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Kingdom of Spain Reino de España (Spanish)
6 other official names[a][b]
Aragonese: Reino d'Espanya
Asturian: Reinu d'España
Basque: Espainiako Erresuma
Catalan: Regne d'Espanya
Galician: Reino de España
Occitan: Reiaume d'Espanha
Flag
Coat of arms
Motto: "Plus Ultra" (Latin) "Further Beyond"
Anthem: "Marcha Real" (Spanish)[2] "Royal March"
Location of Spain (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the European Union (green)
Capital and largest city Madrid 40°26′N 3°42′W / 40.433°N 3.700°W / 40.433; -3.700
Official language and national language Spanish[c]
Co-official languages in certain autonomous communities Catalan Galician Basque Occitan
Ethnic groups (2015)
89.9% Spanish 10.1% others
Religion (2017[4])
68% Roman Catholic 27% Irreligious 2% other religion
Demonym
Spanish Spaniard
Government Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch
Felipe VI
• Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy
• Deputy Prime Minister
Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría
• President of the Senate
Pío García-Escudero
• President of the Congress of Deputies
Ana Pastor Julián
• President of the Supreme Court
Carlos Lesmes Serrano
Legislature Cortes Generales
• Upper house
Senate
• Lower house
Congress of Deputies
Formation
• Dynastic
20 January 1479
• De facto
23 January 1516
• De jure
9 June 1715
• First constitution
19 March 1812
• Current democracy
29 December 1978
• EEC accession[d]
1 January 1986
Area
• Total
505,990[5] km2 (195,360 sq mi) (51st)
• Water (%)
1.04
Population
• 2016 census
46,354,321 [e] (30th)
• Density
92/km2 (238.3/sq mi) (112th)
GDP (PPP) 2018 estimate
• Total
$1.769 trillion[7] (16th)
• Per capita
$39,944[7] (31st)
GDP (nominal) 2018 estimate
• Total
$1.307 trillion[7] (12th)
• Per capita
$30,689[7] (30th)
Gini (2016) 34.5[8] medium
HDI (2015) 0.884[9] very high · 27th
Currency Euro[f] (€) (EUR)
Time zone CET (UTC+1) WET (UTC)
• Summer (DST)
CEST (UTC+2) WEST (UTC+1)
Note:
Spain
Spain observes CET/CEST, except the
Canary Islands
Canary Islands which observe
WET/WEST
Date format dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
Drives on the right
Calling code +34
ISO 3166 code ES
Internet TLD .es[g]
Spain
Spain (Spanish: España [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), officially
the Kingdom of
Spain
Spain (Spanish: Reino de España),[a][b] is a country
mostly located on the
Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula in Europe. The country's
mainland is bordered to the south and east by the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and
northeast by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west
and northwest by
Portugal
Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. Spanish territory
includes two large archipelagoes, the
Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands in the
Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea and the
Canary Islands
Canary Islands off the African Atlantic
coast, two cities,
Ceuta
Ceuta and Melilla, on the African mainland and
several small islands in the
Alboran Sea
Alboran Sea near the African coast. Spain
is the only European country to have a border with an African country
(Morocco)[h]
With an area of 505,990 km2 (195,360 sq mi),
Spain
Spain is
the largest country in Southern Europe, the second largest country in
Western
Europe
Europe and the European Union, and the fourth largest country
in the European continent. By population,
Spain
Spain is the sixth largest
in
Europe
Europe and the fifth in the European Union. Spain's capital and
largest city is Madrid; other major urban areas include Barcelona,
Valencia, Seville,
Bilbao
Bilbao and Málaga.
Modern humans
Modern humans first arrived in the
Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula around 35,000
years ago. Iberian cultures along with ancient Phoenician, Greek and
Carthaginian settlements developed on the peninsula until it came
under Roman rule around 200 BCE, after which the region was named
Hispania, based on the earlier Phoenician name Sp(a)n or Spania.[10]
At the end of the Western
Roman Empire
Roman Empire the Germanic tribal
confederations migrated from Central Europe, invaded the Iberian
peninsula and established relatively independent realms in its western
provinces, including the Sueves,
Alans
Alans and Vandals. Eventually, the
Visigoths
Visigoths would forcibly integrate all remaining independent
territories in the peninsula, including
Byzantine
Byzantine provinces, into the
Kingdom of Toledo, which more or less unified politically,
ecclesiastically and legally all the former Roman provinces or
successor kingdoms of what was then documented as Hispania.
In the late eighth century the
Visigothic kingdom
Visigothic kingdom fell to the Moors,
who ruled most of the peninsula for the next seven centuries, leaving
only a handful of small Christian realms in the north. Following the
Moorish
Moorish conquest, Europeans began a gradual process of retaking the
region known as the Reconquista,[11] which by the late 15th century
culminated in the emergence of
Spain
Spain as a unified country under the
Catholic Monarchs. In the early modern period,
Spain
Spain became one of
history's first global empires, leaving a vast cultural and linguistic
legacy that includes over 500 million Hispanophones, making Spanish
the world's second most spoken native language, after Mandarin
Chinese.
Spain
Spain is a secular parliamentary democracy and constitutional
monarchy,[12] with King
Felipe VI
Felipe VI as head of state. It is a major
developed country[13] with the world's fourteenth largest economy by
nominal GDP and sixteenth largest by purchasing power parity. It is a
member of the United Nations (UN), the
European Union
European Union (EU), the
Eurozone, the Council of
Europe
Europe (CoE), the Organization of
Ibero-American States (OEI), the Union for the Mediterranean, the
North Atlantic Treaty
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), OSCE, the Schengen Area,
the
World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization (WTO) and many other international
organisations.
Spain
Spain has a "permanent invitation" to the
G20
G20 summits
that occur generally once a year.
Contents
1 Etymology 2 History
2.1 Prehistory and pre-Roman peoples
2.2
Roman Empire
Roman Empire and the Gothic Kingdom
2.3 Middle Ages:
Muslim
Muslim era and Reconquista
2.4 Imperial Spain
2.5 Liberalism, Labour movement and nation state
2.6
Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War and Francoist Spain
2.7 Restoration of democracy
3 Geography
3.1 Islands
3.2 Mountains and rivers
3.3 Climate
3.4
Fauna
Fauna and flora
4 Politics
4.1 Government 4.2 Human rights 4.3 Administrative divisions
4.3.1 Autonomous communities 4.3.2 Provinces and municipalities
4.4 Foreign relations 4.5 Military
5 Economy
5.1 Agriculture
5.2 Tourism
5.3 Energy
5.4 Transport
5.5 Science and technology
5.6
Water supply
Water supply and sanitation
6 Demographics
6.1 Urbanisation 6.2 Peoples 6.3 Minority groups 6.4 Immigration 6.5 Languages 6.6 Education 6.7 Health 6.8 Religion
7 Culture
7.1 World Heritage Sites 7.2 Literature 7.3 Philosophy 7.4 Art 7.5 Sculpture 7.6 Cinema 7.7 Architecture 7.8 Music and dance 7.9 Fashion 7.10 Cuisine 7.11 Sport 7.12 Public holidays and festivals
8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External links
Etymology
The origins of the Roman name Hispania, from which the modern name
España was derived, are uncertain due to inadequate evidence,
although it is documented that the
Phoenicians
Phoenicians and Carthaginians
referred to the region as Spania, therefore the most widely accepted
etymology is a Semitic-Phoenician one.[10][14] Down the centuries
there have been a number of accounts and hypotheses:
Lady of Elche
The
Renaissance
Renaissance scholar
Antonio de Nebrija
Antonio de Nebrija proposed that the word
Hispania
Hispania evolved from the Iberian word Hispalis, meaning "city of the
western world".
Jesús Luis Cunchillos argues that the root of the term span is the
Phoenician word spy, meaning "to forge metals". Therefore, i-spn-ya
would mean "the land where metals are forged".[15] It may be a
derivation of the Phoenician I-Shpania, meaning "island of rabbits",
"land of rabbits" or "edge", a reference to Spain's location at the
end of the Mediterranean; Roman coins struck in the region from the
reign of
Hadrian
Hadrian show a female figure with a rabbit at her feet,[16]
and
Strabo
Strabo called it the "land of the rabbits".[17]
Hispania
Hispania may derive from the poetic use of the term Hesperia,
reflecting the Greek perception of
Italy
Italy as a "western land" or "land
of the setting sun" (Hesperia, Ἑσπερία in Greek) and Spain,
being still further west, as Hesperia ultima.[18]
There is the claim that "Hispania" derives from the Basque word
Ezpanna meaning "edge" or "border", another reference to the fact that
the
Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula constitutes the southwest corner of the European
continent.[18]
Two 15th-century Spanish Jewish scholars, Don
Isaac Abravanel
Isaac Abravanel and
Solomon ibn Verga, gave an explanation now considered folkloric. Both
men wrote in two different published works that the first
Jews
Jews to
reach
Spain
Spain were brought by ship by Phiros who was confederate with
the king of Babylon when he laid siege to Jerusalem. Phiros was a
Grecian by birth, but who had been given a kingdom in Spain. Phiros
became related by marriage to Espan, the nephew of king Heracles, who
also ruled over a kingdom in Spain. Heracles later renounced his
throne in preference for his native Greece, leaving his kingdom to his
nephew, Espan, from whom the country of España (Spain) took its name.
Based upon their testimonies, this eponym would have already been in
use in
Spain
Spain by c. 350 BCE.[19]
History
Main article: History of Spain
Reproduction of
Altamira Cave
Altamira Cave paintings,[20] in Cantabria
Iberia enters written records as a land populated largely by the
Iberians,
Basques
Basques and Celts. Early on its coastal areas were settled
by
Phoenicians
Phoenicians who founded Western Europe's most ancient cities Cadiz
and Malaga. Phoenician influence expanded as much of the Peninsula was
eventually incorporated into the Carthaginian Empire, becoming a major
theater of the
Punic Wars
Punic Wars against the expanding Roman Empire. After an
arduous conquest, the peninsula came fully under Roman Rule. During
the early
Middle Ages
Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule but later, much of
it was conquered by
Moorish
Moorish invaders from North Africa. In a process
that took centuries, the small Christian kingdoms in the north
gradually regained control of the peninsula. The last
Moorish
Moorish kingdom
fell in the same year Columbus reached the Americas. A global empire
began which saw
Spain
Spain become the strongest kingdom in Europe, the
leading world power for a century and a half, and the largest overseas
empire for three centuries.
Continued wars and other problems eventually led to a diminished
status. The Napoleonic invasions of
Spain
Spain led to chaos, triggering
independence movements that tore apart most of the empire and left the
country politically unstable. Prior to the Second World War, Spain
suffered a devastating civil war and came under the rule of an
authoritarian government, which oversaw a period of stagnation that
was followed by a surge in the growth of the economy. Eventually
democracy was peacefully restored in the form of a parliamentary
constitutional monarchy.
Spain
Spain joined the European Union, experiencing
a cultural renaissance and steady economic growth until the beginning
of the 21st century, that started a new globalized world with economic
and ecological challenges.
Prehistory and pre-Roman peoples
Main article: Prehistoric Iberia
Pre-Roman map of The Iberian Peninsula
Celtic castro in Galicia
Archaeological research at Atapuerca indicates the Iberian Peninsula
was populated by hominids 1.2 million years ago.[21] In Atapuerca
fossils have been found of the earliest known hominins in Europe, the
Homo antecessor.
Modern humans
Modern humans first arrived in Iberia, from the north
on foot, about 35,000 years ago.[22][not in citation given] The best
known artefacts of these prehistoric human settlements are the famous
paintings in the Altamira cave of
Cantabria
Cantabria in northern Iberia, which
were created from 35,600 to 13,500 BCE by Cro-Magnon.[20][23]
Archaeological and genetic evidence suggests that the Iberian
Peninsula acted as one of several major refugia from which northern
Europe
Europe was repopulated following the end of the last ice age.
The largest groups inhabiting the
Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula before the Roman
conquest were the
Iberians
Iberians and the Celts. The
Iberians
Iberians inhabited the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean side of the peninsula, from the northeast to the
southeast. The
Celts
Celts inhabited much of the inner and Atlantic sides of
the peninsula, from the northwest to the southwest.
Basques
Basques occupied
the western area of the
Pyrenees
Pyrenees mountain range and adjacent areas,
the Phoenician-influenced Tartessians culture flourished in the
southwest and the
Lusitanians
Lusitanians and
Vettones
Vettones occupied areas in the
central west. A number of cities were founded along the coast by
Phoenicians, and trading outposts and colonies were established by
Greeks
Greeks in the East. Eventually, Phoenician-
Carthaginians
Carthaginians expanded
inland towards the meseta, however due to the bellicose inland tribes
the
Carthaginians
Carthaginians got settled in the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula.
Roman Empire
Roman Empire and the Gothic Kingdom
Main articles:
Hispania
Hispania and Visigothic Kingdom
Roman Theatre, Mérida
During the Second Punic War, roughly between 210 and 205 BC the
expanding
Roman Republic
Roman Republic captured Carthaginian trading colonies along
the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean coast. Although it took the Romans nearly two
centuries to complete the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, they
retained control of it for over six centuries. Roman rule was bound
together by law, language, and the Roman road.[24]
Toledo, capital of the Visigothic Kingdom
The cultures of the Celtic and Iberian populations were gradually
Romanised (Latinised) at different rates depending on what part of
Hispania
Hispania they lived in, with local leaders being admitted into the
Roman aristocratic class.[i][25]
Hispania
Hispania served as a granary for the
Roman market, and its harbors exported gold, wool, olive oil, and
wine. Agricultural production increased with the introduction of
irrigation projects, some of which remain in use. Emperors Hadrian,
Trajan, Theodosius I, and the philosopher Seneca were born in
Hispania.[j] Christianity was introduced into
Hispania
Hispania in the 1st
century AD and it became popular in the cities in the 2nd century
AD.[25] Most of Spain's present languages and religion, and the basis
of its laws, originate from this period.[24]
Reccared I
Reccared I and bishops. Council III of Toledo, 589. Codex Vigilanus,
fol. 145, Biblioteca del Escorial.
The weakening of the Western Roman Empire's jurisdiction in Hispania
began in 409, when the Germanic
Suebi
Suebi and Vandals, together with the
Sarmatian
Sarmatian
Alans
Alans entered the peninsula at the invitation of a Roman
usurper. These tribes had crossed the
Rhine
Rhine in early 407 and ravaged
Gaul. The
Suebi
Suebi established a kingdom in what is today modern Galicia
and northern
Portugal
Portugal whereas the
Vandals
Vandals established themselves in
southern
Spain
Spain by 420 before crossing over to North Africa in 429 and
taking Carthage in 439. As the western empire disintegrated, the
social and economic base became greatly simplified: but even in
modified form, the successor regimes maintained many of the
institutions and laws of the late empire, including Christianity and
assimilation to the evolving Roman culture.
The Byzantines established an occidental province, Spania, in the
south, with the intention of reviving Roman rule throughout Iberia.
Eventually, however,
Hispania
Hispania was reunited under Visigothic rule.
