Facts about Spain

Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities: Andalusia, Aragуn, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leуn, Catalonia, Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarre and Basque Country.

Modern-day Spain was born of religious struggle between Catholicism and, in turn, Islam, and Judaism.

During this period, Spain largely surpassed the per capita income that differentiates developed from underdeveloped countries and induced the development of a dominant middle class which was instrumental to the future establishment of democracy.

Spain joined the industrialized world, leaving behind the poverty and endemic underdevelopment it had experienced since the loss of the Spanish Empire in the nineteenth century.

Spain has a landed gentry, particularly in the southern regions, although these families do not work their land, preferring to live in the city.

Spain largely escaped the religious conflicts that were raging throughout the rest of Europe, and remained firmly Roman Catholic.

Spain's great artists span the centuries and include El Greco (1541–1614), Diego de Velбzquez (1599–1660), Francisco de Goya (1746–1828), Joaquнn Sorolla (1863–1923), Joan Mirу (1893–1983), Salvador Dalн (1904–1989), and Pablo Picasso (1881–1973).

A period of uneasy peace followed in Spain for the next decade.

The war in Iberia fluctuated repeatedly, with Wellington spending several years behind his fortresses in Portugal while launching occasional campaigns into Spain.

Spain's most prolific playwright, Lope de Vega, wrote possibly as many as one thousand plays over his lifetime, over four hundred of which survive to the present day.

Spain was put under a British blockade, and her colonies—for the first time separated from their colonial rulers—began to trade independently with Britain.

Total rainfall there is lower than in the rest of Spain, and it is concentrated in the late autumn-winter period.

According to Spain, these resolutions overrule the Treaty of Utrecht.

Spain's neutrality in the First World War allowed it to become a supplier of material for both sides to its great advantage, prompting an economic boom in Spain.

The Spanish Empire reached its maximum extent in Europe under Charles I of Spain (1500-1558), who was also (also known as Charles V) emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Portugal does not recognize Spain's sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza.

Spain has internationally recognized universities, the most notable being the University of Barcelona which is ranked in the top 200 universities in the world.

Contributing to the disagreement was an ongoing dispute over German mining rights in Spain.

Ferdinand's death in 1833 and the accession of Isabella (only three years old at the time) as Queen of Spain sparked the First Carlist War.

El Escorial, the great royal monastery built by King Philip II of Spain, invited the attention of some of Europe's greatest architects and painters.

The centuries of uninterrupted Roman rule and settlement left a deep and enduring imprint upon the culture of Spain.

Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is 80 percent that of the four leading West European economies.

Spain enjoyed the second highest growth rate in the world, just after Japan, and became the ninth largest economy in the world, just after Canada.

Spain has called for the return of Gibraltar, a British possession on its southern coast.

Visigothic Spain was the last of a series of lands conquered in a great westward charge by the Islamically inspired armies of the Umayyad empire.

From the beginning of the incorporation of the Portuguese empire in 1580 (lost in 1640) until the loss of its American colonies in the nineteenth century, Spain maintained the largest empire in the world.

Amadeus of Savoy (1845-1890) was selected, and he was duly crowned King of Spain early the following year.

On January 1, 1999, Spain adopted the Euro as its national currency.

Spain alleges that the Treaty of Vienna left the provisions of the Treaty of Badajoz intact.

Spain's population density, at 220 per square mile (87.8/kmІ) is lower than that of most Western European countries and its distribution along the country is unequal.

Spain has been an important center of theater since the Roman era, Seneca, a native of Cуrdoba, produced works that would influence the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Alfonso XII was duly crowned of Spain in 1875.

Formula One champion Fernando Alonso has spurred a rise in Formula One popularity in Spain.

Bullfighting is an iconic sport for Spain, despite slight declines in attendance.

The armed forces of Spain consist of the Army, Navy and Air Force, a modern military force.

Spain forms more than 80 percent of the Iberian Peninsula.

