3. Location
Spain is located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwest Europe.
The Bay of Biscay and France border
the country on the North.
The Balearic Sea is on
The Atlantic Ocean the west of Spain, and
and Portugal are on the Mediterranean
the west of the Sea borders the country
country. on its southern
and eastern coasts.
The Strait of Gibraltar separates
the south of Spain from Morocco.
5. Geography
Spain contains several large mountain ranges, and the landscape of the
country varies from green, fertile land to desert-like land. It's surrounded
by long coasts along the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Most
land in Spain consists of flat plains and hills.
7. Geography
The climate in Spain is different depending on where you are. In the
central areas, it is normally sunny and hot during the summer,
and cold during the winter. In the coasts, it's usually partly-cloudy and
warm during the summer, and cool during the winter.
9. History
Spain was under Moorish rule before the Reconquista, a series of wars
between Christians and Moors over Spain that occurred over the span of
nearly 750 years. Moors had taken over almost the entire country, but
when the Caliphate of Cordoba rule collapsed, Moors were scattered in
little kingdoms around the country. Christians took this as a chance to
regain their reign, and soon enough, by 1492, the last of the Moorish
kingdoms were driven away by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, after
the union of the Aragon and Castile kingdoms.
11. History
Spain's golden age started after the end of the Reconquista, and following
Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World. During the golden age,
Spain flourished in art, music, and literature.
Soon, however, Spain began to decline in power, especially after the English
defeated their Armada. In 1808, Napoleon invaded the country, which lead
to the Peninsular War, also known as the Spanish War of Independence to
Spaniards. In the end, the Spanish drove the French out of the Iberian
Peninsula.
13. History
Spain was involved in several other wars, such as the War of Seven Years
and the Spanish-American War, which resulted in the loss of Spain's
colonial rule Overseas, and the Spanish Civil War, a war between Spain's
Republican government and Nationalist opposition. The Nationalists won
and Spain was ruled under Francisco Franco. The country was later
returned to a Monarchy, when Juan Carlos took place as King.
15. Government
Spain works under a parliament (constitutional) monarchy. The current
Monarchy of Spain is King Juan Carlos I, who has been king since November
of 1875. His heir is his son, Prince Felipe.
The highest executive official in Spain is the Prime Minister or the
President of Government. He or she plays a similar role as the President
in the United States. The current Prime Minister in Spain is Mariano
Rajoy Brey.
17. Money
Spain used to use pesetas as their currency, but they changed it to euros (€),
a currency that is used in most of Europe. One euro is equivalent to about
$1.30 in US dollars.
The coins in the currency include 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 50 cent,
1 euro, and 2 euro. The banknotes include 5 euro, 10 euro, 20 euro, 50 euro,
100 euro, 200 euro, and 500 euro.
19. Natural Resources
Spain has many types of natural resources. These resources include coal,
lignite, iron ore, copper, and lead. Some other resources are zinc, uranium,
tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin,
potash, hydro power, and arable land.
21. School
Children in Spain are required to attend school from ages 6-16. They attend
primary school (otherwise known as elementary school) and secondary
School ( high school), and if they do well, they can continue onto Bachillerato,
or Spanish baccalaureate, which is not compulsory. Once students complete
this schooling, they can take their University Entrance Exam.
23. School
The schools in Spain are either public schools, private, but funded by the
state, schools, or purely private schools. School in state funded schools
are free, while in purely private schools, have to pay for the tuition.
Students are required to buy their supplies, which include textbooks, art
supplies, and the sort.
25. Family
In modern times, Spain has adopted the nuclear and extended family
Structure. In a nuclear family, the average household has a mother, a
father, and their children. In an extended family, the average household
has a nuclear family, as well as any second generation relatives. The
entire family is usually very close to each other.
27. Tourist Attractions
Spain is a beautiful country, and has many tourist attractions. There are
places to visit from all over, from the north, the south, and the central
parts of the country.
Some of the most famous tourist attractions in the north is the Running of
the Bulls. A famous tourist attraction in the capitol of the country, Madrid,
is the Palacio Real, or the Royal Palace. A famous tourist attraction in the
south is the Alhambra.
29. Tourist Attractions – Running of the Bulls
The biggest and most popular Running of the Bulls event
takes place in San Fermin, Pamplona, and is held every year
from July 6 to July 14.