The Spanish-Gothic scholars such as
Braulio of Zaragoza
Braulio of Zaragoza and Isidore of
Seville
Seville played an important role in keeping the classical Greek and
Roman culture. Isidore was one of the most influential clerics and
philosophers in the
Middle Ages
Middle Ages in Europe, and his theories were also
vital to the conversion of the
Visigothic Kingdom
Visigothic Kingdom from an Arian domain
to a Catholic one in the Councils of Toledo. This Gothic kingdom was
the first independent Christian kingdom ruling in the Iberian
Peninsula, and in the
Reconquista
Reconquista it was the referent for the
different kingdoms fighting against the
Muslim
Muslim rule. Isidore created
the first western encyclopaedia which had a huge impact during the
Middle Ages.[26]
Middle Ages:
Muslim
Muslim era and Reconquista
Main articles:
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus and Reconquista
The death of the Frankish leader
Roland
Roland defeated by a Basque and
Muslim-
Muladi
Muladi (Banu Qasi) alliance at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass
(778) originated the
Kingdom of Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre led by Íñigo Arista.
In the 8th century, nearly all of the
Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula was conquered
(711–718) by largely
Moorish
Moorish
Muslim
Muslim armies from North Africa. These
conquests were part of the expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate. Only a
small area in the mountainous north-west of the peninsula managed to
resist the initial invasion.
Under Islamic law, Christians and
Jews
Jews were given the subordinate
status of dhimmi. This status permitted Christians and
Jews
Jews to
practice their religions as
People of the Book but they were required
to pay a special tax and had legal and social rights inferior to those
of Muslims.[27][28]
Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí
Conversion to
Islam
Islam proceeded at an increasing pace. The muladíes
(
Muslims
Muslims of ethnic Iberian origin) are believed to have comprised the
majority of the population of
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus by the end of the 10th
century.[29][30]
The
Muslim
Muslim community in the
Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula was itself diverse and
beset by social tensions. The
Berber people
Berber people of North Africa, who had
provided the bulk of the invading armies, clashed with the Arab
leadership from the Middle East.[k] Over time, large Moorish
populations became established, especially in the
Guadalquivir
Guadalquivir River
valley, the coastal plain of Valencia, the
Ebro River
Ebro River valley and
(towards the end of this period) in the mountainous region of
Granada.[30]
Great Mosque of Córdoba is among the oldest mosque buildings of the world
Córdoba, the capital of the caliphate since Abd-ar-Rahman III, was
the largest, richest and most sophisticated city in western Europe.
Mediterranean
Mediterranean trade and cultural exchange flourished.
Muslims
Muslims imported
a rich intellectual tradition from the Middle East and North Africa.
Some important philosophers at the time were Averroes,
Ibn Arabi
Ibn Arabi and
Maimonides. The Romanised cultures of the
Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula interacted
with
Muslim
Muslim and Jewish cultures in complex ways, giving the region a
distinctive culture.[30] Outside the cities, where the vast majority
lived, the land ownership system from Roman times remained largely
intact as
Muslim
Muslim leaders rarely dispossessed landowners and the
introduction of new crops and techniques led to an expansion of
agriculture introducing new produces which originally came from Asia
or the former territories of the Roman Empire[31]
In the 11th century, the
Muslim
Muslim holdings fractured into rival Taifa
kingdoms, allowing the small Christian states the opportunity to
greatly enlarge their territories.[30] The arrival from North Africa
of the Islamic ruling sects of the
Almoravids
Almoravids and the Almohads
restored unity upon the
Muslim
Muslim holdings, with a stricter, less
tolerant application of Islam, and saw a revival in
Muslim
Muslim fortunes.
This re-united Islamic state experienced more than a century of
successes that partially reversed Christian gains.
Basilica of San Isidoro, León
The
Reconquista
Reconquista (Reconquest) was the centuries-long period in which
Christian rule was re-established over the Iberian Peninsula. The
Reconquista
Reconquista is viewed as beginning with the
Battle of Covadonga
Battle of Covadonga won by
Don Pelayo in 722 and was concurrent with the period of
Muslim
Muslim rule on
the Iberian Peninsula. The Christian army's victory over
Muslim
Muslim forces
led to the creation of the Christian
Kingdom of Asturias
Kingdom of Asturias along the
northwestern coastal mountains. Shortly after, in 739,
Muslim
Muslim forces
were driven from Galicia, which was to eventually host one of medieval
Europe's holiest sites,
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela and was incorporated
into the new Christian kingdom. The
Kingdom of León
Kingdom of León was the strongest
Christian kingdom for centuries. In 1188 the first modern
parliamentary session in
Europe
Europe was held in León (Cortes of León).
The Kingdom of Castile, formed from Leonese territory, was its
successor as strongest kingdom. The kings and the nobility fought for
power and influence in this period. The example of the Roman emperors
influenced the political objective of the Crown, while the nobles
benefited from feudalism.
Muslim
Muslim armies had also moved north of the
Pyrenees
Pyrenees but they were
defeated by Frankish forces at the Battle of Poitiers, Frankia and
pushed out of the very southernmost region of
France
France along the
seacoast by the 760s. Later, Frankish forces established Christian
counties on the southern side of the Pyrenees. These areas were to
grow into the kingdoms of
Navarre
Navarre and Aragon.[32] For several
centuries, the fluctuating frontier between the
Muslim
Muslim and Christian
controlled areas of Iberia was along the
Ebro
Ebro and
Douro
Douro valleys.
The County of
Barcelona
Barcelona and the
Kingdom of Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon entered in a
dynastic union and gained territory and power in the Mediterranean. In
1229
Majorca
Majorca was conquered, so was
Valencia
Valencia in 1238.
Alcázar of Seville. The
Almohads
Almohads transferred the capital of
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus to Seville.
The break-up of
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus into the competing taifa kingdoms helped
the long embattled Iberian Christian kingdoms gain the initiative. The
capture of the strategically central city of Toledo in 1085 marked a
significant shift in the balance of power in favour of the Christian
kingdoms. Following a great
Muslim
Muslim resurgence in the 12th century, the
great
Moorish
Moorish strongholds in the south fell to Christian
Spain
Spain in the
13th century—Córdoba in 1236 and
Seville
Seville in 1248. In the 13th and
14th centuries, the
Marinid
Marinid dynasty of
Morocco
Morocco invaded and established
some enclaves on the southern coast but failed in their attempt to
re-establish North African rule in Iberia and were soon driven out.
After 800 years of
Muslim
Muslim presence in Spain, the last Nasrid sultanate
of Granada, a tributary state would finally surrender in 1492 to the
Catholic monarchs Queen Isabella I of Castile[33] and King Ferdinand
II of Aragon.[34][35][36]
Alfonso X, pretender to the Holy
Roman Empire
Roman Empire crown and king of the
Crown of Castile
From the mid 13th century, literature and philosophy started to
flourish again in the Christian peninsular kingdoms, based on Roman
and Gothic traditions. An important philosopher from this time is
Ramon Llull.
Abraham Cresques
Abraham Cresques was a prominent Jewish cartographer.
Roman law
Roman law and its institutions were the model for the legislators. The
king
Alfonso X
Alfonso X of Castile focused on strengthening this Roman and
Gothic past, and also on linking the Iberian Christian kingdoms with
the rest of medieval European Christendom. Alfonso worked for being
elected emperor of the Holy
Roman Empire
Roman Empire and published the Siete
Partidas code. The
Toledo School of Translators
Toledo School of Translators is the name that
commonly describes the group of scholars who worked together in the
city of Toledo during the 12th and 13th centuries, to translate many
of the philosophical and scientific works from Classical Arabic,
Ancient Greek, and Ancient Hebrew.
Alhambra.
Granada
Granada was the last
Taifa
Taifa in the Peninsula.
The Islamic transmission of the classics is the main Islamic
contributions to Medieval Europe. The Castilian language—more
commonly known (especially later in history and at present) as
"Spanish" after becoming the national language and lingua franca of
Spain—evolved from Vulgar Latin, as did other
Romance languages
Romance languages of
Spain
Spain like the Catalan, Asturian and Galician languages, as well as
other
Romance languages
Romance languages in Latin Europe. Basque, the only non-Romance
language in Spain, continued evolving from Early Basque to Medieval.
The
Glosas Emilianenses
Glosas Emilianenses founded in the monasteries of San Millán de
la Cogolla contain the first written words in both Basque and Spanish,
having the first become an influence in the formation of the second as
an evolution of Latin.
The 13th century also witnessed the Crown of Aragon, centred in
Spain's north east, expand its reach across islands in the
Mediterranean, to
Sicily
Sicily and even Athens.[37] Around this time the
universities of Palencia (1212/1263) and
Salamanca
Salamanca (1218/1254) were
established. The
Black Death
Black Death of 1348 and 1349 devastated Spain.[38]
Imperial Spain
Main article: Spanish Empire
School of Salamanca
School of Salamanca (origin of modern international law theories) and
Colegio de San Gregorio
Colegio de San Gregorio of
Valladolid
Valladolid (origin of modern human rights
theories).
In 1469, the crowns of the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon
were united by the marriage of
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II
of Aragon. 1478 commenced the completion of the conquest of the Canary
Islands and in 1492, the combined forces of Castile and Aragon
captured the Emirate of
Granada
Granada from its last ruler Muhammad XII,
ending the last remnant of a 781-year presence of Islamic rule in
Iberia. That same year, Spain's
Jews
Jews were ordered to convert to
Catholicism
Catholicism or face expulsion from Spanish territories during the
Spanish Inquisition.[39] The Treaty of
Granada
Granada guaranteed religious
tolerance towards Muslims,[40] for a few years before
Islam
Islam was
outlawed in 1502 in the
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile and 1527 in the Kingdom of
Aragon, leading to Spain's
Muslim
Muslim population becoming nominally
Christian Moriscos. A few decades after the
Morisco
Morisco rebellion of
Granada
Granada known as the War of the Alpujarras, a significant proportion
of Spain's formerly-
Muslim
Muslim population was expelled, settling primarily
in North Africa. [l][41]
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro.
The year 1492 also marked the arrival of
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus in the
New World, during a voyage funded by Isabella. Columbus's first voyage
crossed the Atlantic and reached the Caribbean Islands, beginning the
European exploration and conquest of the Americas, although Columbus
remained convinced that he had reached the Orient. The colonisation of
the Americas started, with conquistadores like
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés and
Francisco Pizarro.
Miscegenation
Miscegenation was the rule between the native and
the Spanish cultures and people.
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus meets
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of
Aragon
Aragon in the Alhambra
As
Renaissance
Renaissance New Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand centralised royal
power at the expense of local nobility, and the word España, whose
root is the ancient name Hispania, began to be commonly used to
designate the whole of the two kingdoms.[41] With their wide-ranging
political, legal, religious and military reforms,
Spain
Spain emerged as the
first world power.
The unification of the crowns of
Aragon
Aragon and Castile by the marriage of
their sovereigns laid the basis for modern
Spain
Spain and the Spanish
Empire, although each kingdom of
Spain
Spain remained a separate country
socially, politically, legally, and in currency and language.[42][43]
María Pacheco, last leader of Revolt of the Comuneros, one of the first modern revolutions
There were two big revolts against the new Habsburg monarch and the
more authoritarian and imperial-style crown: Revolt of the Comuneros
in Castile and
Revolt of the Brotherhoods
Revolt of the Brotherhoods in
Majorca
Majorca and Valencia.
After years of combat, Comuneros Juan López de Padilla, Juan Bravo
and
Francisco Maldonado were executed and
María Pacheco
María Pacheco went into
exile. Germana de Foix also finished with the revolt in the
Mediterranean.
Spain
Spain was Europe's leading power throughout the 16th century and most
of the 17th century, a position reinforced by trade and wealth from
colonial possessions and became the world's leading maritime power. It
reached its apogee during the reigns of the first two Spanish
Habsburgs—Charles I (1516–1556) and Philip II (1556–1598). This
period saw the Italian Wars, the Revolt of the Comuneros, the Dutch
Revolt, the
Morisco
Morisco Revolt, clashes with the Ottomans, the
Anglo-Spanish War and wars with France.[44]
Anachronous map of the Spanish Empire, including territorial claims
Philip II and Charles V, Habsburg Spain. Charles was also Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
Through exploration and conquest or royal marriage alliances and
inheritance, the
Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire expanded to include vast areas in the
Americas, islands in the Asia-Pacific area, areas of Italy, cities in
Northern Africa, as well as parts of what are now France, Germany,
Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The first circumnavigation
of the world was carried out in 1519–1521. It was the first empire
on which it was said that the sun never set. This was an Age of
Discovery, with daring explorations by sea and by land, the opening-up
of new trade routes across oceans, conquests and the beginnings of
European colonialism. Spanish explorers brought back precious metals,
spices, luxuries, and previously unknown plants, and played a leading
part in transforming the European understanding of the globe.[45] The
cultural efflorescence witnessed during this period is now referred to
as the Spanish Golden Age. The expansion of the empire caused immense
upheaval in the Americas as the collapse of societies and empires and
new diseases from
Europe
Europe devastated American indigenous populations.
The rise of humanism, the
Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation and new geographical
discoveries and conquests raised issues that were addressed by the
intellectual movement now known as the School of Salamanca, which
developed the first modern theories of what are now known as
international law and human rights.
Juan Luis Vives
Juan Luis Vives was another
prominent humanist during this period.
Europe
Europe after the Peace of Westphalia
In the late 16th century and first half of the 17th century,
Spain
Spain was
confronted by unrelenting challenges from all sides. Barbary pirates,
under the aegis of the rapidly growing Ottoman Empire, disrupted life
in many coastal areas through their slave raids and the renewed threat
of an Islamic invasion.[46] This was at a time when
Spain
Spain was often at
war with France.
The
Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation dragged the kingdom ever more deeply into
the mire of religiously charged wars. The result was a country forced
into ever expanding military efforts across
Europe
Europe and in the
Mediterranean.[47]
By the middle decades of a war- and plague-ridden 17th-century Europe,
the Spanish Habsburgs had enmeshed the country in continent-wide
religious-political conflicts. These conflicts drained it of resources
and undermined the economy generally.
Spain
Spain managed to hold on to most
of the scattered Habsburg empire, and help the imperial forces of the
Holy
Roman Empire
Roman Empire reverse a large part of the advances made by
Protestant
Protestant forces, but it was finally forced to recognise the
separation of
Portugal
Portugal (with whom it had been united in a personal
union of the crowns from 1580 to 1640) and the Netherlands, and
eventually suffered some serious military reverses to
France
France in the
latter stages of the immensely destructive, Europe-wide Thirty Years'
War.[48]
The Family of Philip V. During the
Enlightenment in Spain
Enlightenment in Spain a new royal
family reigned, the House of Bourbon.
In the latter half of the 17th century,
Spain
Spain went into a gradual
decline, during which it surrendered several small territories to
France
France and the Netherlands; however, it maintained and enlarged its
vast overseas empire, which remained intact until the beginning of the
19th century.
The decline culminated in a controversy over succession to the throne
which consumed the first years of the 18th century. The War of the
Spanish Succession was a wide-ranging international conflict combined
with a civil war, and was to cost the kingdom its European possessions
and its position as one of the leading powers on the Continent.[49]
During this war, a new dynasty originating in France, the Bourbons,
was installed. Long united only by the Crown, a true Spanish state was
established when the first Bourbon king, Philip V, united the crowns
of Castile and
Aragon
Aragon into a single state, abolishing many of the old
regional privileges and laws.[50]
The 18th century saw a gradual recovery and an increase in prosperity
through much of the empire. The new Bourbon monarchy drew on the
French system of modernising the administration and the economy.