After the nineteenth century, some Jews have established themselves in Spain as a result of migration from former Spanish Morocco, escape from Nazi repression, and immigration from Argentina.

After the war, the Allies used Spain's ties to the Axis powers to keep it from joining the United Nations.

Revolution and anarchy broke out in Spain in the two years that followed; it was only in 1870 that the Cortes declared that Spain would have a king again.

Spain has an artistic heritage that includes contributions from Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, the Moors of Al-Andalus, Visigoths, Arabs and Berbers.

Human habitation means few wild species of animals remain in mainland Spain.

Various regions of Spain have had quite distinct regional dress.

Spain has a wider variety of natural vegetation than any other European country—8000 species have been cataloged.

The Canary Islands are of volcanic origin and contain Spain's highest point, Teide Peak, which rises to 12,198 feet (3718 metres) on the island of Tenerife.

Spain—nearly bankrupt from the war with France and the reconstruction of the country—was unable to pay her soldiers, and in 1820, an expedition intended for the colonies revolted in Cadiz.

The royal family occupies the apex of Spain's social pyramid, followed by the titled nobility and aristocratic families.

Spain has been an example of transition from dictatorship to democracy.

The war, which cost between 300,000 to 1,000,000 lives, ended with the destruction of the Republic and the accession of Francisco Franco as dictator of Spain.

The literature of Spain dates back to the jarcha, which is the lament of a lower-class woman for her absent sweetheart.

Spain initially sided against France in the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815), but the defeat of her army early in the war led to Charles IV's pragmatic decision to align with the revolutionary French.

The French were decisively defeated at the Battle of Vitoria in 1813, and the following year, Ferdinand was restored as King of Spain.

The Republican armies in Spain—which were resisting a Carlist insurrection—pledged their allegiance to Alfonso.

Spain is a constitutional monarchy, with a hereditary monarch, who is chief of state, and a bicameral parliament, the Cortes Generales.

Several basic principles were soon ratified: that sovereignty resides in the nation, the legitimacy of Ferdinand VII as King of Spain, and the inviolability of the deputies.

The important Jewish population of Spain was either expelled or forced to convert in 1492 under the Alhambra Decree, with the dawn of the Spanish Inquisition.

The brutal war was one of the first guerrilla wars in modern Western history; French supply lines stretching across Spain were mauled repeatedly by Spanish guerrillas.

Spain's present languages, its religion, and the basis of its laws originate from this period.

In 1866, a revolt led by Juan Prim was suppressed, but it was becoming increasingly clear that the people of Spain were upset with Isabella's approach to governance.

The Habsburgs, both in Spain and Austria, were great patrons of art in their countries.

Astonishingly the invasion started off as an invitation from a Visigoth faction within Spain for support.

The pattern of asymmetrical devolution, as used in Spain, has been described as a co-constitutionalism and the devolution process adopted by the United Kingdom since 1997 shares traits with it.

When armies throughout Spain pronounced themselves in sympathy with the rebels, led by Rafael del Riego, Ferdinand relented and was forced to accept the liberal Constitution of 1812.

Spain enjoyed a cultural golden age in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

In basketball, Spain won the gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan.

The UN resolutions (2231 (XXI) and 2353 (XXII)) call on the UK and Spain to reach an agreement.

Spain's history includes long periods of religious struggle involving Catholicism, Islam, and Judaism, and is known for the Spanish Inquisition, the massacre and widespread expulsions of Jews, and as a bastion of Roman Catholicism.

Isabella launched a successful war against Morocco in 1860 that stabilized her popularity in Spain.

Women do not change their birth surnames at marriage in any part of Spain.

Spain uses a civil law system, with regional applications, and accepts compulsory International Court of Justice (CJ) jurisdiction with reservations.

The First Spanish Republic started with the abdication as King of Spain on February 10, 1873, of Amadeo I. Amadeus famously declared the people of Spain to be ungovernable, and fled the country.

