International Marketing AssignmentInternational Marketing Assignment

Country Notebook on Spain

Submitted To:-

Dr. Shruti Jain

Submitted By:-

Mohit Mittal

2010081

Country Notebook on Spain

Submitted To:-

Dr. Shruti Jain

Submitted By:-

Mohit Mittal

2010081

Country Notebook

The Country Notebook— A Guide for Developing a Marketing Plan

The Country Notebook Outline

• I. Cultural Analysis 

• II. Economic Analysis

• III. Market Audit and Competitive Market Analysis 

• IV. Preliminary Marketing Plan

I. Cultural Analysis

Guideline

I. IntroductionThe Kingdom of Spain (Spanish and Galician: Catalan: Basque: Occitan: ) is the largest of the three countries that make up the Iberian peninsula—the others are Portugal and Andorra—located in southwestern Europe. To the west (and, in Galicia, south), it borders Portugal. To the south, it borders Gibraltar and, through its cities in North Africa (Ceuta and Melilla), Morocco.

II. Brief discussion of the country’s relevant history

The history of Spain involves all the other peoples and nations within the Iberian peninsula formerly known as Hispania, and includes still today the nations of Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. It spans from prehistoric Iberia, through the rise and decline of a global empire, to the recent history of Spain as a member of the European Union. Modern humans entered the Iberian Peninsula about 32,000 years ago.

III. Geographical setting

Spain is a constitutional monarchy located in southwestern Europe. It occupies most (about. 85 percent) of the Iberian Peninsula ind includes a small exclave inside France called Llívia as well as the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Western Atlantic Ocean 108 km

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(67 mi) off northwest Africa, and five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberanía) on and off the coast of Morocco: Ceuta, Melilla, Islas Chafarinas, Peñón de Alhucemas, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera.

A. Location

Spain is located on the Iberian Peninsula in the southwest of Europe. It borders Portugal, Gibraltar, Andorra and France.

B. Climate

Three main climatic zones can be separated, according to geographical situation and orographic conditions:

The Mediterranean climate, characterized by dry and warm summers. According to the Köppen climate classification, it is dominant in the peninsula, with two varieties: Csa and Csb.

The oceanic climate (Cfb), located in north quarter of the country, especially in the region of Basque Country, Asturias, Cantabria and partly Galicia.

The semiarid climate (Bsh, Bsk), located in the southeastern quarter of the country, especially in the region of Murcia and in the Ebro valley. In contrast with the Mediterranean climate, the dry season extends beyond the summer.

Apart from these main types, other sub-types can be found, like the alpine climate in the Pyrenees and Sierra Nevada, and a typical subtropical climate in the Canary Islands.

C. Topography

Continental Spain is divided into five general topographic regions: (1) The northern coastal belt is a mountainous region with fertile valleys and large areas under pasture and covered with forests. (2) The central plateau, or Meseta, with an average altitude of about 670 m (2,200 ft), comprises most of Castilla y León, Castilla–La Mancha, and the city of Madrid. (3) Andalucía, with Sevilla its largest city, covers the whole of southern and southwestern Spain and, except for the flat fertile plain of the Guadalquivir River, is a mountainous region with deep fertile valleys. (4) The Levante is on the Mediterranean coastal belt, with Valencia its chief city. (5) Catalonia (Cataluña) and the Ebro Valley comprise the northeastern region.

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IV. Social institutions

After the restoration of democracy in the late 1970s, the changes in everyday Spanish life were as radical as the political transformation. They are famously known as the La Movida (The Movement). These changes were even more striking when contrasted with the values and social practices that had prevailed in Spanish society during the Francoist regime, especially during the 1940s and the early 1950s. In essence, Spanish social values and attitudes were modernized at the same pace, and to the same degree, as the country's class structure, economic institutions, and political framework.[1]

A. Family

The family is the basis of the social structure and includes both the nuclear and the extended family, which sometimes provides both a social and a financial support network.

1.The nuclear family In Spain, a nuclear family will generally include two adults and their children, just as in America.

