beet, corn, potatoes, rye, oats, rice, tomatoes and onions. The country also has vast vineyards, citrus orchards and olive groves.

Topographic and climatic conditions make the rain-fed agriculture required,  in which no provision of water is made by man, using only the rainfall water. The olive oil from the make the rain-fed agriculture has higher quality than those coming from irrigation.

Some unirrigated crops typical from Spain include: wheat, barley, rye, sunflowers, chickpeas, peas, beans, almond, apricot, olive, carob. vine, onions, melons and tomatoes.

Tourism

Spain is a tourist country, millions of tourists coming every year are attracted by its beaches, the rich artistic heritage of the country and the variety of the culinary offer, as well as being one of the most beautiful and cultural country of the world and for its wide variety of destinations.

Tourism is one of the mainstays of the Spanish economy. In previous decades Spain was promoted almost exclusively by the sun and beach tourism, which contributed (and) a very sunny and warm climate, much more than other European countries. Temperatures in summer vary between 20 to 40 degrees or more, and many regions have more than 300 days of sunshine a year, with usually dry summers.

Many coastal towns, for example Javea, Alicante and others, have plenty of hotels, restaurants and apartments by the beach.

The north of Spain’s climate is cold and wet. Many Spaniards and foreigners are attracted to the Camino de Santiago or the festival of San Fermin. There are many cliffs, but also remote and quiet beaches. Rural tourism in these regions is an alternative to the main tourist attractions of southern Spain (sun and beach). The main cause of tourism in the north is the beauty of the landscapes and the rich and varied cuisine.

More information about tourism in spain you will find at the spanish site Directorioespanol.es

Gastronomy

Spanish cuisine is wide and diverse, with typical dishes such as paella, cocido madrile o, Iberian ham, the marshes and sea products and Galician tapas. Olive oil, of which Spain is the first producing country in the world, and it is used in a variety of dishes and is very popular in other countries.

Foreign tourism

Spain is the second country in the world that receives more foreign tourists, according to the World Tourism Organization.

Catalonia is the first destination of Spain. then followed by the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Andalusia, Valencia and Madrid.

Housing

According to good sources, the 85% of households in Spain are owned and only 15% have them under lease.

Religion

Spain guarantees freedom of religion and worship of individuals ensures cooperative relations between government and all religious denominations.

Catholicism is the predominant religion in the country. The Catholic Church is the only specifically mentioned in the Constitution.

In Spain there is the concept of striking roots of religion, a status granted by the Ministry of Justice through the General Directorate of Religious Affairs after the report of the Advisory Commission on Religious Freedom.

The second largest religion is Islam. Followed by Jehovah’s Witnesses, but there are several Protestant churches and Mormons.

In Spain there is the concept of striking roots of religion, a status granted by the Ministry of Justice through the General Directorate of Religious Affairs after the report of the Advisory Commission on Religious Freedom.

Besides Catholicism, have the character of religions: Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Buddhists.

Culture

The schedule of holidays is set each year, depending on the weekly distribution:

New Year, Three Kings, San Jose, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labor Day, St. James, Assumption of the Virgin, National Day of Spain, All Saints Day, Constitution Day, Day of Immaculate Conception, Christmas Day.

In addition to nine national holidays, each region can set two public holidays, apart from the days of the Autonomous Community, each municipality and two others, so that the maximum number of public holidays in each place does not exceed fourteen.

Public sphere of religious holidays

The Catholic religion is predominant in Spain throughout history. Thus, it is play  an important role in towns such as Granada, Seville, Malaga, Seville, Valladolid and others.

Religious festivals are those which are related to the Passion of Christ (such as Easter Granada, Malaga, Seville and Valladolid) and Easter, Pentecost and especially the Corpus Christi.

Healthcare

If you pay social security, which is obligatory, healthcare in Spain is free, (families and retirees are also included). As well as unemployed and even immigrants with a no legal status have access to the public healthcare system. Like many countries however, the health service in Spain has a waiting lists to see specialists and for non-urgent operations. Sometimes the waiting time can be quite long depending of the Autonomous Community, as each Community has the administrative responsibility over its own Healthcare System.

Arts

Spain is famous for: Architecture, Sculpture, Literature, Music, Painting, Spanish Cinema, Spanish Comics, Folk Music of Spain and Museums.

In Valencia, the tourist can find the “City of Arts and Sciences” an architectural, cultural and entertainment space of new construction, where some of the most important events of the Spanish culture has been taking part in the recent years.

Heritage

It should be noted that Spain is the second country in the world after Italy with World Heritage monuments. It currently has 40 adding the Pyrenees, shared with France.

Tauromaquia

In Spain kept the tradition of bullfighting, such as running in front of the bulls or in the bullfighting arena, which is a sign of identity for many festivals.

The bullrings more affluent and transcendence in the bullfighting season are “Las Ventas in Madrid, Pamplona and the Monumental “La Maestranza ” in Seville and the “Plaza de toros de Valencia”.

Sports

Sport in Spain is dominated mainly by football, basketball and cycling.

Today, Spain is a world power in sport, especially since the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, which promoted a variety of sports in the country.

Spain has had world champions in sports as diverse as football, handball, hockey, water polo, sailing, taekwondo, basketball, motorcycle, rally, cycling and, more recently, Formula 1 and basketball.

Spain celebrates annually the Tour of Spain.

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