At the same time, Spanish diplomats in the Axis countries actively protected Jews and Spain itself became a safe haven for Jewish refugees, as Franco refused to implement anti-Semitic laws, as demanded by the Axis.

Philip III was succeeded in 1621 by his son Philip IV of Spain.

Having borne only a female heir presumptive, it appeared that Ferdinand would be succeeded by his brother, Infante Carlos of Spain.

A modicum of stability and economic progress was restored to Spain during Alfonso XII's rule.

In 1899 Spain sold its remaining Pacific possessions to Germany.

The 1085 conquest of the central city of Toledo largely completed the reconquest of the northern half of Spain.

In 2006, Spain had the highest immigration rate in the European Union.

No fewer than 11 of Spain's 50 provinces saw a decline in population over the century.

After the collapse of France in June 1940, Spain adopted a pro-Axis non-belligerency stance (for example, he offered Spanish naval facilities to German ships).

Education to university level is regarded as the main means of upward mobility, and Spain's university system expanded greatly to accommodate demand in the late twentieth century.

The Habsburg dynasty became extinct in Spain and the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) ensued in which the other European powers tried to assume control of the Spanish monarchy.

Isabella ensured long-term political stability in Spain by arranging strategic marriages for each of her five children.

Only three small counties in the mountains of the north of Spain managed to cling to their independence: Asturias, Navarra and Aragon, which eventually became kingdoms.

Some of Spain's native dances can be traced back to Greek times, and Spanish dancers were renowned through the Roman Empire for their artistry.

King Alfonso XIII decided to appoint General Miguel Primo de Rivera (1870-1930) as prime minister, ending the period of constitutional monarchy in Spain.

Many areas of Spain retain significant Roman architectural remnants.

Spain has architectural remnants from the Stone Age, known as dolmens, which were funerary chambers formed by huge stones stuck in the ground, and others over them, forming the roof.

On March 11, 2004, a series of bombs exploded in commuter trains in Madrid, Spain.

The Iberian Peninsula, comprising modern Spain and Portugal, has been inhabited by hominin species for at least half a million years.

Areas in the northern mountains and around Barcelona were soon captured by Frankish and local forces, providing a base for Spain's Christians.

Spain claims that these territories are integral parts of Spain and have been Spanish or linked to Spain since before the Islamic invasion of Spain in 711.

The Portuguese claim that the Treaty of Vienna (1815), to which Spain was a signatory, stipulated return of the territory to Portugal.

Under the rule of Charles III (1716-1788) and his ministers, Spain embarked on a program of enlightened despotism that brought Spain a new prosperity in the middle of the eighteenth century.

The 1973 oil crisis brought Spain's economic growth to a halt.

Spain's accession to the European Community, later the European Union (EU), in January 1986, encouraged the country to open its economy, modernize its industrial base and revise economic legislation.

The division of the Habsburg inheritance was to prove a difficulty for his successor Philip II of Spain (1527-1598), who became king on Charles V's abdication in 1556.

Sport is a popular pastime in Bermuda, especially sailing, cricket, golf, and football (soccer).

After losing alongside France against the United Kingdom in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), Spain recouped most of her territorial losses in the American Revolutionary War.

Isabella’s first and only son, Juan, married Margaret of Austria, maintaining ties with the Habsburg dynasty, on which Spain relied heavily.

The defeat of the British invasions of the River Plate in South America emboldened an independent attitude in Spain's American colonies.

State education in Spain is free and compulsory from age six to 16 years.

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de Espaсa), is a country located in Southern Europe, with two small exclaves in North Africa (both bordering Morocco).

At 194,884 square miles (504,782 square kilometers), Spain is the world's 51st-largest country (after Thailand).

Spain broke off from the Continental System temporarily, and Napoleon—aggravated with the Bourbon kings of Spain—invaded and deposed Charles.

Isabella II of Spain took a more active role in government after she came of age, but she was immensely unpopular throughout her reign.

On his return to Spain, he refused to swear by it himself, and he continued to rule in the authoritarian fashion of his forebears.