2.The extended family Extended family unit representative of rural agrarian societies to a nuclear model, made up of a married couple and children which is more in keeping with urban industrial societies.

3.Dynamics of the family he' Spanish family, of course, is not everywhere identical. One of Reher's signal contributions is his attention to the variety of household types and the attendant human relationships within families under different laws of succession and regional traditions.

a.  Parental roles

In Spain more emphasis is plced on family solidarity. Leaving the .... In Norway and in Britain, there is more ambiguity about the parental role.

b.  Marriage and courtship

Marriage in Spain is more complicated than in the United States. Spanish authorities may take 30 to 45 days to approve a marriage application. Policies and procedures vary from region to region.

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4. Female/male roles

The role of Spanish women has changed so suddenly that we aren't stopping; we keep running for more rights," says Maria Jesus Miranda, a professor of sociology at the University Complutense in Madrid and a longtime feminist.

B. Education

The current system of education in Spain is known as LOE after the Ley Orgánica de Educación, or Fundamental Law of Education. Education in Spain is compulsory, and free from 6 to 16 years of age, supported by the Government in each Region.

1. The role of education in society

Society and Education has the backing of a large number of institutions in performing its mission as a socio-educational think tank.

a. Primary education

Structured as three 2 year cycles:

First Cycle (6 to 8 years of age) Second Cycle (8 to 10 years of age) Third Cycle (10 to 12 years of age)

b. Secondary education

Compulsory Secondary Education (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria or ESO) is structured as two cycles of two academic years each (total 4 years):

1st Cycle (12 to 14 years of age) 2nd Cycle (14 to 16 years of age)

Upon finishing ESO the student has a number of options, including:

Spanish Baccalaureate (post-compulsory diploma) Vocational Training. Work (it is only possible to get a job from 16 onwards)

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c. Higher education

There are 73 universities in Spain, most of which are supported by state funding. 23 Spanish universities are private, of which 7 are affiliated with the Catholic Church.

Former degrees were:

Licenciatura or ingeniería, can last four or five years. Diplomatura or ingeniería técnica, degree courses of shorter duration, 3 years.

Under the new European Higher Education Area, these former undergraduate degrees are being replaced by the título de grado (Bachelor's degree).

2. Literacy rates

Literacy rates is 97.9 in Spain

C. Political system

The politics of Spain take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy

1. Political structure

The Kingdom of Spain is a parliamentary monarchy, structured on the 1978 Constitution, which established it as a social and democratic state, subject to the rule of law. It states the King to be the Head of State.

2. Political parties

Spain has a multi-party system of both national and regional governments. Nationally there are two dominant political parties, (the left-leaning PSOE and right-wing PP) which make it extremely difficult for any other formation or coalition to achieve an electoral majority in the bicameral Cortes Generales (consisting of both the national Congress of Deputies and regional representation in the Senate).

2. Stability of government

Spain gained some political stability after a democratic government was set up .But again there were political disturbances when Basque terrorism spread. There were wide spread assassinations and

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bombings throughout the country. A lot of changes were introduced in the government of Spain in 1975.Spain got freedom from theking and the greedy prime ministers.

Government type of Spain was maintained stable after Spain has faught many battles for so many years.

3. Special taxes

Income taxes in Spain should be paid between May 1 and June 30 for the previous year’s income.

Information on income taxes and income tax rates in Spain, paying tax in Spain, special taxes, VAT/IVA, double taxation, taxes on property and real estate, and US forms and publications for expatriates living in Spain.

5. Role of local government

Institutions of local government have undergone marked transformations since the Franco era, when they functioned primarily as instruments of the central government. The overhauling of administration at the local level had to wait, however, until a degree of political reform had been achieved at the national level.

D. Legal system

The Judiciary of Spain consists of Courts and Tribunals, composed of judges and magistrates (Justices), who have the power to administer justice in the name of the King of Spain. The Spanish legal system is a civil law system based on comprehensive legal codes and laws rooted in Roman law, as opposed to common law, which is based on precedent court rulings.