Enlightenment ideas began to gain ground among some of the kingdom's
elite and monarchy. Military assistance for the rebellious British
colonies in the American War of Independence improved the kingdom's
international standing.[51]
Liberalism, Labour movement and nation state
Main articles: Mid-19th-century Spain, Spanish American wars of
independence, Spanish–American War, Anarchism in Spain, and Spanish
Second Republic
The Third of May 1808
The Third of May 1808 by
Francisco de Goya
Francisco de Goya depicts an episode of the
Spanish Independence War.
In 1793,
Spain
Spain went to war against the revolutionary new French
Republic as a member of the first Coalition. The subsequent War of the
Pyrenees
Pyrenees polarised the country in a reaction against the gallicised
elites and following defeat in the field, peace was made with France
in 1795 at the
Peace of Basel
Peace of Basel in which
Spain
Spain lost control over
two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. The Prime Minister, Manuel
Godoy, then ensured that
Spain
Spain allied herself with
France
France in the brief
War of the Third Coalition
War of the Third Coalition which ended with the British victory at the
Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. In 1807, a secret treaty between Napoleon
and the unpopular prime minister led to a new declaration of war
against Britain and Portugal. Napoleon's troops entered the country to
invade
Portugal
Portugal but instead occupied Spain's major fortresses. The
ridiculed Spanish king abdicated in favour of Napoleon's brother,
Joseph Bonaparte.
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte was seen as a puppet monarch and was regarded with
scorn by the Spanish. The 2 May 1808 revolt was one of many
nationalist uprisings across the country against the Bonapartist
regime.[52] These revolts marked the beginning of a devastating war of
independence against the Napoleonic regime.[53] Napoleon was forced to
intervene personally, defeating several Spanish armies and forcing a
British army to retreat. However, further military action by Spanish
armies, guerrillas and Wellington's British-Portuguese forces,
combined with Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, led to the
ousting of the French imperial armies from
Spain
Spain in 1814, and the
return of King Ferdinand VII.[54]
The Proclamation of the
Spanish Constitution of 1812
Spanish Constitution of 1812 in Cádiz
During the war, in 1810, a revolutionary body, the Cortes of Cádiz,
was assembled to co-ordinate the effort against the Bonapartist regime
and to prepare a constitution.[55] It met as one body, and its members
represented the entire Spanish empire.[56] In 1812, a constitution for
universal representation under a constitutional monarchy was declared,
but after the fall of the Bonapartist regime,
Ferdinand VII
Ferdinand VII dismissed
the
Cortes Generales
Cortes Generales and was determined to rule as an absolute
monarch. These events foreshadowed the conflict between conservatives
and liberals in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Laureano Figuerola, Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla, Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, Juan Prim, Francisco Serrano, Juan Bautista Topete, Adelardo López de Ayala, Juan Álvarez de Lorenzana, Antonio Romero Ortiz
Spain's conquest by
France
France benefited Latin American anti-colonialists
who resented the Imperial Spanish government's policies that favoured
Spanish-born citizens (Peninsulars) over those born overseas
(Criollos) and demanded retroversion of the sovereignty to the people.
Starting in 1809 Spain's American colonies began a series of
revolutions and declared independence, leading to the Spanish American
wars of independence that ended Spanish control over its mainland
colonies in the Americas. King Ferdinand VII's attempt to re-assert
control proved futile as he faced opposition not only in the colonies
but also in
Spain
Spain and army revolts followed, led by liberal officers.
By the end of 1826, the only American colonies
Spain
Spain held were Cuba
and Puerto Rico.
The Napoleonic War left
Spain
Spain economically ruined, deeply divided and
politically unstable. In the 1830s and 1840s Anti-liberal forces known
as Carlists fought against liberals in the Carlist Wars. Liberal
forces won, but the conflict between progressive and conservative
liberals ended in a weak early constitutional period. After the
Glorious Revolution of 1868 and the short-lived First Spanish
Republic, a more stable monarchic period began characterised by the
practice of turnismo (the rotation of government control between
progressive and conservative liberals within the Spanish government).
Proclamation of the
First Spanish Republic
First Spanish Republic in Barcelona, 1873.
Francesc Pi i Margall, was president and intellectual theoric of
federalism.
In the late 19th century nationalist movements arose in the
Philippines
Philippines and Cuba. In 1895 and 1896 the Cuban War of Independence
and the
Philippine Revolution
Philippine Revolution broke out and eventually the United
States became involved. The
Spanish–American War
Spanish–American War was fought in the
spring of 1898 and resulted in
Spain
Spain losing the last of its once vast
colonial empire outside of North Africa. El Desastre (the Disaster),
as the war became known in Spain, gave added impetus to the Generation
of '98 who were conducting an analysis of the country.
Demonstration in
Barcelona
Barcelona after the Tragic Week events
Although the period around the turn of the century was one of
increasing prosperity, the 20th century brought little peace; Spain
played a minor part in the scramble for Africa, with the colonisation
of Western Sahara, Spanish
Morocco
Morocco and Equatorial Guinea. It remained
neutral during World War I (see
Spain
Spain in World War I). The heavy
losses suffered during the Rif War in
Morocco
Morocco brought discredit to the
government and undermined the monarchy.
A period of authoritarian rule under General Miguel Primo de Rivera
(1923–1931) ended with the establishment of the Second Spanish
Republic. The Republic offered political autonomy to the
linguistically distinct regions of Basque Country,
Catalonia
Catalonia and
Galicia and gave voting rights to women. During this period Asturian
miners' strike of 1934 occurred.
Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War and Francoist Spain
Main articles: Spanish Civil War, Spanish Revolution of 1936, and
Francoist Spain
They shall not pass!...
Madrid
Madrid will be the graveyard of fascism.
Fascism was on rise in
Europe
Europe during Spanish Civil War.
The
Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936. For three years the
Nationalist forces led by General
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco and supported by
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany and Fascist
Italy
Italy fought the Republican side, which was
supported by the Soviet Union,
Mexico
Mexico and
International Brigades
International Brigades but
it was not supported by the Western powers due to the British-led
policy of Non-Intervention. The civil war was viciously fought and
there were many atrocities committed by all sides. The war claimed the
lives of over 500,000 people and caused the flight of up to a
half-million citizens from the country.[57][58] In 1939, General
Franco emerged victorious and became a dictator.
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco and
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower (
Madrid
Madrid 1959) in the context
of the Cold War.
Spain
Spain entered in United Nations in 1955.
The state as established under Franco was nominally neutral in the
Second World War, although sympathetic to the Axis. The only legal
party under Franco's post civil war regime was the
Falange
Falange Española
Tradicionalista y de las JONS, formed in 1937; the party emphasised
falangism, a form of fascism that emphasised anti-communism,
nationalism and Roman Catholicism. Given Franco's opposition to
competing political parties, the party was renamed the National
Movement (Movimiento Nacional) in 1949.
After World War II
Spain
Spain was politically and economically isolated,
and was kept out of the United Nations. This changed in 1955, during
the
Cold War
Cold War period, when it became strategically important for the US
to establish a military presence on the
Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula as a counter
to any possible move by the
Soviet Union
Soviet Union into the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean basin.
In the 1960s,
Spain
Spain registered an unprecedented rate of economic
growth which was propelled by industrialisation, a mass internal
migration from rural areas to Madrid,
Barcelona
Barcelona and the Basque Country
and the creation of a mass tourism industry. Franco's rule was also
characterised by authoritarianism, promotion of a unitary national
identity, the favouring of a very conservative form of Roman
Catholicism
Catholicism known as National Catholicism, and discriminatory language
policies.
Restoration of democracy
Main articles:
Spanish transition to democracy
Spanish transition to democracy and Spanish society
after the democratic transition
Federica Montseny
Federica Montseny speaks at the meeting of the CNT in
Barcelona
Barcelona in
1977 after 36 years of exile.
In 1962, a group of politicians involved in the opposition to Franco's
regime inside the country and in the exile met in the congress of the
European Movement
European Movement in Munich, where they made a resolution in favour of
democracy.[59][60][61]
With Franco's death in November 1975,
Juan Carlos
Juan Carlos succeeded to the
position of
King of Spain
King of Spain and head of state in accordance with the
franquist law. With the approval of the new Spanish Constitution of
1978 and the restoration of democracy, the State devolved much
authority to the regions and created an internal organisation based on
autonomous communities. The
Spanish 1977 Amnesty Law let people of
Franco's regime continue inside institutions without consequences,
even perpetrators of some crimes during transition to democracy like
the
Massacre of 3 March 1976 in Vitoria
Massacre of 3 March 1976 in Vitoria or 1977 Massacre of Atocha.
The 'founding chairman' of the current leading political party in
Spain, the People's Party, was Manuel Fraga who had been a minister in
Franco's government and yet continued with his political career until
shortly before his death in 2012.
Madrid
Madrid Conference of 1991 about Israeli–Palestinian peace process
with presidents
George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush and Felipe González, among others.
In the Basque Country, moderate
Basque nationalism
Basque nationalism has coexisted with
a radical nationalist movement led by the armed terrorist organisation
ETA.[62] The group was formed in 1959 during Franco's rule but has
continued to wage its violent campaign even after the restoration of
democracy and the return of a large measure of regional autonomy.
On 23 February 1981, rebel elements among the security forces seized
the Cortes in an attempt to impose a military-backed government. King
Juan Carlos
Juan Carlos took personal command of the military and successfully
ordered the coup plotters, via national television, to surrender.
José María Aznar, Jordi Pujol,
Felipe VI
Felipe VI and
Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez in the
1990s
During the 1980s the democratic restoration made possible a growing
open society. New cultural movements based on freedom appeared, like
La Movida Madrileña
La Movida Madrileña and a culture of human rights arose with Gregorio
Peces-Barba. On 30 May 1982
Spain
Spain joined NATO, followed by a
referendum after a strong social opposition. That year the Spanish
Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) came to power, the first left-wing
government in 43 years. In 1986
Spain
Spain joined the European Economic
Community, which later became the European Union. The PSOE was
replaced in government by the Partido Popular (PP) in 1996 after
scandals around participation of the government of
Felipe González
Felipe González in
the Dirty war against ETA; at that point the PSOE had served almost 14
consecutive years in office.
On 1 January 2002,
Spain
Spain fully adopted the euro, and
Spain
Spain experienced
strong economic growth, well above the EU average during the early
2000s. However, well-publicised concerns issued by many economic
commentators at the height of the boom warned that extraordinary
property prices and a high foreign trade deficit were likely to lead
to a painful economic collapse.[63]
Spain
Spain has been a member of the
European Union
European Union since 1986.
In 2002 the
Prestige oil spill
Prestige oil spill occurred with big ecological
consequences along Spain's Atlantic coastline. In 2003 José María
Aznar supported US president
George W. Bush
George W. Bush in the Iraq War, and a
strong movement against war rose in Spanish society. On 11 March 2004
a local
Islamist
Islamist terrorist group inspired by
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda carried out the
largest terrorist attack in Spanish history when they killed 191
people and wounded more than 1,800 others by bombing commuter trains
in Madrid.[64] Though initial suspicions focused on the Basque
terrorist group ETA, evidence soon emerged indicating Islamist
involvement. Because of the proximity of the 2004 election, the issue
of responsibility quickly became a political controversy, with the
main competing parties PP and PSOE exchanging accusations over the
handling of the incident.[65] The elections on 14 March were won by
the PSOE, led by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
Puerta del Sol
Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, shown here on 20 May 2011, became a
focal point and a symbol during the protests.
The proportion of Spain's foreign born population increased rapidly
during its economic boom in the early 2000s, but then declined due to
the financial crisis.[66] In 2005 the Spanish government legalised
same sex marriage. Decentralisation was supported with much resistance
of Constitutional Court and conservative opposition, so did gender
politics like quotas or the law against gender violence. Government
talks with ETA happened, and the group announced its permanent cease
of violence in 2010.
The bursting of the
Spanish property bubble
Spanish property bubble in 2008 led to the
2008–16 Spanish financial crisis
2008–16 Spanish financial crisis and high levels of unemployment,
cuts in government spending and corruption in
Royal family
Royal family and
People's Party served as a backdrop to the 2011–12 Spanish protests.
Catalan independentism
Catalan independentism was also on rise. In 2011, Mariano Rajoy's
conservative People's Party won the election with 44.6% of votes, and
Rajoy became the Spanish Prime Minister, after having been the leader
of the opposition from 2004 to 2011, and continued to implement
austerity measures required by the EU Stability and Growth Pact. On 19
June 2014, the monarch, Juan Carlos, abdicated in favour of his son,
who became Felipe VI.
A Catalan independence referendum was held on 1 October 2017 and then,
on 27 October, the
Catalan parliament
Catalan parliament voted to unilaterally declare
independence from
Spain
Spain to form a Catalan Republic[67][68] on the day
the
Spanish Senate
Spanish Senate was discussing approving direct rule over Catalonia
as called for by the Spanish Prime Minister.[69][70] Later that day
the Senate granted the power to impose direct rule and Mr Rajoy
dissolved the
Catalan parliament
Catalan parliament and called a new election.[71] No
country recognised
Catalonia
Catalonia as a separate state.[72]
Geography
Main article: Geography of Spain
Topographic map of Spain
At 505,992 km2 (195,365 sq mi),
Spain
Spain is the world's
fifty-second largest country and Europe's fourth largest country. It
is some 47,000 km2 (18,000 sq mi) smaller than France
and 81,000 km2 (31,000 sq mi) larger than the US state
of California. Mount
Teide
Teide (Tenerife) is the highest mountain peak in
Spain
Spain and is the third largest volcano in the world from its base.
Spain
Spain is a transcontinental country.
Spain
Spain lies between latitudes 26° and 44° N, and longitudes 19° W
and 5° E.
On the west,
Spain
Spain is bordered by Portugal; on the south, it is
bordered by
Gibraltar
Gibraltar (a British overseas territory) and Morocco,
through its exclaves in North Africa (
Ceuta
Ceuta and Melilla, and the
peninsula of Vélez de la Gomera). On the northeast, along the
Pyrenees
Pyrenees mountain range, it is bordered by
France
France and the Principality
of Andorra. Along the
Pyrenees
Pyrenees in Girona, a small exclave town called
Llívia
Llívia is surrounded by France.
Extending to 1,214 km (754 mi), the Portugal–
Spain
Spain border
is the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union.[73]
Islands
Main article: List of islands of Spain
Spain
Spain also includes the
Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands in the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea, the
Canary Islands
Canary Islands in the
Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean and a number of uninhabited
islands on the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean side of the Strait of Gibraltar, known as
plazas de soberanía ("places of sovereignty", or territories under
Spanish sovereignty), such as the
Chafarinas Islands
Chafarinas Islands and Alhucemas.
The peninsula of Vélez de la Gomera is also regarded as a plaza de
soberanía. The isle of Alborán, located in the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean between
Spain
Spain and North Africa, is also administered by Spain, specifically by
the municipality of Almería, Andalusia. The little
Pheasant Island
Pheasant Island in
the River
Bidasoa
Bidasoa is a Spanish-French condominium.