The most prominent language of Spain is Spanish (Castilian, castellano).

The architecture in southern Spain reflects its Moorish history.

The population of Spain, which was 44,395,286 in 2006, doubled during the twentieth century.

Spain became culturally and politically a follower of absolutist France.

Spain has fine examples of medieval architecture in areas not dominated by Moors in that period, primarily in the Romanesque and Gothic styles, and has several examples of Cathedral architecture.

Spain produced a wide range of writers and poets through the Enlightenment, the Romantic period, through nineteenth century realism, twentieth century Modernism and beyond.

Carlos invaded Spain and attracted support from reactionaries and conservatives in Spain; Isabella's mother, Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, was named regent until her daughter came of age.

At Ferdinand's urging, the Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478, and in 1492, the Alhambra Decree ordered the remaining Jews to convert or face expulsion from Spain.

Spain has maintained its special identification with Latin America.

The resolution encouraged countries to remove their ambassadors in Spain, and established the basis for measures against Spain if the government remained authoritarian.

The Spanish people vigorously resisted the move and juntas were formed across Spain that pronounced themselves in favor of Charles's son Ferdinand.

Arabic quickly lost its place in southern Spain's life, and was replaced by Castilian.

Espartero, operating on his popularity as a war hero and his sobriquet "Pacifier of Spain," demanded liberal reforms from Maria Cristina.

Amadeus—a liberal who swore by the liberal constitution the Cortes promulgated—was faced immediately with the incredible task of bringing the disparate political ideologies of Spain to one table.

Today, most people in Spain dress in a manner comparable to most other contemporary Europeans, although some regional variations persist.

A major international priority for Tuvalu in the UN, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg and in other international fora is promoting concern about global warming and possible sea level rise.

The literature of Spain dates back to the jarcha, which is the lament of a lower-class woman for her absent sweetheart.

Madrid, with a population of 5,904,041 in 2006, is the capital and largest city of Spain.

Spain's effective military assistance to the rebellious British colonies in the American War of Independence won it renewed international standing.

Spain harbors a number of black African-blooded people—who are descendants of populations from former colonies (especially Equatorial Guinea) and, immigrants from several Sub-Saharan and Caribbean countries.

The tribes of Goths, Visigoths, Swebians (Suebi), Alans, Asdings and Vandals, all of Germanic origin, arrived to Spain by crossing the Pyrenees mountain range.

Married men and women run their domestic economies and raise their children together, although traditionally, throughout Spain, men and women pursue leisure separately, particularly in public.

Spain was, in 2007, what is called a State of Autonomies, formally unitary but, in fact, functioning as a highly decentralized Federation of Autonomous Communities, each one with slightly different levels of self-government.

Mainland Spain is dominated by a large plateau, the Meseta Central, which is divided by the roughly west-east Sistema Central mountain range.

The dry weather of Spain resulted in the importance of water fountains in Spanish urban design.

The outbreak of Spanish influenza in Spain and elsewhere, along with a major economic slowdown in the postwar period, hit Spain particularly hard, and the country went into debt.

The influence of Moorish architecture did not end with the reconquista: there were many prominent mudйjar architects, Muslims living and working in Christian Spain.

Spain's musical output includes a long history of innovation in Western and Andalusian classical music, as well as a domestic popular music industry, and diverse styles of folk music.

The Spanish Constitution of 1812 was promulgated by the Cбdiz Cortes, the national legislative assembly of Spain acting while in refuge.

The three years of liberal rule that followed coincided with a civil war in Spain that would typify Spanish politics for the next century.

Some of Spain's greatest music is regarded as having been written in the period.

Spain's EU membership represents an important part of its foreign policy.

Spain's decentralized government operates as an individualized system of support to those communities.

Spain has been a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy since 1975, when the authoritarian Franco regime ended.

The Moorish capital was Cуrdoba, in southern Spain, the richest and most sophisticated city in western Europe.