1. Organization of the judiciary system

The Spanish Judiciary is divided into five jurisdictional orders, civil jurisdiction, criminal jurisdiction, administrative jurisdiction, labour or social jurisdiction and military jurisdiction.. Each order is composed of several different circuits.

2. Code, common, socialist, or Islamic-law country?

Civil law is the most widespread system of law around the world. It is also sometimes known as Continental European law. The central source of law that is recognized as authoritative are codifications in a constitution or statute passed by legislature, to amend a code.

3. Participation in patents, trademarks, and other conventions

In order to protect an invention in other countries under the Paris Union ... A patent can be applied for in a single country such as Spain (ES), .... a ready-made and expedient means of ensuring participation by indigenous .

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4. Marketing Laws

The possible methods of marketing your products in Spain lie with the following alternatives:

1. Direct selling from abroad (from an EU member state) to Spanish clients

2. By means of the creation of a branch in Spain of your central headquarters

3. By creation of a subsidiary company in Spain

4. By means of an ‘Information office’ in Spain (e.g.: in accordance with art. 5 letter of the Spanish-German Double Imposition Convention)

E.Social organizations

Family

The family is the basis of the social structure and includes both the nuclear and the extended family, which sometimes provides both a social and a financial support network.. Today, it is less common than previously for family members to work in a family business, as personal preferences are important and university education is general. The structure and the size of the family vary, but generally, people live until longer lives, have fewer children than before, and fewer people live in their homes with extended family.. Familial networks have become less tight. The greatest changes have occurred inside families, between men and woman, and the parents and children because the values that inspire these relations have changed."

Class

Like every country, Spain has the upper classes, the middle classes, and the lower classes. If you are dirt poor it is very very likely you shall be considered of low class. If you have a good flow of cash and have enough to feed and support your family and you have a good social life, you are probably in the direct middle class. And, also like every country, it is the rich snobs who can afford to blow all their cash who are considered high class. Even higher than everyone is, of course, the King and Queen.

1. Group behavior

The Spanish attitude towards time is notoriously flexible. Nothing is done in a hurry but whatever needs doing gets done. So, if a waiter does not come to your table immediately, you should not condemn him for poor service but accept that he does not appear to be in any hurry because he assumes that you are not in a hurry. The Spanish daily timetable is also alien to most visitors. Although wider use of air-conditioning is hastening change, old habits die hard and most Spaniards

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enjoy an active social life out of doors in the cool of the evening and into the night. You should not be surprised to see young children still up at midnight and you should not be annoyed if your colleagues stay out drinking into the early hours. The Spanish day is not rigidly structured; it is not divided crudely into work or play but the two are interwoven throughout the 24-hour cycle. This flexible attitude is epitomized by the habit of de tapas--indulging in a series of tasty, different little dishes throughout the course of the day.

2. Social classes

Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'. In the modern Western context, stratification typically comprises three layers: upper class, middle class, and lower class. Each class may be further subdivided into smaller classes (e.g. occupational).

3. Clubs, other organizations

Business networking is an increasingly popular concept in Andalucia. It is particularly useful within English speaking ex-pat communities, where local, mutually beneficial business relationships can seem thin on the ground and often take years to establish. Business networking is a process whereby all types of business people, from local entrepreneurs to employees of large conglomerates meet in an informal fashion to exchange ideas, make new contacts and maintain long established relationships.

4. Race, ethnicity, and subcultures

The phenomena of race and ethnicity as well as some of the world wide patterns of discrimination based on them.  In doing this, it is important to suspend our own biases as much as possible and to take a cultural relativity approach.  That is to say, we must not let our own cultural biases get in the way of understanding the lives of other people.  This is a very difficult task given the emotionally charged feelings and deep beliefs that most people have concerning race and ethnicity.  However, suspending these attitudinal barriers in order to gain a better understanding of the phenomena is worth the effort.