Largest inhabited islands of Spain:
Mt Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands
Island Population
Tenerife 899,833
Majorca
Majorca (Mallorca)
862,397
Gran Canaria 838,397
Lanzarote 141,938
Ibiza 125,053
Fuerteventura 103,107
Menorca 92,434
La Palma 85,933
Mountains and rivers
Ordesa y
Monte Perdido
Monte Perdido National Park,
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site in the
Pyrenees
Mainland
Spain
Spain is a mountainous country, dominated by high plateaus
and mountain chains. After the Pyrenees, the main mountain ranges are
the
Cordillera Cantábrica
Cordillera Cantábrica (Cantabrian Range), Sistema Ibérico
(Iberian System),
Sistema Central
Sistema Central (Central System), Montes de Toledo,
Sierra Morena
Sierra Morena and the
Sistema Bético
Sistema Bético (Baetic System) whose highest
peak, the 3,478-metre-high (11,411-foot) Mulhacén, located in Sierra
Nevada, is the highest elevation in the Iberian Peninsula. The highest
point in
Spain
Spain is the Teide, a 3,718-metre (12,198 ft) active
volcano in the Canary Islands. The
Meseta Central
Meseta Central (often translated as
"Inner Plateau") is a vast plateau in the heart of peninsular Spain.
There are several major rivers in
Spain
Spain such as the
Tagus
Tagus (Tajo),
Ebro, Guadiana,
Douro
Douro (Duero), Guadalquivir, Júcar, Segura, Turia and
Minho (Miño). Alluvial plains are found along the coast, the largest
of which is that of the
Guadalquivir
Guadalquivir in Andalusia.
Climate
Main article: Climate of Spain
Somiedo Natural Park, Cantabrian Mountains, Asturias.
The
Mediterranean
Mediterranean coast in Cartagena, Region of Murcia
Tablas de Daimiel National Park, Castile-La Mancha.
Three main climatic zones can be separated, according to geographical situation and orographic conditions:[74][75][76]
The
Mediterranean
Mediterranean climate, characterised by warm/hot and dry summers,
is dominant in the peninsula. It has two varieties: Csa and Csb
according to the Köppen climate classification.
The Csa zone is associated to areas with hot summers. It is
predominant in the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean and Southern Atlantic coast and
inland throughout Andalusia,
Extremadura
Extremadura and much, if not most, of the
centre of the country. The Csa zone covers climatic zones with both
relatively warm and cold winters which are considered extremely
different to each other at a local level, reason for which Köppen
classification is often eschewed within Spain. Local climatic maps
generally divide the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean zone (which covers most of the
country) between warm-winter and cold-winter zones, rather than
according to summer temperatures.
The Csb zone has warm rather than hot summers, and extends to
additional cool-winter areas not typically associated with a
Mediterranean
Mediterranean climate, such as much of central and northern-central of
Spain
Spain (e.g. western Castile–León, northeastern Castilla-La Mancha
and northern Madrid) and into much rainier areas (notably Galicia).
Note areas with relatively high rainfall such as Galicia are not
considered
Mediterranean
Mediterranean under local classifications, but classed as
oceanic.
The semi-arid climate (BSk, BSh), is predominant in the southeastern
quarter of the country, but is also widespread in other areas of
Spain. It covers most of the Region of Murcia, southern
Valencia
Valencia and
eastern Andalusia, where true hot desert climates also exist. Further
to the north, it is predominant in the upper and mid reaches of the
Ebro
Ebro valley, which crosses southern Navarre, central
Aragon
Aragon and
western Catalonia. It also is found in Madrid, Extremadura,
Castilla-La Mancha, and some locations of western Andalusia. The dry
season extends beyond the summer and average temperature depends on
altitude and latitude.
The oceanic climate (Cfb), located in the northern quarter of the
country, especially in the Atlantic region (Basque Country, Cantabria,
Asturias, and partly Galicia and Castile–León). Additionally it is
also found in northern Navarre, in most highlands areas along the
Iberian System and in the Pyrenean valleys, where a humid subtropical
variant (Cfa) also occurs. Winter and summer temperatures are
influenced by the ocean, and have no seasonal drought.
Apart from these main types, other sub-types can be found, like the
alpine and continental climates (Dfc, Dfb / Dsc, Dsb) in the Pyrenees
as well as parts of the Cantabrian Range, the Central System, Sierra
Nevada and the Iberian System, and a typical desert climate (BWk, BWh)
in the zone of Almería,
Murcia
Murcia and eastern Canary Islands. Low-lying
areas of the
Canary Islands
Canary Islands average above 18.0 °C
(64.4 °F) during their coldest month, thus having a tropical
climate.
Fauna
Fauna and flora
Iberian Wolf
The fauna presents a wide diversity that is due in large part to the
geographical position of the Iberian peninsula between the Atlantic
and the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean and between Africa and Eurasia, and the great
diversity of habitats and biotopes, the result of a considerable
variety of climates and well differentiated regions.
The vegetation of
Spain
Spain is varied due to several factors including the
diversity of the relief, the climate and latitude.
Spain
Spain includes
different phytogeographic regions, each with its own floristic
characteristics resulting largely from the interaction of climate,
topography, soil type and fire, biotic factors.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Spain
See also: Spanish Constitution of 1978
The Royal Palace in Madrid
According to the
Democracy Index
Democracy Index of the EIU,
Spain
Spain is one of the 19
full democracies in the world.
The
Spanish Constitution of 1978
Spanish Constitution of 1978 is the culmination of the Spanish
transition to democracy. The constitutional history of
Spain
Spain dates
back to the constitution of 1812. Impatient with the slow pace of
democratic political reforms in 1976 and 1977, Spain's new King Juan
Carlos, known for his formidable personality, dismissed Carlos Arias
Navarro and appointed the reformer
Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez as Prime
Minister.[77][78] The resulting general election in 1977 convened the
Constituent Cortes (the Spanish Parliament, in its capacity as a
constitutional assembly) for the purpose of drafting and approving the
constitution of 1978.[79] After a national referendum on 6 December
1978, 88% of voters approved of the new constitution.
As a result,
Spain
Spain is now composed of 17 autonomous communities and
two autonomous cities with varying degrees of autonomy thanks to its
Constitution, which nevertheless explicitly states the indivisible
unity of the Spanish nation. The constitution also specifies that
Spain
Spain has no state religion and that all are free to practice and
believe as they wish.
The Spanish administration approved legislation in 2007 aimed at
furthering equality between genders in Spanish political and economic
life (Gender Equality Act).[80][81] However, in the legislative
branch, as of May 2017 only 140 of the 350 members of the Congress
were women (40%).[82] It places
Spain
Spain 12th on a list of countries
ranked by proportion of women in the lower house. In the Senate, there
are only 101 women out of 263 (38.0%).[83] The Gender Empowerment
Measure of
Spain
Spain in the United Nations
Human Development Report
Human Development Report is
0.794, 12th in the world.[84]
Government
Main article: Government of Spain
See also:
List of Spanish monarchs
List of Spanish monarchs and Monarchs of
Spain
Spain family tree
Congress of Deputies, Madrid
Spain
Spain is a constitutional monarchy, with a hereditary monarch and a
bicameral parliament, the
Cortes Generales
Cortes Generales (General Courts). The
executive branch consists of a
Council of Ministers of Spain
Council of Ministers of Spain presided
over by the Prime Minister, nominated and appointed by the monarch and
confirmed by the Congress of Deputies following legislative elections.
By political custom established by King
Juan Carlos
Juan Carlos since the
ratification of the 1978 Constitution, the king's nominees have all
been from parties who maintain a plurality of seats in the Congress.
The legislative branch is made up of the Congress of Deputies
(Congreso de los Diputados) with 350 members, elected by popular vote
on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year
terms, and a Senate (Senado) with 259 seats of which 208 are directly
elected by popular vote, using a limited voting method, and the other
51 appointed by the regional legislatures to also serve four-year
terms.
Head of State
King Felipe VI, since 19 June 2014
Head of Government
Prime Minister of Spain
Prime Minister of Spain (Presidente del Gobierno, literally President
of the Government):
Mariano Rajoy
Mariano Rajoy Brey, elected 20 November 2011.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Presidency: Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría.
Cabinet
Council of Ministers (Consejo de Ministros) designated by the Prime Minister.
Spain
Spain is organisationally structured as a so-called Estado de las
Autonomías ("State of Autonomies"); it is one of the most
decentralised countries in Europe, along with Switzerland,
Germany
Germany and
Belgium;[85] for example, all autonomous communities have their own
elected parliaments, governments, public administrations, budgets, and
resources. Health and education systems among others are managed by
the Spanish communities, and in addition, the Basque
Country
Country and
Navarre
Navarre also manage their own public finances based on foral
provisions. In Catalonia, the Basque Country,
Navarre
Navarre and the Canary
Islands, a full-fledged autonomous police corps replaces some of the
State police functions (see Mossos d'Esquadra, Ertzaintza, Policía
Foral/Foruzaingoa and Policía Canaria).
Human rights
Main article: Human rights in Spain
See also:
LGBT
LGBT rights in Spain
Europride
Europride in Madrid. In 2017 a Summit about LGBTI human rights took
part at the same time than the World Pride.[86]
The
Spanish Constitution of 1978
Spanish Constitution of 1978 "protect all
Spaniards
Spaniards and all the
peoples of
Spain
Spain in the exercise of human rights, their cultures and
traditions, languages and institutions".[87]
According to
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (AI), government investigations of
alleged police abuses are often lengthy and punishments were
light.[88] Violence against women was a problem, which the Government
took steps to address.[89][90]
Spain
Spain provides one of the highest degrees of liberty in the world for
its
LGBT
LGBT community. Among the countries studied by Pew Research Center
in 2013,
Spain
Spain is rated first in acceptance of homosexuality, with an
88% of society supporting the gay community compared to 11% who do
not.[91]
Administrative divisions
Main article: Political divisions of Spain
The Spanish State is integrated by 17 autonomous communities and 2
autonomous cities, both groups being the highest or first-order
administrative division in the country. Autonomous communities are
integrated by provinces, of which there are 50 in total, and in turn,
provinces are integrated by municipalities. In Catalonia, two
additional divisions exist, the comarques (sing. comarca) and the
vegueries (sing. vegueria) both of which have administrative powers;
comarques being aggregations of municipalities, and the vegueries
being aggregations of comarques. The concept of a comarca exists in
all autonomous communities, however, unlike Catalonia, these are
merely historical or geographical subdivisions.
Autonomous communities
Main article: Autonomous communities of Spain
See also: Nationalities and regions of Spain
Galicia
Navarre
Madrid
La Rioja
Aragon
Catalonia
Valencia
Castilla-
La Mancha
Extremadura
Portugal
Castile
and León
Asturias
Cantabria
Basque Country
Murcia
Andalusia
Ceuta
Melilla
France
Balearic
Islands
Canary
Islands
Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
Bay of Biscay
Atlantic
Ocean
Andorra
Atlantic
Ocean
Gibraltar
Gibraltar (UK)
Spain's autonomous communities are the first level administrative
divisions of the country. They were created after the current
constitution came into effect (in 1978) in recognition of the right to
self-government of the "nationalities and regions of Spain".[92] The
autonomous communities were to be integrated into adjacent provinces
with common historical, cultural, and economical traits. This
territorial organisation, based on devolution, is literally known in
Spain
Spain as the "State of Autonomies".
The basic institutional law of each autonomous community is the
Statute of Autonomy. The Statutes of Autonomy establish the name of
the community according to its historical and contemporary identity,
the limits of its territories, the name and organisation of the
institutions of government and the rights they enjoy according to the
constitution.[93]
The governments of all autonomous communities must be based on a
division of powers comprising:
a legislative assembly whose members must be elected by universal suffrage according to the system of proportional representation and in which all areas that integrate the territory are fairly represented; a government council, with executive and administrative functions headed by a president, elected by the Legislative Assembly and nominated by the King of Spain; a supreme court, under the supreme court of Spain, which heads the judiciary in the autonomous community.
Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque Country, which identified themselves
as nationalities, were granted self-government through a rapid
process.
Andalusia
Andalusia also took that denomination in its first Statute of
Autonomy, even though it followed the longer process stipulated in the
constitution for the rest of the country. Progressively, other
communities in revisions to their Statutes of Autonomy have also taken
that denomination in accordance to their historical and modern
identities, such as the Valencian Community,[94] the Canary
Islands,[95] the Balearic Islands,[96] and Aragon.[97]
The autonomous communities have wide legislative and executive
autonomy, with their own parliaments and regional governments. The
distribution of powers may be different for every community, as laid
out in their Statutes of Autonomy, since devolution was intended to be
asymmetrical. Only two communities—the Basque
Country
Country and
Navarre—have full fiscal autonomy. Aside of fiscal autonomy, the
nationalities—Andalusia, the Basque Country, Catalonia, and
Galicia—were devolved more powers than the rest of the communities,
among them the ability of the regional president to dissolve the
parliament and call for elections at any time. In addition, the Basque
Country,
Catalonia
Catalonia and
Navarre
Navarre have police corps of their own:
Ertzaintza,
Mossos d'Esquadra
Mossos d'Esquadra and the
Policía Foral
Policía Foral respectively.
Other communities have more limited forces or none at all, like the
Policía Autónoma Andaluza[98] in
Andalusia
Andalusia or the
BESCAM
BESCAM in Madrid.
Nonetheless, recent amendments to existing Statutes of Autonomy or the
promulgation of new Statutes altogether, have reduced the asymmetry
between the powers originally granted to the nationalities and the
rest of the regions.
Finally, along with the 17 autonomous communities, two autonomous
cities are also part of the State of Autonomies and are first-order
territorial divisions:
Ceuta
Ceuta and Melilla. These are two exclaves
located in the northern African coast.
Provinces and municipalities
Main articles:
Provinces of Spain
Provinces of Spain and Municipalities of Spain
Autonomous communities are subdivided into provinces, which served as
their territorial building blocks. In turn, provinces are integrated
by municipalities. The existence of both the provinces and the
municipalities is guaranteed and protected by the constitution, not
necessarily by the Statutes of Autonomy themselves. Municipalities are
granted autonomy to manage their internal affairs, and provinces are
the territorial divisions designed to carry out the activities of the
State.[99]
The current provincial division structure is based—with minor
changes—on the 1833 territorial division by Javier de Burgos, and in
all, the Spanish territory is divided into 50 provinces. The
communities of Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja, the Balearic Islands,
Madrid,
Murcia
Murcia and
Navarre
Navarre are the only communities that are
integrated by a single province, which is coextensive with the
community itself. In these cases, the administrative institutions of
the province are replaced by the governmental institutions of the
community.
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Spain
Mariano Rajoy
Mariano Rajoy in a
G-20
G-20 Summit in Mexico.
Spain
Spain is a permanent guest
of the G-20.
The Ibero-American Summit, in San Salvador, 2008
Palau Reial de Pedralbes, in Barcelona, headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean.
After the return of democracy following the death of Franco in 1975,
Spain's foreign policy priorities were to break out of the diplomatic
isolation of the Franco years and expand diplomatic relations, enter
the European Community, and define security relations with the West.
As a member of
NATO
NATO since 1982,
Spain
Spain has established itself as a
participant in multilateral international security activities. Spain's
EU membership represents an important part of its foreign policy. Even
on many international issues beyond western Europe,
Spain
Spain prefers to
co-ordinate its efforts with its EU partners through the European
political co-operation mechanisms.[vague]
Spain
Spain has maintained its special relations with
Hispanic America
Hispanic America and
the Philippines. Its policy emphasises the concept of an
Ibero-American community, essentially the renewal of the historically
liberal concept of "Hispanidad" or "Hispanismo", as it is often
referred to in English, which has sought to link the Iberian Peninsula
with
Hispanic America
Hispanic America through language, commerce, history and culture.