The event involves setting loose 6 bulls, which is signaled by
when a rocket is set off at 8 A.M. A second rocket is set off
to announce that all the bulls are loose. The traditional
running outfit is a white shirt, white pants, a red bandana,
and a red sash along their waist.
Runners lead the bulls to a bullring, and a rocket is set off
to announce the bulls are all in the ring, and another
Rocket is set off to announce that they are safely in the
corral in the bullring.
31. Tourist Attractions – The Royal Palace
The Royal Palace of Madrid (also known as the Palacio Real
de Madrid), is located in the capitol city of Spain, Madrid.
It is supposed to be the official residence for the King, but
because he does not live there, it is open to the public
except when there is a state ceremony.
The palace is gorgeous outside and inside. When you are
inside the palace, you have an option of taking a tour or
exploring the palace yourself. Tourists have access to
many of the rooms in the palace, and there are
information points to read if you explore yourself.
33. Tourist Attractions – Alhambra
The Alhambra is a castle and fortress that is located on
a hill that overlooks the city of Granada. Its name means
'the red one' in Arabic, and it was named this due to the
color of the the walls. It was constructed in the 14th
century.
The attraction has many places to visit inside, and is very
pretty inside and out. It can be divided into several parts;
the Alcazaba, the Palacio de Carlos V, the Lion Courtyard,
the Courtyard of the Gilded Room, the Ambassadors' Hall,
and last but not least, the Generalife.
35. Festivals
Spain is known for its festivities, and there are many,
many festivals throughout the country. If you look in the
right places, you could probably find a festival everyday!
Some of the bigger festivals include Tomatina, a festival
that involves throwing tomatoes at each other purely for
Fun, Cristianos y Moros, which involves people acting out
the reenactment of the fall of the Moorish rule played out
by willing participants, and Semana Santa, an event that
takes place on the week before Easter. In this event people
from churches and penitents march in the beginning, and
are followed by glamorous floats carrying Virgin Mary
37. Food
There are many different types of food in Spain. The country is very diverse,
and there are a variety of foods served all around.
Some dishes include paella, a rice dish that originated from Valencia, the
Spanish tortilla, a dish that can be found in different variations all over the
country, and gazpacho, a vegetable soup that originates from the region
of Andalusia.
39. Food - Paella
Paella is a rice dish that originated in Valencia.
There are many different types of paella, but the three most
widely known are the Valencian paella, seafood paella, and
the mixed paella.
Valencian paella is normally made with white rice, green
vegetables, meat, land snails, beans and seasoning.
Seafood paella is made with all of the same ingredients as
Valencian paella, except the meat and snails are replaced
With seafood, and there are no beans and vegetables.
Mixed paella can be made with a mixed combination of
meat, seafood, and the occasional beans.
41. Food – Spanish Tortilla
The Spanish tortilla is a thick egg omelet made with
potatoes and fried in olive oil.
The tortilla is very common around Spain, and you can
find many variations of the dish all over the country.
There is no standard version Of the dish, but it is most
commonly made with eggs, potatoes and onions.
43. Food - Gazpacho
Gazpacho is a famous dish from Andalusia, and is a cold
soup made from tomatoes.
In the Andalusia region, the dish is normally made with
stale bread, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and
garlic, olive oil, wine vinegar, and salt.
There are many different variations of the soup, and
people make different versions depending on their
location and their family tradition.
45. Sports
The most popular sport in Spain is probably football (or soccer, here in the
States). Spain has some of the best football teams in Europe, and millions
Of people watch the games, on TV and at stadiums. The football season
is usually from September all the way until May.
Other sports that are popular are bullfighting, basketball, cycling, tennis,
handball, and Formula One (car racing).
46. Review
Spain is an absolutely gorgeous country, with it's magnificent attractions, great
food, and awesome festivals. I definitely enjoyed my stay a lot.
I think my favorite part of my visit to this country was probably its food, because
no one can resist mouth-watering food! It was a lot different than what I
normally eat, and it was neat trying out different types of food. Of course, I also
enjoyed all the festivals that I've been too, all of them always gave me a jittery
Overall, this is a wonderful feeling in my stomach. mind coming here again!
country, and I wouldn't