F. Business customs and practices

Business reports on successful trading, negotiating and dealing with business culture in Spain. Get practical tips how to do business with Spain. Discover the best way to conduct business meetings and make business presentations. Find out about exporting and importing practices in Spain. Receive information on useful business contacts in Spain. Learn about Spain business communication style and business entertainment. The reports are published by International Cultural Enterprises, Inc. (for more information about the company click here), leaders in international business information, in cooperation with top US executives currently doing business in Spain. Below please find the titles of the reports with a brief

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summary of the topics, as well as the word count. 

V. Religion and aesthetics

Roman Catholicism is the largest denomination of Christianity present in Spain by far. According to a October 2011 study by the Spanish Center of Sociological Research about 70.1% of Spaniards self-identify as Catholics, 2.7% other faith, and about 25% identify with no religion.[2] Most Spaniards do not participate regularly in religious worship. This same study shows that of the Spaniards who identify themselves as religious, 56% goes to mass few times a year, 15% go to mass many times a year, 9% some time per month and 16% every Sunday or multiple times per week.[2] Although a majority of Spaniards are Catholics, most, especially those of the younger generation, ignore the Church's conservative moral doctrines on issues such as pre-marital sex, sexual orientation or contraception.

A.Religion and other belief systems

Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values.[1] Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature.

The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system, but religion differs from private belief in that it has a public aspect. Most religions have organized behaviors, including clerical hierarchies, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, congregations of laity, regular meetings or services for the purposes of veneration of a deity or for prayer, holy places (either natural or architectural), and/or scriptures. The practice of a religion may also include sermons, commemoration of the activities of a god or gods, sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trance, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture.

1. Orthodox doctrines and structures

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. There is no state religion; however, the Catholic Church enjoys some privileges unavailable to other faiths.

There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report, and government policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.

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2. Relationship with the people

The Kingdom of Spain has a population of 46.5 million people, and is 194,992 sq. mi. The majority of citizens, 94%, are raised Roman Catholic, and family values are extremely important in Spain. The Spanish lifestyle is more relaxed than many other nations. For example, many businesses are closed between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30p.m. for a siesta, allowing families to get together for a meal.

3. Which religions are prominent?

The religion of Spain, as everyone knows, is Catholicism, and practically everyone there is a Catholic.

4. Membership of each religion

Constitution established that Spain has no official religion. ... the official State religion and in 1953 a Concordat was signed including all kinds of ... of the population are members of the Catholic Church, 1.9 % are other religious

5. Any powerful or influential cults?

cult (of which Sol Invictus Cult was but a variant) was prominent during the .... was a dynasty of Priest-Kingswho formed a powerful and influential aristocracy. .... he included as part of his dominion, northeastern Spain,

B. Aesthetics

Recent studies of the origins of the modernist avant-gardes trace key elements of their aesthetics – their elision of communication, their hermetic, fragmentary character – to anarchist influences.  Where communism proposed rigorous representational codes (propaganda art, socialist realism), anarchist aesthetics declared war on representation.  However, as critics such as Joan Ramon Resina and Lily Litvak have pointed out, this reading seems to ignore the calls of anarchists, beginning with Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, for a “social art” which would “represent labor, working life, and the proletarian struggle.

1. Visual arts (fine arts, plastics, graphics, public art, colors, etc.)

Spanish art is the visual art of Spain, and that of Spanish artists worldwide. Whilst an important contributor to Western art (particularly influenced by Italy and France, especially during the Baroque and Neoclassical periods) and producing many famous and influential artists (including Velázquez, Goya and Picasso) Spanish art has often had distinctive characteristics and been assessed somewhat separately from other European schools.

2. Drama, ballet, and other performing arts

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Performing arts include the dance, music, opera, theatre, magic, Spoken word, circus arts and musical theatre.

Artists who participate in performing arts in front of an audience are called performers, including actors, comedians, dancers, magicians, musicians, and singers. Performing arts are also supported by workers in related fields, such as songwriting and stagecraft.

Performers often adapt their appearance, such as with costumes and stage makeup, etc.