Territorial disputes
Spain
Spain claims Gibraltar, a 6-square-kilometre (2.3 sq mi)
Overseas Territory of the
United Kingdom
United Kingdom in the southernmost part of
the Iberian Peninsula. Then a Spanish town, it was conquered by an
Anglo-Dutch force in 1704 during the
War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession on
behalf of Archduke Charles, pretender to the Spanish throne.
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic army. According to United Nations,
Spain
Spain is the administrative power of the
Western Sahara
Western Sahara de iure.[100]
The legal situation concerning
Gibraltar
Gibraltar was settled in 1713 by the
Treaty of Utrecht, in which
Spain
Spain ceded the territory in perpetuity to
the British Crown[101] stating that, should the British abandon this
post, it would be offered to
Spain
Spain first. Since the 1940s
Spain
Spain has
called for the return of Gibraltar. The overwhelming majority of
Gibraltarians
Gibraltarians strongly oppose this, along with any proposal of shared
sovereignty.[102] UN resolutions call on the
United Kingdom
United Kingdom and Spain,
both EU members, to reach an agreement over the status of
Gibraltar.[103][104]
The Spanish claim makes a distinction between the isthmus that
connects the Rock to the Spanish mainland on the one hand, and the
Rock and city of
Gibraltar
Gibraltar on the other. While the Rock and city were
ceded by the Treaty of Utrecht,
Spain
Spain asserts that the "occupation of
the isthmus is illegal and against the principles of International
Law".[105] The
United Kingdom
United Kingdom relies on de facto arguments of
possession by prescription in relation to the isthmus,[106] as there
has been "continuous possession [of the isthmus] over a long
period".[107]
Another claim by
Spain
Spain is about the Savage Islands, a claim not
recognised by
Portugal
Portugal .
Spain
Spain claims that they are rocks rather than
islands, therefore claiming that there is no Portuguese territorial
waters around the disputed islands. On 5 July 2013,
Spain
Spain sent a
letter to the UN expressing these views.[108][109]
Spain
Spain claims the sovereignty over the Perejil Island, a small,
uninhabited rocky islet located in the South shore of the Strait of
Gibraltar. The island lies 250 metres (820 ft) just off the coast
of Morocco, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from
Ceuta
Ceuta and 13.5 kilometres
(8.4 mi) from mainland Spain. Its sovereignty is disputed between
Spain
Spain and Morocco. It was the subject of an armed incident between the
two countries in 2002. The incident ended when both countries agreed
to return to the status quo ante which existed prior to the Moroccan
occupation of the island. The islet is now deserted and without any
sign of sovereignty.
Besides the Perejil Island, the Spanish-held territories claimed by
other countries are two:
Morocco
Morocco claims the Spanish cities of Ceuta
and
Melilla
Melilla and the plazas de soberanía islets off the northern coast
of Africa; and
Portugal
Portugal and the other signatories of the Treaty of
Vienna(1815) and their successor states do not recognise Spain's
sovereignty over the territory of
Olivenza
Olivenza in the
Alentejo
Alentejo region of
Portugal
Portugal which was annexed by
Spain
Spain in 1801.
Portugal
Portugal stance has been
the territory being de iure Portuguese territory and de facto
Spanish.[110]
Military
Main article: Spanish Armed Forces
Aircraft carrier/assault ship
Juan Carlos
Juan Carlos I (L61) in Cartagena, Spain,
multirole fighter Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing CH-47 Chinook, universal
tank Leopard 2
The armed forces of
Spain
Spain are known as the Spanish Armed Forces
(Fuerzas Armadas Españolas). Their
Commander-in-chief
Commander-in-chief is the King of
Spain, Felipe VI.[111]
The
Spanish Armed Forces
Spanish Armed Forces are divided into three branches:[112]
Army (Ejército de Tierra) Navy (Armada) Air Force (Ejército del Aire)
Economy Main article: Economy of Spain
Headquarters of
Banco Santander
Banco Santander in Santander
Financial district in downtown
Madrid
Madrid called AZCA
Spain's capitalist mixed economy is the 14th largest worldwide and the
5th largest in the European Union, as well as the Eurozone's 4th
largest.
The centre-right government of former prime minister José María
Aznar worked successfully to gain admission to the group of countries
launching the euro in 1999. Unemployment stood at 7.6% in October
2006, lower than many other European countries, and significantly
below Spain's early 1990s unemployment rate of at over 20%. Perennial
weak points of Spain's economy include a large informal
economy,[113][114][115] and an education system which
OECD
OECD reports
place among the poorest for developed countries, together with the
United States
United States and UK.[116]
Spain
Spain is a member of the Schengen Area, the
Eurozone
Eurozone and the European
Single Market.
By the mid-1990s the economy had recommenced the growth that had been
disrupted by the global recession of the early 1990s. The strong
economic growth helped the government to reduce the government debt as
a percentage of GDP and Spain's high unemployment rate began to
steadily decline. With the government budget in balance and inflation
under control
Spain
Spain was admitted into the
Eurozone
Eurozone in 1999.
Since the 1990s some Spanish companies have gained multinational
status, often expanding their activities in culturally close Latin
America.
Spain
Spain is the second biggest foreign investor there, after the
United States. Spanish companies have also expanded into Asia,
especially China and India.[117] This early global expansion is a
competitive advantage over its competitors and European neighbours.
The reason for this early expansion is the booming interest towards
Spanish language
Spanish language and culture in Asia and Africa and a corporate
culture that learned to take risks in unstable markets.
The
Torre Agbar
Torre Agbar in Barcelona
Spanish companies invested in fields like renewable energy
commercialisation (
Iberdrola
Iberdrola was the world's largest renewable energy
operator[118]), technology companies like Telefónica, Abengoa,
Mondragon Corporation, Movistar, Hisdesat, Indra, train manufacturers
like CAF, Talgo, global corporations such as the textile company
Inditex, petroleum companies like
Repsol
Repsol and infrastructure, with six
of the ten biggest international construction firms specialising in
transport being Spanish, like Ferrovial, Acciona, ACS, OHL and
FCC.[119]
In 2005 the Economist Intelligence Unit's quality of life survey
placed
Spain
Spain among the top 10 in the world.[120] In 2013 the same
survey (now called the "Where-to-be-born index"), ranked
Spain
Spain 28th in
the world.[121]
In 2010, the Basque city of
Bilbao
Bilbao was awarded with the Lee Kuan Yew
World City Prize,[122] and its mayor at the time, Iñaki Azkuna, was
awarded the
World Mayor Prize in 2012.[123] The Basque capital city of
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz received the
European Green Capital Award
European Green Capital Award in
2012.[124]
Agriculture
Main article: Agriculture in Spain
Crop areas were farmed in two highly diverse manners. Areas relying on
non-irrigated cultivation (secano), which made up 85% of the entire
crop area, depended solely on rainfall as a source of water. They
included the humid regions of the north and the northwest, as well as
vast arid zones that had not been irrigated. The much more productive
regions devoted to irrigated cultivation (regadío) accounted for 3
million hectares in 1986, and the government hoped that this area
would eventually double, as it already had doubled since 1950.
Particularly noteworthy was the development in Almería—one of the
most arid and desolate provinces of Spain—of winter crops of various
fruits and vegetables for export to Europe.
A vineyard of Rioja
Though only about 17% of Spain's cultivated land was irrigated, it was
estimated to be the source of between 40–45% of the gross value of
crop production and of 50% of the value of agricultural exports. More
than half of the irrigated area was planted in corn, fruit trees, and
vegetables. Other agricultural products that benefited from irrigation
included grapes, cotton, sugar beets, potatoes, legumes, olive trees,
mangos, strawberries, tomatoes, and fodder grasses. Depending on the
nature of the crop, it was possible to harvest two successive crops in
the same year on about 10% of the country's irrigated land.
Citrus fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, olive oil, and
wine—Spain's traditional agricultural products—continued to be
important in the 1980s. In 1983 they represented 12%, 12%, 8%, 6%, and
4%, respectively, of the country's agricultural production. Because of
the changed diet of an increasingly affluent population, there was a
notable increase in the consumption of livestock, poultry, and dairy
products. Meat production for domestic consumption became the single
most important agricultural activity, accounting for 30% of all
farm-related production in 1983. Increased attention to livestock was
the reason that
Spain
Spain became a net importer of grains. Ideal growing
conditions, combined with proximity to important north European
markets, made citrus fruits Spain's leading export. Fresh vegetables
and fruits produced through intensive irrigation farming also became
important export commodities, as did sunflower seed oil that was
produced to compete with the more expensive olive oils in oversupply
throughout the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean countries of the European Community.
Tourism
Main article: Tourism in Spain
Benidorm, one of Europe's largest coastal tourist destinations
Frías is a main rural destination, next to Las Loras[125] geopark, Hoces del Ebro[126] natural park and Poza de la Sal, place of birth of environamentalist Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente.
In 2017
Spain
Spain was the second most visited country in the world,
recording 82 million tourists which marked the fifth consecutive year
of record-beating numbers.[127]
The climate of Spain, its geographic location, popular coastlines,
diverse landscapes, historical legacy, vibrant culture and excellent
infrastructure, has made Spain's international tourist industry among
the largest in the world. In the last five decades, international
tourism in
Spain
Spain has grown to become the second largest in the world
in terms of spending, worth approximately 40 billion Euros or
about 5% of GDP in 2006.[128][129]
Castile and Leon
Castile and Leon is the Spanish leader in rural tourism linked to its
environmental and architectural heritage.
Energy
Main article: Energy in Spain
Spain
Spain is one of the world's leading countries in the development and
production of renewable energy. In 2010
Spain
Spain became the solar power
world leader when it overtook the
United States
United States with a massive power
station plant called La Florida, near Alvarado, Badajoz.[130][131]
Spain
Spain is also Europe's main producer of wind energy. In 2010 its wind
turbines generated 42,976 GWh, which accounted for 16.4% of all
electrical energy produced in Spain.[132][133][134] On 9 November
2010, wind energy reached an instantaneous historic peak covering 53%
of mainland electricity demand[135] and generating an amount of energy
that is equivalent to that of 14 nuclear reactors.[136] Other
renewable energies used in
Spain
Spain are hydroelectric, biomass and marine
(2 power plants under construction).[137]
Non-renewable energy sources used in
Spain
Spain are nuclear (8 operative
reactors), gas, coal, and oil. Fossil fuels together generated 58% of
Spain's electricity in 2009, just below the
OECD
OECD mean of 61%. Nuclear
power generated another 19%, and wind and hydro about 12% each.[138]
Transport
Main article: Transport in Spain
A
RENFE Class 730
RENFE Class 730 train on the Viaducto Martin Gil near Zamora
The Spanish road system is mainly centralised, with six highways
connecting
Madrid
Madrid to the Basque Country, Catalonia, Valencia, West
Andalusia,
Extremadura
Extremadura and Galicia. Additionally, there are highways
along the Atlantic (Ferrol to Vigo), Cantabrian (
Oviedo
Oviedo to San
Sebastián) and
Mediterranean
Mediterranean (
Girona
Girona to Cádiz) coasts.
Spain
Spain aims to
put one million electric cars on the road by 2014 as part of the
government's plan to save energy and boost energy efficiency.[139] The
former Minister of Industry Miguel Sebastián said that "the electric
vehicle is the future and the engine of an industrial
revolution."[140]
Spain
Spain has the most extensive high-speed rail network in Europe, and
the second-most extensive in the world after China.[141][142] As of
October 2010,
Spain
Spain has a total of 3,500 km (2,174.80 mi) of
high-speed tracks linking Málaga, Seville, Madrid, Barcelona,
Valencia
Valencia and Valladolid, with the trains reaching speeds up to
300 km/h (190 mph). On average, the Spanish high-speed train
is the fastest one in the world, followed by the Japanese bullet train
and the French TGV.[143] Regarding punctuality, it is second in the
world (98.54% on-time arrival) after the Japanese Shinkansen
(99%).[144] Should the aims of the ambitious
AVE
AVE programme (Spanish
high speed trains) be met, by 2020
Spain
Spain will have 7,000 km
(4,300 mi) of high-speed trains linking almost all provincial
cities to
Madrid
Madrid in less than three hours and
Barcelona
Barcelona within four
hours.
There are 47 public airports in Spain. The busiest one is the airport
of
Madrid
Madrid (Barajas), with 50 million passengers in 2011, being
the world's 15th busiest airport, as well as the European Union's
fourth busiest. The airport of
Barcelona
Barcelona (El Prat) is also important,
with 35 million passengers in 2011, being the world's
31st-busiest airport. Other main airports are located in Majorca
(23 million passengers),
Málaga
Málaga (13 million passengers),
Las Palmas
Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) (11 million passengers), Alicante
(10 million passengers) and smaller, with the number of
passengers between 4 and 10 million, for example
Tenerife
Tenerife (two
airports), Valencia, Seville, Bilbao, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura.
Also, more than 30 airports with the number of passengers below 4
million.
Science and technology
Main article: Science and technology in Spain
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
In the 19th and 20th centuries science in
Spain
Spain was held back by
severe political instability and consequent economic underdevelopment.
Despite the conditions, some important scientists and engineers
emerged. The most notable were Miguel Servet, Santiago Ramón y Cajal,
Narcís Monturiol, Celedonio Calatayud, Juan de la Cierva, Leonardo
Torres y Quevedo,
Margarita Salas
Margarita Salas and Severo Ochoa.
Since 2006 the
Mobile World Congress
Mobile World Congress has taken place in Barcelona.
Water supply
Water supply and sanitation
Main article:
Water supply
Water supply and sanitation in Spain
Water supply and sanitation in Spain
Water supply and sanitation in Spain is characterised by universal
access and generally good service quality, while tariffs are among the
lowest in the EU.[145] Almost half of the population is served by
private or mixed private-public water companies, which operate under
concession contracts with municipalities. The largest of the private
water companies, with a market share of about 50% of the private
concessions, is Aguas de
Barcelona
Barcelona (Agbar). However, the large cities
are all served by public companies except
Barcelona
Barcelona and Valencia. The
largest public company is Canal de Isabel II, which serves the
metropolitan area of Madrid.
Droughts affect water supply in Southern Spain, which increasingly is
turning towards seawater desalination to meet its water needs.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Spain
See also: List of Spanish autonomous communities by population
In 2008 the population of
Spain
Spain officially reached 46 million
people, as recorded by the Padrón municipal (Spain's Municipal
Register).[146] Spain's population density, at 91/km² (235/sq mi), is
lower than that of most Western European countries and its
distribution across the country is very unequal. With the exception of
the region surrounding the capital, Madrid, the most populated areas
lie around the coast. The population of
Spain
Spain more than doubled since
1900, when it stood at 18.6 million, principally due to the
spectacular demographic boom in the 1960s and early 1970s.[147]
Native
Spaniards
Spaniards make up 88% of the total population of Spain. After
the birth rate plunged in the 1980s and Spain's population growth rate
dropped, the population again trended upward, based initially on the
return of many
Spaniards
Spaniards who had emigrated to other European countries
during the 1970s, and more recently, fuelled by large numbers of
immigrants who make up 12% of the population. The immigrants originate
mainly in Latin America (39%), North Africa (16%), Eastern Europe
(15%), and
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa (4%).[148] In 2005,
Spain
Spain instituted a
three-month amnesty programme through which certain hitherto
undocumented aliens were granted legal residency.[citation needed]
In 2008,
Spain
Spain granted citizenship to 84,170 persons, mostly to people
from Ecuador, Colombia and Morocco.[149] A sizeable portion of foreign
residents in
Spain
Spain also comes from other Western and Central European
countries. These are mostly British, French, German, Dutch, and
Norwegian. They reside primarily on the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean coast and the
Balearic islands, where many choose to live their retirement or
telecommute.
