Spain is a southwest European
country on the Iberian Peninsula. It is an EU member since 1986. The country is
bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and east, by Portugal to the
west, by France and Andorra to the northeast and the Bay of Biscay and the
Atlantic Ocean to the northwest. Spain is divided by 17 autonomous communities.
It possesses also the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands and the cities of
Ceuta and Melilla in the north of Africa.
The country’s total area is about
505 000 km2 which makes it the fifth largest country in Europe.
The total population is about 47 million people, living mainly in the biggest
cities - Madrid (3 million), Barcelona (1.6 million), Valencia (800 000) and
Seville (700 000). Spain has four different recognized regional languages -
basque, catalán, galician and
occitan.
Spain is a developed country with
very high living standards. It is also a member of the United Nations and NATO.
Geography
Spain is a mountainous country.
The highest peak is Teide (3 718m.) in the Canary Islands, followed by the 3
478m. Mulhacen in Sierra Nevada. The country has also various major rivers.
As the country is located in
mainland Europe but also has some islands, the climate is various. The mainland
climate is oceanic, Mediterranean and alpine and on the Canary Islands it is
subtropical.
Government
Spain is a constitutional
monarchy. The Head of State since 1975 is King Juan Carlos I and the Prime
Minister since 2011 is Mariano Rajoy Brey.
Spain is one of the most
decentralized countries in Europe. All Autonomous Communities have their own
elected parliaments, governments, public administrations, budgets, and
resources. Health and education systems among others are managed regional. In
Catalonia and the Basque Country, a fully fledged autonomous police corps
replaces some of the State police functions.
Economy
Recent weak points of Spain's
economy include high inflation, a large underground economy, and an education
system among the poorest for developed countries, together with the United
States and the UK. In the mid-1990s the strong economic growth helped the
government to reduce the government debt as a percentage of GDP and Spain's
high unemployment began to drop steadily. With the government budget in balance
and inflation under control Spain was admitted into the Eurozone in 1999. The
country's economy created more than half of all the new jobs in the European
Union over the five years ending 2005. However, in 2008 due to the financial
crisis Spanish construction sectors collapsed causing a high unemployment rates
- about 19% of the whole population. As of 2012 its rates are about 25%.
Energy
Spain is one of the world's
leading countries in the development and production of renewable energy. It is
also Europe's main producer of wind energy. In 2010 its wind turbines generated
16% of all electrical energy produced in Spain in total generating an amount of
energy that is equivalent to that of 14 nuclear reactors.
Other renewable
energies used in Spain are hydroelectric, biomass and marine. Non-renewable
energy sources used in Spain are nuclear, gas, coal, and oil.
Tourism
In the last couple of decades
Spain has become the second most visited country in the world. Its geographic
position, climate, history, quality food and friendly people bring a lot of
tourists and helps the economy.
Immigration
According to the Spanish
government there were 5.7 million foreign residents in Spain in 2011, or
12% of the total population. Mainly they are Romanian, Moroccan, British,
Ecuadorian, Colombian, Bolivian, German, Italian, Bulgarian, and Chinese. Within
the EU, Spain had the second highest immigration rate in percentage terms after
Cyprus.
Culture
Literature & Art
Spanish literature is very
diverse and influenced by many others country writers. Among the most famous
writers are Miguel de Cervantes, Lorca and Pio Baroja.
Spanish artists were a great
influence for various European art movements during the years. Pablo Picasso
and Diego Velazquez are one of the most famous Spanish painters whose works can
be seen in the Prado museum in Madrid.
"Guernica" by Pablo Picasso
"Las meninas" by Diego Velazquez
Architecture
Undoubtedly, the most famous Spanish
architects is Antonio Gaudí.
His Sagrada Familia and Park Güell in
Barcelona are one of the most famous attractions worldwide. Another famous piece
of architecture is Santiago
Calatrava’s City of Arts and Sciences which is the most popular tourist
destination in Valencia.
Music & dance
Flamenco is the most famous worldwide Spanish dance since
the 18th century. It originates from the province of Andalusia in southern
Spain. It includes singing, guitar playing, dancing and handclaps. One of the most popular music instruments in the
world - the acoustic guitar originates from Spain too.
Food
Spain has a variety of unique dishes mainly influenced by
seafood. Some of them are the rice-based paella, the cold tomato-based soup
gazpacho and arroz negro. Also popular are the Galician octopus-based polbo á
feira and shellfish dishes.
Sport
Football is the dominating sport
in Spain since the 20th century. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are two of the
most popular and internationally successful football clubs in the world. The
country's national football team won the European Football Championship in 2008
and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010.
Basketball, volleyball, tennis,
cycling and Formula One are also sports with Spanish dominance. The summer
Olympics in 1992 were hosted in Barcelona stimulating the interest in sports in
the country.
Festivals
Different festivals and events
are very popular in Spain.
La Tomatina
is a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Buñol, located 30 km from
the Mediterranean, in which participants throw tomatoes and get involved in a
tomato fight for fun. It is held on the last Wednesday of August, during the
week of festivities of Buñol.
Bullfighting or la corrida de toros is a traditional spectacle of
Spain, in which one or more bulls are baited, and then killed in a bullring for
sport and entertainment. In 2009 the parliament of Catalonia approved by
majority the preparation of a law to ban bullfighting in Catalonia, as a
response to a popular initiative against bullfighting. In 2010 Catalonia became
the second Community of Spain (first was Canary Islands in 1991) to ban
bullfighting. The ban took effect on 1 January 2012.
Las Fallas is a traditional celebration held in commemoration of
Saint Joseph in the city of Valencia, in Spain. The term Fallas refers to both
the celebration and the monuments created during the celebration.
Erasmusjam is a concert that takes place regularly in Valencia,
Spain at the Black Note Club. The first musicians playing have been exchange
students (through the Erasmus programme) in Valencia during the academic year
2004/2005. The Erasmusjam is mainly characterized by the presence of many
international musicians alternating on the stage and playing pop/rock
international music. Nowadays, the event takes place every year during Fallas,
and it's considered the meeting point for the old and new generations of the
Valencian Erasmus community.
Alicante province
Alicante is a province of eastern
Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is bordered by the
provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the
north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east. The province is named after its
capital, the city of Alicante. According to the 2009 population data, Alicante
ranks as the 4th most populous province in Spain (after Madrid, Barcelona, and
Valencia), with 1,917,012 inhabitants.
The province is mountainous,
especially in the north and west, whereas it is mostly flat to the south.
The coast extends from the cape,
Cap de la Nau, in the north to almost reaching the Mar Menor in the south. With
regard to water sources, due to the dry rain regime there are no major rivers.