There is also a specialized form of fine art in which the artists perform their work live to an audience. This is called performance art. Most performance art also involves some form of plastic art, perhaps in the creation of props. Dance was often referred to as a plastic art during the Modern dance era.

3. Folklore and relevant symbols

Spanish colonization of the Philippines lasted for more than three centuries. There is a significant amount of Spanish-Mexican influence within Filipino culture, customs and traditions. Hispanic influences are visible in traditional Philippine folk music, folk dance, language, food, art, and religion.

VI. Living conditions

Shopping in Spain is not cheap but it is reasonable. There are affordable items at the Northern regions and coastal areas like Costa de la Luz. In big cities, prices of clothes and wares can be very high and even become more expensive than in the UK. There are locally made clothes and textiles found in shopping malls and department stores. Malls and individual designer label shops house top-of-the-line clothing from Europe and the United States.

1. Meat and vegetable consumption rates

Evaluation of food consumption and dietary patterns in Spain by the Food ... fruit (310 g/person/day), vegetables and greens (302 g/person/day), cereals and ... (214 g/person/day), meat and meat products (179 g/day), fish (100 g/person/day)

2. Typical meals

A typical breakfast might include café con leche - strong coffee with hot, frothy ... The midday meal, la comida as it is called in Spain is the largest meal of the day.

3. Malnutrition rates

This is compared with a global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate of only 21% in November 2007 when MSF Spain stopped their emergency selective feeding.

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4. Foods available

Spanish cuisine consists of a 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 maritime roots. Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences has led to an array of unique cuisines with literally thousands of recipes and flavors.

B. Housing

Property in Spain, good information is the one thing many people struggle to find. It is much easier to find properties for sale in Spain than it is to find the kind of information you need to make informed decisions on buying, owning, and selling.

1. Types of housing available

There are different types of properties and we shall briefly list their advantages and disadvantages. We will also provide the Spanish word for each property type, so if you are looking to buy a property, you can search the internet using the Spanish word, thus broadening your options of finding the perfect home in Spain.

2. Do most people own or rent?

Renting out the property you own in Spain can be a useful way to finance the purchase and ongoing costs of owning a holiday home abroad. As people grow more disillusioned with the performance of pension schemes, it is also an attractive alternative investment opportunity. Demand for Spanish holiday rental is increasing every year and the Costa del Sol especially Calahonda rent and Costa Blanca attract the greatest number of holidaymakers looking to rent a property in Spain.

3. Do most people live in one-family dwellings or with other families?

A house is a building that is made for people to live in. It is a "permanent" building that is meant to stay standing. It is not a place to live that can be easily packed up and carried away like a tent, or moved like a caravan. If people live in the same house for more than a short stay, then they call it their "home".

Houses come in many different shapes and sizes. They may be as small as just one room, or they may have hundreds of rooms. They also come in many different shapes, and may have just one level or several different levels. A house is sometimes joined to other houses at the sides to make "row houses", but it is not part of a big building with lots of levels. That type of home is called an "apartment" or a "flat" or a "unit". One of the differences between a house and an apartment is that a house has a front door to the outside world, whereas the main door of an apartment usually opens onto a passage or landing that can be used by other people in the building.

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C. Clothing This category describes traditional and historic Spanish clothing. Modern Spanish clothing should be categorised under Spanish fashion

1. National dress

There really is no "national" costume. There are traditional costumes or clothing from each region of Spain. Like the "trajes de faraleas"

2. Types of clothing worn at work

Life in Spain has changed dramatically in the past few decades, with the ... Typical summer clothes worn by the locals in Barcelona

D. Recreation, sports, and other leisure activities writing guide

1. Types available and in demand

Housing demand in Spain according to the type of tenure (rental or purchase) and building (single family or multifamily), based on microeconometric data from 1999. Our approach uses a generalization of the two-stage Heckman estimation to correct the bias of the sample selection, with a mixed logit multinomial model in the first stage. The results obtained show differences in the housing demand between owners and renters according to the building type, with larger values of income elasticity and demand price in rented dwellings. Furthermore, the differences between our results and those of earlier well-known papers that deal with the U.S. and U.K. housing markets appear to be due to differences between the housing markets, and do not stem from differences in econometric specification.