Substantial populations descended from Spanish colonists and
immigrants exist in other parts of the world, most notably in Latin
America. Beginning in the late 15th century, large numbers of Iberian
colonists settled in what became Latin America and at present most
white Latin Americans (who make up about one-third of Latin America's
population) are of Spanish or Portuguese origin. Around 240,000
Spaniards
Spaniards emigrated in the 16th century, mostly to
Peru
Peru and
Mexico.[150] Another 450,000 left in the 17th century.[151] Between
1846 and 1932 it is estimated that nearly 5 million Spaniards
emigrated to the Americas, especially to
Argentina
Argentina and Brazil.[152]
Approximately two million
Spaniards
Spaniards migrated to other Western European
countries between 1960 and 1975. During the same period perhaps
300,000 went to Latin America.[153]
Urbanisation
v t e
Largest cities or towns in Spain Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)
Rank Name Autonomous community Pop. Rank Name Autonomous community Pop.
Madrid
Barcelona 1 Madrid Madrid 3,165,235 11 Alicante Valencia 332,067
Valencia
Seville
2 Barcelona Catalonia 1,602,386 12 Córdoba Andalusia 328,041
3 Valencia Valencia 786,424 13 Valladolid Castile and León 306,830
4 Seville Andalusia 696,676 14 Vigo Galicia 294,997
5 Zaragoza Aragon 666,058 15 Gijón Asturias 275,735
6 Málaga Andalusia 566,913 16 L'Hospitalet Catalonia 253,518
7 Murcia Murcia 439,712 17 A Coruña Galicia 244,810
8 Palma Balearic Islands 399,093 18 Vitoria-Gasteiz Basque Country 242 092
9 Las Palmas Canary Islands 382,283 19 Granada Andalusia 237,540
10 Bilbao Basque Country 347,574 20 Elche Valencia 228,647
Metropolitan areas
Main article: List of metropolitan areas in Spain
Geographical distribution of the Spanish population in 2008
The urban transformation of
Bilbao
Bilbao has been hailed as an example of
"smart city".[154][155][156]
Source: "Áreas urbanas +50", Ministry of Public Works and Transport (2013)[157]
e • d
Rank Metro area Autonomous community Population
Government data Other estimations
1 Madrid Madrid 6,052,247 5.4 – 6.5 m[158][159]
2 Barcelona Catalonia 5,030,679 4.2 – 5.1 m[158][160]
3 Valencia Valencia 1,551,585 1.5 – 2.3 m[161]
4 Seville Andalusia 1,294,867 1.2 – 1.3 m
5 Málaga Andalusia 953,251
6 Bilbao Basque Country 910,578
7 Oviedo–Gijón–Avilés Asturias 835,053
8 Zaragoza Aragon 746,152
9 Alicante–Elche Valencia 698,662
10 Murcia Murcia 643,854
Peoples
Main articles:
Spanish people
Spanish people and National and regional identity in
Spain
The Spanish Constitution of 1978, in its second article, recognises
several contemporary entities—nationalities—[m] and regions,
within the context of the Spanish nation.
Spain
Spain is de facto a plurinational state.[162][163] The idendity of
Spain
Spain rather accrues of an overlap of different territorial and
ethnolinguistic identities than of a sole Spanish identity. In some
cases some of the territorial identities may conflict with the
dominant Spanish culture. Distinct traditional identities within Spain
include the Basques, Catalans, Galicians,
Andalusians and
Valencians,[164] although to some extent all of the 17 autonomous
communities may claim a distinct local identity.
It is this last feature of "shared identity" between the more local
level or autonomous community and the Spanish level which makes the
identity question in
Spain
Spain complex and far from univocal.
Minority groups
Ceuta
Ceuta and
Melilla
Melilla are spanish cities in north Africa with an important
minority of berbers
A 'carpet' page from The Burgos Hebrew Bible (also called 'Damascus Keter'), 1260. National Library of Israel, Jerusalem.
Spain
Spain has a number of descendants of populations from former colonies,
especially Latin America and North Africa. Smaller numbers of
immigrants from several
Sub-Saharan
Sub-Saharan countries have recently been
settling in Spain. There are also sizeable numbers of Asian
immigrants, most of whom are of Middle Eastern,
South Asian
South Asian and
Chinese origin. The single largest group of immigrants are European;
represented by large numbers of Romanians, Britons, Germans, French
and others.[165]
The arrival of the gitanos, a Romani people, began in the 16th
century; estimates of the Spanish Roma population range from 750,000
to over one million.[166][167][168][169][170] There are also the
mercheros (also quinquis), a formerly nomadic minority group. Their
origin is unclear.
Historically, Sephardi
Jews
Jews and Moriscos are the main minority groups
originated in
Spain
Spain and with a contribution to Spanish culture.[171]
The Spanish government is offering Spanish nationality to Sephardi
Jews.[172]
Immigration
Main article: Immigration to Spain
Percentage distribution of foreign population in
Spain
Spain in 2005
According to the Spanish government there were 5.7 million
foreign residents in
Spain
Spain in 2011, or 12% of the total population.
According to residence permit data for 2011, more than 860,000 were
Romanian, about 770,000 were Moroccan, approximately 390,000 were
British, and 360,000 were Ecuadorian.[173] Other sizeable foreign
communities are Colombian, Bolivian, German, Italian, Bulgarian, and
Chinese. There are more than 200,000 migrants from
Sub-Saharan
Sub-Saharan Africa
living in Spain, principally Senegaleses and Nigerians.[174] Since
2000,
Spain
Spain has experienced high population growth as a result of
immigration flows, despite a birth rate that is only half the
replacement level. This sudden and ongoing inflow of immigrants,
particularly those arriving illegally by sea, has caused noticeable
social tension.[175]
Within the EU,
Spain
Spain had the 2nd highest immigration rate in
percentage terms after Cyprus, but by a great margin, the highest in
absolute numbers, up to 2008.[176] The number of immigrants in Spain
had grown up from 500,000 people in 1996 to 5.2 million in 2008
out of a total population of 46 million.[177][178] In 2005 alone,
a regularisation programme increased the legal immigrant population by
700,000 people.[179] There are a number of reasons for the high level
of immigration, including Spain's cultural ties with Latin America,
its geographical position, the porosity of its borders, the large size
of its underground economy and the strength of the agricultural and
construction sectors, which demand more low cost labour than can be
offered by the national workforce.
Another statistically significant factor is the large number of
residents of EU origin typically retiring to Spain's Mediterranean
coast. In fact,
Spain
Spain was Europe's largest absorber of migrants from
2002 to 2007, with its immigrant population more than doubling as
2.5 million people arrived.[180] In 2008, prior to the onset of
the economic crisis, the Financial Times reported that
Spain
Spain was the
most favoured destination for Western Europeans considering a move
from their own country and seeking jobs elsewhere in the EU.[181]
In 2008, the government instituted a "Plan of Voluntary Return" which
encouraged unemployed immigrants from outside the EU to return to
their home countries and receive several incentives, including the
right to keep their unemployment benefits and transfer whatever they
contributed to the Spanish Social Security.[182] The programme had
little effect; during its first two months, just 1,400 immigrants took
up the offer.[183] What the programme failed to do, the sharp and
prolonged economic crisis has done from 2010 to 2011 in that tens of
thousands of immigrants have left the country due to lack of jobs. In
2011 alone, more than half a million people left Spain.[184] For the
first time in decades the net migration rate was expected to be
negative, and nine out of 10 emigrants were foreigners.[184]
Languages
Main article: Languages of Spain
The languages of
Spain
Spain (simplified)
Spain
Spain is legally multilingual,[185] and the constitution establishes
that the nation will protect "all
Spaniards
Spaniards and the peoples of Spain
in the exercise of human rights, their cultures and traditions,
languages and institutions.[186]
Spanish (español)— recognised in the constitution as Castilian
(castellano)—is the official language of the entire country, and it
is the right and duty of every Spaniard to know the language. The
constitution also establishes that "all other Spanish
languages"—that is, all other languages of Spain—will also be
official in their respective autonomous communities in accordance to
their Statutes, their organic regional legislations, and that the
"richness of the distinct linguistic modalities of
Spain
Spain represents a
patrimony which will be the object of special respect and
protection."[187]
The other official languages of Spain, co-official with Spanish are:
Basque (euskara) in the Basque
Country
Country and Navarre;
Catalan (català) in Catalonia, the
Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands and in the
Valencian Community, where its distinct modality of the language is
officially known as Valencian (valencià); and
Galician (galego) in Galicia
As a percentage of the general population, Basque is spoken by 2%, Catalan by 19% or Valencian as it is called in the Communidad Valenciana – (understood by 23%, as mother tongue by 9% and as habitual/preferred by 13%), and Galician by 5% of all Spaniards.[188]
In the riojan monastery of San Millán de Suso there were found the first written records of both basque and Spanish languages (Glosas Emilianenses).
In Catalonia, Aranese (aranés), a local variety of the Occitan
language, has been declared co-official along with Catalan and Spanish
since 2006. Occitan itself is spoken only in the comarca of Val d'Aran
by roughly 6,700 people. Other Romance minority languages, though not
official, have special recognition, such as the
Astur-Leonese
Astur-Leonese group
(Asturian – asturianu, also called bable – in Asturias[189] and
Leonese – llionés – in Castile and León) and Aragonese
(aragonés) in Aragon.
In the North African Spanish autonomous city of Melilla, Riff Berber
is spoken by a significant part of the population. In the tourist
areas of the
Mediterranean
Mediterranean coast and the islands, English and German
are widely spoken by tourists, foreign residents, and tourism
workers.[190]
Education
Main article: Education in Spain
Concepción Arenal, krausist and pioneer of the Asociación para la Enseñanza de la Mujer
State education in
Spain
Spain is free and compulsory from the age of six to
sixteen. The current education system is regulated by the 2006
educational law, LOE (Ley Orgánica de Educación), or Fundamental Law
for the Education.[191] In 2014, the LOE was partially modified by the
newer and controversial LOMCE law (Ley Orgánica para la Mejora de la
Calidad Educativa), or Fundamental Law for the Improvement of the
Education System, commonly called Ley Wert (Wert Law).[192] Since 1970
to 2014,
Spain
Spain has had seven different educational laws (LGE, LOECE,
LODE, LOGSE, LOPEG, LOE and LOMCE).[193]
Institución Libre de Enseñanza
Institución Libre de Enseñanza was an educational project that
developed in
Spain
Spain for the half a century of about 1876–1936 by
Francisco Giner de los Ríos
Francisco Giner de los Ríos and Gumersindo de Azcárate. The
institute was inspired by the philosophy of Krausism. Concepción
Arenal in feminism and
Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Santiago Ramón y Cajal in neuroscience were in
the movement.
Health
Main articles:
Health care in Spain and Abortion in Spain
The health care system of
Spain
Spain (Spanish National Health System) is
considered one of the best in the world, in 7th position in the
ranking elaborated by the World Health Organization.[194] The health
care is public, universal and free for any legal citizen of
Spain.[195] The total health spending is 9.4% of the GDP, slightly
above the average of 9.3% of the OECD.
Religion
Main article: Religion in Spain
See also: Christianity in Spain,
Islam
Islam in Spain,
Judaism
Judaism in Spain,
Hinduism in Spain, and Bahá'í Faith in Spain
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
Roman
Catholicism
Catholicism has long been the main religion of Spain, and
although it no longer has official status by law, in all public
schools in
Spain
Spain students have to choose either a religion or ethics
class.
Catholicism
Catholicism is the religion most commonly taught, although the
teaching of Islam,[196] Judaism,[197] and evangelical
Christianity[198] is also recognised in law. According to a June 2016
study by the Spanish Centre for Sociological Research about 70% of
Spaniards
Spaniards self-identify as Catholics, 2% other faith, and about 25%
identify with no religion. Most
Spaniards
Spaniards do not participate regularly
in religious services. This same study shows that of the
Spaniards
Spaniards who
identify themselves as religious, 59% hardly ever or never go to
church, 16% go to church some times a year, 9% some time per month and
15% every Sunday or multiple times per week.[4] Recent polls and
surveys have revealed that atheists and agnostics comprise anywhere
from 20% to 27% of the Spanish population.[4][199][200]
Religions in Spain
Roman Catholicism
70.2%
No Religion
25.0%
Other Faith
2.6%
No Answer
2.1%
Numbers from the following source:[4]
Altogether, about 9% of the entire Spanish population attends
religious services at least once per month.[4] Though Spanish society
has become considerably more secular in recent decades, the influx of
Latin American immigrants, who tend to be strong Catholic
practitioners, has helped the Catholic Church to recover. The Spanish
constitution enshrines secularism in governance, as well as freedom of
religion or belief for all, saying that no religion should have a
"state character," while allowing for the state to "cooperate" with
religious groups. However, significant anomalies remain, including the
presence of a blasphemy law in statute, which theoretically
criminalises criticism of religion. A blasphemy prosecution in Spain
has happened as recently as 2012.
There have been four Spanish Popes. Damasus I, Calixtus III, Alexander
VI and Benedict XIII. Spanish mysticism was an important intellectual
fight against Protestantism with Teresa of Ávila, a reformist nun,
ahead. The
Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus was founded by
Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola and
Francisco Javier. In the 1960s, Jesuits
Pedro Arrupe
Pedro Arrupe and Ignacio
Ellacuría were inside the movement of Liberation Theology.
Protestant
Protestant churches have about 1,200,000 members.[201] There are about
105,000 Jehovah's Witnesses. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints has approximately 46,000 adherents in 133 congregations in all
regions of the country and has a temple in the
Moratalaz
Moratalaz District of
Madrid.[202]
Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa de Jesús, and
Francisco Javier
Francisco Javier were
prominent figures of the Counter-Reformation.
A study made by the
Union of Islamic Communities of Spain
Union of Islamic Communities of Spain demonstrated
that there were about 1,700,000 inhabitants of
Muslim
Muslim background
living in
Spain
Spain as of 2012[update], accounting for 3–4% of the total
population of Spain. The vast majority was composed of immigrants and
descendants originating from
Morocco
Morocco and other African countries. More
than 514,000 (30%) of them had Spanish nationality.[203]
The recent waves of immigration have also led to an increasing number
of Hindus, Buddhists,
Sikhs
Sikhs and Muslims. After the
Reconquista
Reconquista in
1492,
Muslims
Muslims did not live in
Spain
Spain for centuries. Late 19th-century
colonial expansion in northwestern Africa gave a number of residents
in Spanish
Morocco
Morocco and
Western Sahara
Western Sahara full citizenship. Their ranks
have since been bolstered by recent immigration, especially from
Morocco
Morocco and Algeria.