2. Percentage of income spent on such activities

According to a survey published today by Eurostat for 2005 this percentage is the second highest after Italian households which spent around 55.8% on food and housing. Given that prices for both food and housing have risen steeply since 2005 and disproportionately compared to disposable income it is possible that these percentages have risen even more.

E. Social security

The social security system is covering all healthcare, including sickness and maternity; unemployment insurance; old age pensions

F. Health care

The healthcare system in Spain is considered to be very good. Spanish hospitals are modern and well-equipped. The doctors are also excellent.

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VII. Language The languages of Spain (Spanish: lenguas de España), or Spanish languages (Spanish: lenguas españolas or lenguas hispánicas), are the languages spoken or once spoken in Spain. Romance languages are the most widely spoken in Spain; of which Spanish, or Castilian, is the only language which has official status for the whole country.

A. Official language(s)

Spanish was removed as an official language of the Philippines in 1973 and was removed from being a compulsory subject in 1987; on 8 August 2007, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced that the Philippine government asked help from the Spanish Government in her plan to reintroduce the Spanish as a required subject in the Philippine school system. The Constitution of the Philippines states that "Spanish and Arabic shall be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis" and that the Constitution itself will be translated into Spanish.[24] It is estimated that in 1996 there were 1,816,389 Spanish speakers in the Philippines.

B. Spoken versus written language(s)

Spanish (español) or Castilian (castellano) is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several dialects of spoken Latin in central-northern Iberia around the ninth century[6]

and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile (present northern Spain) into central and southern Iberia during the later Middle Ages.

C. Dialects

Spanish dialects and varieties are the regional variants of the Spanish language, some of which are quite divergent from one another, especially in pronunciation and vocabulary, and less so in grammar.

Since emerging from its relative international isolation during the Franco era, Spain has steadily become an important figure in international affairs and an influential economic partner. Spain is the eighth largest industrialised economy in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ( OECD) and the fifth largest country in the European Union in terms of population, output and production.

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In 2001, the Spanish economy was valued at US$ 582 billion ( some 62 per cent larger than the Australian economy) . For the past five years, the Spanish economy has experienced one of the strongest rates of GDP growth in the European Union. The OECD forecast that Spain s GDP per capita would increase by 2.1 per cent in 2002 and by 3.3 per cent in 2003.

II. Economic Analysis

Guideline

I. Introduction

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Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 square kilometres (194,610 sq mi), it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France, and the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France.

Because of its location, the territory of Spain was subject to many external influences since prehistoric times and through to its dawn as a country. Spain emerged as a unified country in the 15th century, following the marriage of the Catholic Monarchs and the completion of the reconquest, or Reconquista, of the Iberian peninsula in 1492. Conversely, it has been an important source of influence to other regions, chiefly during the modern era, when it became a global empire that has left a legacy of over 500 million Spanish speakers today, making it the world's second most spoken first language.

Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a parliamentary government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a developed country with the twelfth largest economy in the world by nominal GDP, and very high living standards, including the tenth-highest quality of life index rating in the world, as of 2005. It is a member of the United Nations, European Union, NATO, OECD, and WTO.

II. PopulationThe population of Spain is approximately 40 million with an overall density of 79 persons

per sq km (206 per sq mi).

1. Growth rates

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Spain stagnated in the third quarter of 2011 over the previous quarter. Historically, from 1995 until 2011, Spain's average quarterly GDP Growth was 0.65 percent reaching an historical high of 1.53 percent in December of 1997 and a record low of -1.60 percent in March of 2009. Spain's economy is the fifth largest in Europe.

2. Number of live births

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Spain has 47,150,819 inhabitants according to 1/1/2010 municipal records (Padrón Municipal).[1] Its population density, at 91.4/km² (229/sq. mile), is lower than that of most Western European countries. With the exception of the capital, Madrid, the most densely populated areas lie around the coast.

The population of Spain doubled during the twentieth century, but the pattern of growth was extremely uneven due to large-scale internal migration from the rural interior to the industrial cities, a phenomenon which happened later than in other Western European countries. No fewer than eleven of Spain's fifty provinces saw an absolute decline in population over the century.

3. Birthrates

The last quarter of the century saw a dramatic fall in birth rates. Spain's fertility rate of 1.47

B. Distribution of population

Between 1981 and 1990 Spain experimented a population increase of 3.2 % for the whole period - the lowest inter-census population increase for the entire century. Due to a diminishing natural increase, the population increase was still lower during the first half of the nineties. However, from 1997 onwards, the increase has picked up as the result of increased immigration.

The estimated population at the end of 2001 was 40.4 million inhabitants, that is, an increase of 288 000 inhabitants (0.72 %) during the year. 38 000 of this increase corresponds to natural increase; the difference, 250 000, is the estimated immigration.

1. Age

This is an incomplete list of the average ages of people when they first marry in various countries. This list is .... (2008); Spain: 32 for men, 29.8 for women.

2. Sex

The ages of consent for sexual activity vary by jurisdiction across Europe. Spain (age 13) has the lowest age of consent, while Malta and Turkey are at the highest end (both age 18).

3. Geographic areas (urban, suburban, and rural density and concentration)

This is a list of countries and territories in Europe by population density. The list includes all entities falling even partially under any of the various common definitions of Europe, geographic or political.

The whole of Russia is referred to in the table, although they are only partly in Europe. The primarily Asian nations of Georgia and Kazakhstan are generally considered to have small European portions. Armenia and Cyprus, entirely Asia physiographically, have political and cultural ties to Europe.

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Serbia and Montenegro are listed as separate countries, although at the time of the estimates they were also considered as one country. There is some discussion about whether Kosovo should be recognised as a separate country. De facto it can be considered as one, but de jure recognition is not clear-cut.

4. Migration rates and patterns

As of 2010, there were 6.4 million foreign-born residents in Spain, corresponding to 14.0% of the total population. Of these, 4.1 million (8.9%) were born outside the European Union and 2.3 million (5.1%) were born in another EU Member State.

5. Ethnic groups

Spain has four major ethnic groups that are divided by language, Castilian, Basque, Catalan and Galician.

III. Economic statistics and activity The economy of Spain is the twelfth-largest economy in the world, based on nominal GDP

comparisons, and the fifth-largest in Europe. It is regarded as the world's 20th most developed country. Until 2008 the economy of Spain had been regarded as one of the most dynamic within the EU, attracting significant amounts of foreign investment. Spain's economy had been credited with having avoided the virtual zero growth rate of some of its largest partners in the EU.

A. Gross national product (GNP or GDP)

GDP (Gross Domestic Product), 2002 : 655 billion dollars.GDP per capita, 2002 : 15098 dollars GNP (Gross National Product), 2005 : 1100.1 billion dollars NP per capita, 2005 : 25358 dollars

1. Total

Spain GDP 1,409,946

2. Rate of growth (real GNP or GDP)

Real GDP rose 7.5% (03-04), 6.9% (04-05), 8.1% (05-06)

B. Personal income per capita writing guide

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Personal Average Income :

annual, per capita, incl. non-monetary income

   Disposable   Gross   Salary   Business   Property   Transfer (1)    

2002 11,7797,308

  13,4818,364

  7,6834,767

  1,483920

  216134

  3,5462,200

 

C. Average family income

The average household income in Spain in 2008 is 1496 euros per month D. Distribution of wealth.

1. Income classes

Distribution of Income or Consumption by Percentage Share: Spain Lowest 10% 2.8 Lowest 20% 7.5 Second 20% 12.6 Third 20% 17.0 Fourth 20% 22.6 Highest 20% 40.3 Highest 10% 25.2.