Judaism
Judaism was practically non-existent in
Spain
Spain from the 1492 expulsion
until the 19th century, when
Jews
Jews were again permitted to enter the
country. Currently there are around 62,000
Jews
Jews in Spain, or 0.14% of
the total population. Most are arrivals in the past century, while
some are descendants of earlier Spanish Jews. Approximately 80,000
Jews
Jews are thought to have lived in
Spain
Spain prior to its expulsion.[204]
However the Jewish Encyclopedia states the number over 800,000 to be
too large and 235,000 as too small: 165,000 is given as expelled as
possibly too small in favor or 200,000, and the numbers of converts
after the 1391 pogroms as less. Other sources suggest 200,000 converts
mostly after the pogroms of 1391 and upwards of 100,000 expelled.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Spain
Culturally,
Spain
Spain is a Western country. Almost every aspect of Spanish
life is permeated by its Roman heritage, making
Spain
Spain one of the major
Latin countries of Europe. Spanish culture is marked by strong
historic ties to Catholicism, which played a pivotal role in the
country's formation and subsequent identity. Spanish art,
architecture, cuisine, and music has been shaped by successive waves
of foreign invaders, as well as by the country's
Mediterranean
Mediterranean climate
and geography. The centuries-long colonial era globalised Spanish
language and culture, with
Spain
Spain also absorbing the cultural and
commercial products of its diverse empire.
World Heritage Sites
Main article: World Heritage Sites in Spain
See also:
Castles in Spain
Castles in Spain and Cathedrals in Spain
The pre-
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture of
Santa María del Naranco
Santa María del Naranco in Oviedo.
Aljafería
Aljafería of Zaragoza
Llotja de la Seda
Llotja de la Seda in Valencia
Alcázar of Segovia
The
Sagrada Família
Sagrada Família in Barcelona
Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe
Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe in Guadalupe
After
Italy
Italy (53) and China (52),
Spain
Spain is the third country in the
world with the most World Heritage Sites. At the present time it has
46 recognised sites, including the landscape of
Monte Perdido
Monte Perdido in the
Pyrenees, which is shared with France, the Prehistoric Rock Art Sites
of the
Côa Valley
Côa Valley and Siega Verde, which is shared with
Portugal
Portugal (the
Portuguese part being in the Côa Valley, Guarda), the Heritage of
Mercury, shared with
Slovenia
Slovenia and the Ancient and Primeval Beech
Forests, shared with other countries of Europe.[205] In addition,
Spain
Spain has also 14 Intangible cultural heritage, or "Human treasures",
Spain
Spain ranks first in
Europe
Europe according to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural
Heritage List, tied with Croatia.[206]
1984 – Alhambra,
Generalife
Generalife and
Albayzín
Albayzín (Granada, Andalusia).
1984 –
Burgos Cathedral
Burgos Cathedral (Burgos, Castile-León).
1984 –
Historic centre of Córdoba
Historic centre of Córdoba (Córdoba, Andalusia).
1984 – Monastery and Royal Site of
El Escorial
El Escorial (Madrid).
1984 – Works of Antoni
Gaudí
Gaudí (Barcelona, Catalonia).
1985 – Cave of Altamira and Palaeolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain
(Asturias, Basque
Country
Country and
Cantabria
Cantabria regions).
1985 – Monuments of
Oviedo
Oviedo and the
Kingdom of Asturias
Kingdom of Asturias (Asturias).
1985 – Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches (Ávila,
Castile-León).
1985 – Old Town of
Segovia
Segovia and its Aqueduct (Segovia,
Castile-León).
1985 –
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) (A Coruña, Galicia).
1986 –
Garajonay National Park
Garajonay National Park (La Gomera, Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
Canary Islands).
1986 – Historic City of Toledo (Toledo, Castile-La Mancha).
1986 –
Mudéjar
Mudéjar Architecture of
Aragon
Aragon (Provinces of Teruel and
Zaragoza
Zaragoza in Aragon).
1986 – Old Town of Cáceres (Cáceres, Extremadura).
1987 – Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville
(Seville, Andalusia).
1988 – Old City of
Salamanca
Salamanca (Salamanca, Castile-León).
1991 –
Poblet Monastery
Poblet Monastery (Tarragona, Catalonia).
1993 –
Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida
Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida (Badajoz, Extremadura).
1993 – Route of
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela (Provinces of Burgos, León
and Palencia in Castile-León, Provinces of
A Coruña
A Coruña and Lugo in
Galicia, La Rioja, Navarre, and the Province of Huesca in Aragon).
1993 – Royal
Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe
Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe (Cáceres,
Extremadura).
1994 –
Doñana National Park
Doñana National Park (Provinces of Cádiz, Huelva and
Seville
Seville in Andalusia).
1996 – Historic Walled Town of Cuenca (Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha).
1996 – Silk Exchange of
Valencia
Valencia (Valencia).
1997 –
Las Médulas
Las Médulas (León, Castile-León).
1997 –
Palau de la Música Catalana
Palau de la Música Catalana and
Hospital de Sant Pau
Hospital de Sant Pau in
Barcelona
Barcelona (Barcelona, Catalonia).
1997 – Pirineos –
Monte Perdido
Monte Perdido (Huesca,
Aragon
Aragon – Spanish part /
Midi-Pyrénées and Aquitaine – French part). (Shared with France).
1997 – San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries (La Rioja).
1998 (2010) – Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the
Côa Valley
Côa Valley (Guarda,
Norte Region – Portuguese part) and
Siega Verde
Siega Verde (Salamanca,
Castile-León – Spanish part). (Shared with Portugal).
1998 –
Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin
Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian
Peninsula (Andalusia, Aragon, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia,
Murcia
Murcia and
Valencia
Valencia regions).
1998 – University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares
(Madrid).
1999 – Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture (Ibiza, Balearic Islands).
1999 –
San Cristóbal de La Laguna
San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Santa Cruz de
Tenerife, Canary Islands).
2000 – Archaeological Ensemble of
Tarraco
Tarraco (Tarragona, Catalonia).
2000 –
Archaeological Site of Atapuerca
Archaeological Site of Atapuerca (Burgos, Castile-León).
2000 –
Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí
Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí (Lleida,
Catalonia).
2000 – Palmeral of
Elche
Elche (Alicante, Valencia).
2000 –
Roman Walls of Lugo
Roman Walls of Lugo (Lugo, Galicia).
2001 –
Aranjuez
Aranjuez Cultural Landscape (Madrid).
2003 –
Renaissance
Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of
Úbeda
Úbeda and
Baeza
Baeza (Jaén,
Andalusia).
2006 –
Vizcaya Bridge
Vizcaya Bridge (Biscay, Basque Country).
2007 –
Teide
Teide National Park (Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary
Islands).
2009 –
Tower of Hercules
Tower of Hercules (A Coruña, Galicia).
2011 – Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana (Majorca,
Balearic Islands).
2012 – Heritage of Mercury.
Almadén
Almadén (Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha
– Spanish part) and
Idrija
Idrija (Slovene Littoral – Slovenian part).
(Shared with Slovenia).
2016 –
Antequera Dolmens Site
Antequera Dolmens Site (Antequera, Andalusia).
2017 – Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests (6 sites in: Navarre,
Castile-La Mancha, Community of
Madrid
Madrid and Castile and León) (also
shared with other countries of Europe).
Literature Main articles: Spanish literature, Royal Spanish Academy, and Instituto Cervantes See also: Basque literature, Catalan literature, Galician literature, and Latin American literature
Corral de comedias de Almagro,
Spanish Golden Age
Spanish Golden Age theatre with Lope de
Vega and Calderon de la Barca
The earliest recorded examples of vernacular Romance-based literature
date from the same time and location, the rich mix of Muslim, Jewish,
and Christian cultures in
Muslim
Muslim Spain, in which Maimonides, Averroes,
and others worked, the Kharjas (Jarchas).
Bronze statues of
Don Quixote
Don Quixote and
Sancho Panza
Sancho Panza in the Plaza de España
in Madrid
During the Reconquista, the epic poem
Cantar de Mio Cid
Cantar de Mio Cid was written
about a real man—his battles, conquests, and daily life. It is also
remarkable the Valencian chivalric romance
Tirant lo Blanch
Tirant lo Blanch written in
Valencian.
Other major plays from the medieval times were Mester de Juglaría,
Mester de Clerecía,
Coplas por la muerte de su padre
Coplas por la muerte de su padre or El Libro de
buen amor (The
Book
Book of Good Love).
During the
Renaissance
Renaissance the major plays are
La Celestina
La Celestina and El
Lazarillo de Tormes, while many religious literature was created with
poets as Luis de León, San Juan de la Cruz, Santa Teresa de Jesús,
etc.
The
Baroque
Baroque is the most important period for Spanish culture. We are
in the times of the Spanish Empire. The famous Don Quijote de La
Mancha by
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes was written in this time. Other writers
from the period are: Francisco de Quevedo, Lope de Vega, Calderón de
la Barca or Tirso de Molina.
During the Enlightenment we find names such as Leandro Fernández de
Moratín, Benito Jerónimo Feijóo,
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos or
Leandro Fernández de Moratín.
Tirant lo Blanch
Tirant lo Blanch final page, Valencian chivalric romance
During the Romanticism,
José Zorrilla
José Zorrilla created one of the most
emblematic figures in European literature in Don Juan Tenorio. Other
writers from this period are Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, José de
Espronceda,
Rosalía de Castro
Rosalía de Castro or Mariano José de Larra.
In Realism we find names such as Benito Pérez Galdós, Emilia Pardo
Bazán,
Leopoldo Alas
Leopoldo Alas (Clarín), Concepción Arenal, Vicente Blasco
Ibáñez and Menéndez Pelayo. Realism offered depictions of
contemporary life and society 'as they were'. In the spirit of general
"Realism", Realist authors opted for depictions of everyday and banal
activities and experiences, instead of romanticised or stylised
presentations.
The group that has become known as the
Generation of 1898 was marked
by the destruction of Spain's fleet in
Cuba
Cuba by US gunboats in 1898,
which provoked a cultural crisis in Spain. The "Disaster" of 1898 led
established writers to seek practical political, economic, and social
solutions in essays grouped under the literary heading of
Regeneracionismo. For a group of younger writers, among them Miguel de
Unamuno, Pío Baroja, and
José Martínez Ruiz
José Martínez Ruiz (Azorín), the Disaster
and its cultural repercussions inspired a deeper, more radical
literary shift that affected both form and content. These writers,
along with Ramón del Valle-Inclán, Antonio Machado, Ramiro de
Maeztu, and Ángel Ganivet, came to be known as the Generation of '98.
Ramón del Valle-Inclán,
Benito Pérez Galdós
Benito Pérez Galdós and Federico García
Lorca
The Generation of 1914 or Novecentismo. The next supposed "generation"
of Spanish writers following those of '98 already calls into question
the value of such terminology. By the year 1914—the year of the
outbreak of the First World War and of the publication of the first
major work of the generation's leading voice, José Ortega y
Gasset—a number of slightly younger writers had established their
own place within the Spanish cultural field.
Leading voices include the poet Juan Ramón Jiménez, the academics
and essayists Ramón Menéndez Pidal, Gregorio Marañón, Manuel
Azaña, Maria Zambrano, Eugeni d'Ors,
Clara Campoamor
Clara Campoamor and Ortega y
Gasset, and the novelists Gabriel Miró, Ramón Pérez de Ayala, and
Ramón Gómez de la Serna. While still driven by the national and
existential questions that obsessed the writers of '98, they
approached these topics with a greater sense of distance and
objectivity. Salvador de Madariaga, another prominent intellectual and
writer, was one of the founders of the College of
Europe
Europe and the
composer of the constitutive manifest of the Liberal International.
The Generation of 1927, where poets Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guillén,
Federico García Lorca, Vicente Aleixandre, Dámaso Alonso. All were
scholars of their national literary heritage, again evidence of the
impact of the calls of regeneracionistas and the Generation of 1898
for Spanish intelligence to turn at least partially inwards.
Miguel Delibes
Miguel Delibes describes the situation of rural
Spain
Spain after the Rural
flight in the 1950s.
The two main writers in the second half of the 20th century were the
Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature laureate
Camilo José Cela
Camilo José Cela and Miguel
Delibes from Generation of '36.
Spain
Spain is one of the countries with the
most number of laureates with the Nobel Prize in Literature, and with
Latin American laureates they made the
Spanish language
Spanish language literature one
of the most laureates of all. The Spanish writers are: José
Echegaray, Jacinto Benavente, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Vicente Aleixandre
and Camilo José Cela. The Portuguese writer José Saramago, also
awarded with the prize, lived for many years in
Spain
Spain and spoke both
Portuguese and Spanish. Saramago was also well known by his Iberist
ideas.
The
Generation of '50 are also known as the children of the civil war.
Rosa Chacel, Gloria Fuertes, Jaime Gil de Biedma, Juan Goytisolo,
Carmen Martín Gaite, Ana María Matute, Juan Marsé, Blas de Otero,
Gabriel Celaya, Antonio Gamoneda,
Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio
Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio or Ignacio
Aldecoa.
Premio Planeta de Novela and
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Prize are the two
main awards nowadays in Spanish literature.
Philosophy
Bartolomé de las Casas, Averroes,
Luis Vives
Luis Vives and Ramón Llull.
Seneca was a philosopher during the time of the Roman Empire.
During Al-Andalus, muslim, jewish and Christian philosopher
flourished. That is the case of Ibn Arabi,
Averroes
Averroes or Maimonides.
In the middle ages we find Ramon Llull.
Humanist
Luis Vives
Luis Vives during the Renaissance. As well as Francisco de
Vitoria and Bartolomé de las Casas.
Enlightenment in Spain
Enlightenment in Spain arrived later and less strong as in other
European countries, but during the
XIX century
XIX century liberal ideas arrived
into Spanish society. At the end of the century, socialist and
libertarian ideas also flourished particulary strong at the
intellectual level, with thinkers as Francisco Pi i Margall, Ricardo
Mella or Francisco Ferrer Guardia.
In the first half of the XX century the most prominent philosophers
are
Maria Zambrano and José Ortega y Gasset.
Most contemporary philosophers include
Fernando Savater
Fernando Savater and Adela
Cortina, creator of the term aporophobia.
Art
Las Meninas, Diego Velázquez; Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Pablo Picasso and The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dalí
Main article: Spanish art
Artists from
Spain
Spain have been highly influential in the development of
various European and American artistic movements. Due to historical,
geographical and generational diversity,
Spanish art
Spanish art has known a great
number of influences. The
Mediterranean
Mediterranean heritage with Greco-Roman and
some
Moorish
Moorish and influences in Spain, especially in
Andalusia
Andalusia is still
evident today. European influences include Italy,
Germany
Germany and France,
especially during the
Renaissance
Renaissance Spanish
Baroque
Baroque and Neoclassical
periods. There are many other autochthonous styles such as the
Pre-Romanesque
Pre-Romanesque art and architecture,
Herrerian
Herrerian architecture or the
Isabelline Gothic.
During the
Golden Age
Golden Age we find painters such as El Greco, José de
Ribera,
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Francisco Zurbarán. Also
inside
Baroque
Baroque period
Diego Velázquez
Diego Velázquez created some of the most famous
Spanish portraits, like
Las Meninas
Las Meninas or Las Hilanderas.
Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya painted during a historical period that includes the
Spanish Independence War, the fights between liberals and absolutists,
and the raise of contemporary state-nations.
Joaquín Sorolla
Joaquín Sorolla is a well-known impressionist painter and there are
many important Spanish painters belonging to the modernism art
movement, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí,
Juan Gris
Juan Gris and Joan
Miró.
Sculpture
The Comb of the Wind of
Eduardo Chillida
Eduardo Chillida in San Sebastián
The Plateresque style extended from beginnings of the 16th century
until the last third of the century and its stylistic influence
pervaded the works of all great Spanish artists of the time. Alonso
Berruguete (
Valladolid
Valladolid School) is called the "Prince of Spanish
sculpture". His main works were the upper stalls of the choir of the
Cathedral of Toledo, the tomb of Cardinal Tavera in the same
Cathedral, and the altarpiece of the Visitation in the church of Santa
Úrsula in the same locality. Other notable sculptors were Bartolomé
Ordóñez, Diego de Siloé,
Juan de Juni
Juan de Juni and Damián Forment.
There were two Schools of special flair and talent: the Seville
School, to which
Juan Martínez Montañés
Juan Martínez Montañés belonged, whose most
celebrated works are the Crucifix in the Cathedral of Seville, another
in Vergara, and a
Saint
Saint John; and the
Granada
Granada School, to which Alonso
Cano belonged, to whom an Immaculate Conception and a Virgin of
Rosary, are attributed.
Other notable Andalusian
Baroque
Baroque sculptors were Pedro de Mena, Pedro
Roldán and his daughter Luisa Roldán,
Juan de Mesa
Juan de Mesa and Pedro Duque
Cornejo. In the 20th century the most important Spanish sculptors were
Julio González, Pablo Gargallo,
Eduardo Chillida
Eduardo Chillida and Pablo Serrano.
Cinema
Main article: Cinema of Spain
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar and
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz in
Oviedo
Oviedo (Princess of Asturias
Awards)
Spanish cinema has achieved major international success including
Oscars for recent films such as
Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth and Volver.[207] In
the long history of Spanish cinema, the great filmmaker Luis Buñuel
was the first to achieve world recognition, followed by Pedro
Almodóvar in the 1980s (La Movida Madrileña).
Mario Camus
Mario Camus and Pilar
Miró worked together in Curro Jiménez.
Spanish cinema has also seen international success over the years with
films by directors like Segundo de Chomón, Florián Rey, Luis García
Berlanga, Carlos Saura, Julio Medem, Isabel Coixet, Alejandro
Amenábar,
Icíar Bollaín
Icíar Bollaín and brothers
David Trueba
David Trueba and Fernando
Trueba.
Actresses
Sara Montiel
Sara Montiel and
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz or actor Antonio Banderas
are among those who have become Hollywood stars.
International Film Festivals of
Valladolid
Valladolid and San Sebastian are the
oldest and more relevant in Spain.
Architecture
Main article: Spanish architecture
The modern Hemispheric at the
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències in
Valencia
Valencia and Hanging houses of Cuenca
Due to its historical and geographical diversity, Spanish architecture
has drawn from a host of influences. An important provincial city
founded by the Romans and with an extensive
Roman era
Roman era infrastructure,
Córdoba became the cultural capital, including fine Arabic style
architecture, during the time of the Islamic Umayyad dynasty.[208]
Later Arab style architecture continued to be developed under
successive Islamic dynasties, ending with the Nasrid, which built its
famed palace complex in Granada.
Simultaneously, the Christian kingdoms gradually emerged and developed
their own styles; developing a pre-Romanesque style when for a while
isolated from contemporary mainstream European architectural
influences during the earlier Middle Ages, they later integrated the
Romanesque and Gothic streams. There was then an extraordinary
flowering of the Gothic style that resulted in numerous instances
being built throughout the entire territory. The
Mudéjar
Mudéjar style, from
the 12th to 17th centuries, was developed by introducing Arab style
motifs, patterns and elements into European architecture.
The arrival of
Modernism
Modernism in the academic arena produced much of the
architecture of the 20th century. An influential style centred in
Barcelona, known as modernisme, produced a number of important
architects, of which
Gaudí
Gaudí is one. The International style was led by
groups like GATEPAC.
Spain
Spain is currently experiencing a revolution in
contemporary architecture and Spanish architects like Rafael Moneo,
Santiago Calatrava,
Ricardo Bofill
Ricardo Bofill as well as many others have gained
worldwide renown.
Music and dance
Main article: Music of Spain
Flamenco
Flamenco is an Andalusian artistic form that evolved from the
Seguidilla.
Spanish music is often considered abroad to be synonymous with
flamenco, a West Andalusian musical genre, which, contrary to popular
belief, is not widespread outside that region. Various regional styles
of folk music abound in Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Castile, the
Basque Country, Galicia,
Cantabria
Cantabria and Asturias. Pop, rock, hip hop
and heavy metal are also popular.
In the field of classical music,
Spain
Spain has produced a number of noted
composers such as Isaac Albéniz,
Manuel de Falla
Manuel de Falla and Enrique Granados
and singers and performers such as Plácido Domingo, José Carreras,
Montserrat Caballé, Alicia de Larrocha, Alfredo Kraus, Pablo Casals,
Ricardo Viñes, José Iturbi, Pablo de Sarasate,
Jordi Savall
Jordi Savall and
Teresa Berganza. In
Spain
Spain there are over forty professional
orchestras, including the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona, Orquesta
Nacional de España and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. Major opera
houses include the Teatro Real, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro
Arriaga and the El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.
Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat is a singer of the
Nueva canción
Nueva canción music genre, he
is one of the Spanish greatest singer-songwriters of the contemporary
history.
Thousands of music fans also travel to
Spain
Spain each year for
internationally recognised summer music festivals
Sónar
Sónar which often
features the top up and coming pop and techno acts, and Benicàssim
which tends to feature alternative rock and dance acts.[209] Both
festivals mark
Spain
Spain as an international music presence and reflect
the tastes of young people in the country.
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz jazz festival is one of the main ones on its genre.
The most popular traditional musical instrument, the guitar,
originated in Spain.[210] Typical of the north are the traditional bag
pipers or gaiteros, mainly in
Asturias
Asturias and Galicia.
Zara store in Palma de Mallorca.
Fashion
Cibeles
Madrid
Madrid Fashion Week is one of the most important fashion weeks
in Europe.
Zara is one of the biggest prêt-a-porter fashion companies in the
world.
Fashion designers as
Cristóbal Balenciaga
Cristóbal Balenciaga are between the most
influential during the XX century.
Cuisine
Main article: Spanish cuisine
Paella, a traditional Valencian dish[211]
Spanish cuisine
Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety of dishes which stem from
differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily
influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the
country, and reflects the country's deep
Mediterranean
Mediterranean roots. Spain's
extensive history with many cultural influences has led to a unique
cuisine. In particular, three main divisions are easily identified:
Mediterranean
Mediterranean
Spain
Spain – all such coastal regions, from
Catalonia
Catalonia to
Andalusia
Andalusia – heavy use of seafood, such as pescaíto frito (fried
fish); several cold soups like gazpacho; and many rice-based dishes
like paella from Valencia[211] and arròs negre (black rice) from
Catalonia.[212]
Inner
Spain
Spain – Castile – hot, thick soups such as the bread and
garlic-based Castilian soup, along with substantious stews such as
cocido madrileño. Food is traditionally conserved by salting, like
Spanish ham, or immersed in olive oil, like Manchego cheese.
Atlantic
Spain
Spain – the whole Northern coast, including Asturian,
Basque, Cantabrian and
Galician cuisine
Galician cuisine – vegetable and fish-based
stews like caldo gallego and marmitako. Also, the lightly cured lacón
ham. The best known cuisine of the northern countries often rely on
ocean seafood, like the Basque-style cod, albacore or anchovy or the
Galician octopus-based polbo á feira and shellfish dishes.
Sport
Main article: Sport in Spain
1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
While varieties of football had been played in
Spain
Spain as far back as
Roman times, sport in
Spain
Spain has been dominated by English style
association football since the early 20th century. Real
Madrid
Madrid C.F.
and FC
Barcelona
Barcelona are two of the most successful football clubs in the
world. The country's national football team won the UEFA European
Football Championship in 1964, 2008 and 2012 and the
FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup in
2010, and is the first team to ever win three back-to-back major
international tournaments.
Basketball, tennis, cycling, handball, futsal, motorcycling and,
lately,
Formula One
Formula One are also important due to the presence of Spanish
champions in all these disciplines. Today,
Spain
Spain is a major world
sports powerhouse, especially since the
1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics that were
hosted in Barcelona, which stimulated a great deal of interest in
sports in the country. The tourism industry has led to an improvement
in sports infrastructure, especially for water sports, golf and
skiing.
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is the leading Spanish tennis player and has won sixteen
Grand Slam titles and hold the record (along with Novak Djokovic) for
the most
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 singles titles.
Marc Márquez
Marc Márquez is
the leading Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and is four-time
the MotoGP world champion.
Carolina Marín
Carolina Marín is the leading Spanish
badminton player being one-time Olympic Champion, two-time World
Champion and three-time European Champion.
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador is the
leading Spanish cyclist and has won several Grand Tour titles
including two Tour de
France
France titles.
Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol is the leading
Basketball
Basketball player and has won two
NBA
NBA championships, he is a six-time
NBA
NBA All-Star, and a four-time All-
NBA
NBA selection.
In their respective regions, the game of
Basque pelota
Basque pelota and Valencian
pilota are very popular.
Public holidays and festivals
Main articles: Public holidays in Spain, Fiestas of International
Tourist Interest of Spain, and Fiestas of National Tourist Interest of
Spain
San Fermín
San Fermín festival, Pamplona
Public holidays celebrated in
Spain
Spain include a mix of religious (Roman
Catholic), national and regional observances. Each municipality is
allowed to declare a maximum of 14 public holidays per year; up to
nine of these are chosen by the national government and at least two
are chosen locally.[213] Spain's National Day (Fiesta Nacional de
España) is 12 October, the anniversary of the Discovery of America
and commemorate
Our Lady of the Pillar
Our Lady of the Pillar feast, patroness of
Aragon
Aragon and
throughout Spain.
There are many festivals and festivities in Spain. Some of them are
known worldwide, and every year millions of people from all over the
world go to
Spain
Spain to experience one of these festivals. One of the
most famous is San Fermín, in Pamplona. While its most famous event
is the encierro, or the running of the bulls, which happens at
8:00 am from 7 to 14 July, the week-long celebration involves
many other traditional and folkloric events. Its events were central
to the plot of The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, which brought
it to the general attention of English-speaking people. As a result,
it has become one of the most internationally renowned fiestas in
Spain, with over 1,000,000 people attending every year.
Other festivals include the carnivals in the Canary Islands, the
Falles
Falles in
Valencia
Valencia or the
Holy Week
Holy Week in
Andalusia
Andalusia and Castile and
León.
See also
Spain
Spain portal
Outline of Spain
Spain
Spain – book
Notes
^ a b The Spanish Constitution does not establish any official name
for Spain, even though the terms España (Spain), Estado español
(Spanish State) and Nación española (Spanish Nation) are used
throughout the document. Nonetheless, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign
Affairs established in an ordinance published in 1984 that the
denominations España (Spain) and Reino de España (Kingdom of Spain)
are equally valid to designate
Spain
Spain in international treaties. The
latter term is widely used by the government in national and
international affairs of all kinds, including foreign treaties as well
as national official documents, and is therefore recognised as the
official name by many international organisations.[1]
^ a b In Spain, other languages have been officially recognised as
legitimate autochthonous (regional) languages under the European
Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's
official name (Spanish: Reino de España, pronounced: [ˈreino ð(e)
esˈpaɲa]) is as follows:
Aragonese: Reino d'Espanya, IPA: [ˈreino ðesˈpaɲa] Asturian: Reinu d'España, IPA: [ˈreinu ðesˈpaɲa] Basque: Espainiako Erresuma, IPA: [es̺paɲiako eres̺uma] Catalan: Regne d'Espanya, IPA: [ˈreŋnə ðəsˈpaɲə]
Valencian: [ˈreŋne ðesˈpaɲa]
Galician: Reino de España, IPA: [ˈreino ð(e) esˈpaɲa] Occitan: Reiaume d'Espanha, IPA: [reˈjawme ðesˈpaɲɔ]
^ The official
Spanish language
Spanish language of the State is established in the
Section 3 of the
Spanish Constitution of 1978
Spanish Constitution of 1978 to be Castilian.[3] In
some autonomous communities, Catalan 20%, Galician 5% and Basque 2%
are co-official languages. Aragonese, Asturian, and Occitan (locally
known as Aranese) have some degree of official recognition.
^
European Union
European Union (EU) since 1993.
^ As of July 2017
(www.worldometers.info/world-population/spain-population), Spain's
population was 46,468,102. In the same month the number of citizens
with Spanish citizenship reached 41,996,253. The number of foreigners
(i.e. immigrants, ex-pats and refugees) permanently living in Spain
was estimated to be at 4,426,811 (9.54%) in 2015.[6]
^ The Peseta before 2002.
^ The
.eu
.eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European
Union member states. Also, the
.cat
.cat domain is used in Catalan-speaking
territories,
.gal
.gal in Galicia and
.eus
.eus in the Basque-speaking area.
^ See list of transcontinental countries.
^ The latifundia (sing., latifundium), large estates controlled by the
aristocracy, were superimposed on the existing Iberian landholding
system.
^ The poets Martial,
Quintilian
Quintilian and
Lucan
Lucan were also born in Hispania.
^ The
Berbers
Berbers soon gave up attempting to settle the harsh lands in the
north of the
Meseta Central
Meseta Central (Inner Plateau) handed to them by the Arab
rulers.
^ For the related expulsions that followed see Morisco.
^ The term "nationality" was chosen carefully in order to avoid the
more politically charged term "nation", however in recent years it has
been proposed to use this term in the Constitution and officially
recognise
Spain
Spain as a plurinational state ("nation of nations").
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^ Abrabanel, Commentary on the First Prophets (Pirush Al Nevi'im
Rishonim), end of II Kings, pp. 680–681,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem 1955 (Hebrew).
See also Shelomo (also spelled Sholomo, Solomon or Salomón) ibn
Verga, Shevet Yehudah, pp. 6b-7a, Lemberg 1846 (Hebrew)
^ a b (Pike et al. 2012, pp. 1409-14013)
^ "'First west
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^ Typical
Aurignacian
Aurignacian items were found in
Cantabria
Cantabria (Morín, El Pendo,
El Castillo), the Basque
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Country (Santimamiñe) and Catalonia. The
radiocarbon datations give the following dates: 32,425 and 29,515
BP.[not in citation given][
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^ a b Payne, Stanley G. (1973). "A
History of Spain
History of Spain and Portugal; Ch.
1 Ancient Hispania". The Library of Iberian Resources Online.
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^ H. Patrick Glenn (2007). Legal Traditions of the World. Oxford
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residence in return for taxes.
^ Lewis, Bernard (1984). The
Jews
Jews of Islam. Princeton: Princeton
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Dhimmi have
fewer legal and social rights than Muslims, but more rights than other
non-Muslims.
^ Islamic and Christian
Spain
Spain in the Early Middle Ages. Chapter 5:
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History of Spain
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^ "Catholic Encyclopedia: Isabella I". Newadvent.org. 1 October 1910.
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^ "
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The Village Voice. New York. Archived from the original on 8 December
2009. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
^ "Bank holidays in Spain". bank-holidays.com. Archived from the
original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
Further reading
Gates, David (2001). The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War. Da Capo Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-306-81083-1.
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WorldCat Identities VIAF: 133609710 LCCN: n79006971 ISNI: 0000 0001 2324 3505 GND: 4055964-6 SUDOC: 026376296 BNF: cb118635857 (data) HDS: 3372 NDL: 0057