2. Proportion of the population in each class

Spain occupies about 85 percent of the Iberian peninsula, with Portugal on its western Beyond the homes of rural or middle-class urban Spaniards.

3. Is the distribution distorted?

Spain's population reached 38.8 million, making it Western. On the map, the Iberian Peninsula resembles a slightly distorted square with the top.

E. Minerals and resources

Mineral resources include natural gas, coal, bauxite, tantalite, gold, tin, iron ore, limestone.

F. Surface transportation

Transportation in Spain is characterized by an extensive network of roads, railways, rapid transit, air routes, and ports.

1. Modes

Spain tours are an enigmatic experience and there are various modes of transportation in Spain which allows you to visit all the places of interest here.

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You have the option for transportation in Spain by train and there is Renfe (Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles )train which is also the national rail carrier of Spain. Here the long-distance trains are punctual but there may be some delays in case of short-distance trains (called Cercanías) particularly in the Barcelona area. The majority of the railways are managed by RENFE while the narrow-gauge lines are functioned by FEVE and other carriers.

2. Availability

Transportation in spain bus vs train travel in spain. The trains in Spain are fast, efficient and relatively cheap.

3. Usage rates

Rank Country area pop

 Spain 0.51 45 31

4. Ports

Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 (2000 census), a metropolitan population of 128,026 (1990 unofficial estimate) and a transient daily population of 250,000. It is located on the Gulf of Paria, on the northwest coast of the island of Trinidad and is part of a larger conurbation stretching from Chaguanas in the west to Arima in the east with an estimated population of 600,000.

G. Communication systems

pain is a developed country. The communication system is also much developed in Spain. The communication system in Spain comprise of Telecommunication system, postal system , Internet. Media as a mode of communication deals both in print and electronic media.

1. Types

Phones Email, Media and other mean Communications are available

2. Availability

Phones Email, Media and other mean Communications are available

3. Usage rates

With impending deregulation, electric utilities are investigating how they can compete through better quality, pricing, and service offerings. The deregulated utility business will become three separate businesses: power generation, transmission, and local distribution. Local distribution will be a very

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competitive arena, where many utilities will seek to gain competitive advantage by offering new services in addition to electric power and building brand recognition. One approach that utilities can pursue takes advantage of their vast, in-place wiring infrastructure. With the proper technology, the infrastructure can also serve as a high-speed communications medium over the "the first hundred feet" to the residence. Through the use of powerline communications, electrical utilities can supply both electric power and a pipe for high-speed, reliable communications traffic, including Internet access.

H. Working conditions

Spain has always been a top destination for retired people looking to relocate to warmer climes, and  to international students wanting to study at universities and language schools. However, Spain is now a popular destination for workers and young families who want a better quality of life by working and living in Spain.

1. Employer-employee relations

When facing an employment-law issue, an employer should know that the very protectionist Workers’ Statute covers regular employees.  The Spanish Agency Contract Law covers those workers who are agents.  The Spanish Law on Management Personnel applies to those labor relations between the employer and such persons.  After considering the applicable specific law, a company-employer and its legal counsel should keep in mind that any disputes will then be addressed in this order:  the employment contract, the regional collective labor agreement, and finally, case law.  The regional collective labor agreement must provide at least the same – or better – employment conditions and benefits for employees as does the Workers’ Statute.  With this in mind, it is more recommendable for the aspiring company-employer to hire agents instead of regular employees.  This is because Spanish courts are generally favorable to and protectionist over regular employees.  To avoid a dispute over what type of labor relationship the employer and worker have, it is best to precisely detail the worker’s responsibilities and functions in the employment contract. 

2. Employee participation

Within the EU-27, Spain is one of the bottom-placed countries with regard to the prevalence of employee share ownership schemes. By contrast, Spain is above the European average when it comes to profit sharing schemes.1

3. Salaries and benefits

To work in spin you should apply for your Social Security number once you are already living in Spain, but ideally before you start working. Whether you work for yourself (por cuenta propia) or you work for someone else (por cuenta ajena), you and/or your employer can only make Social Security contributions on your behalf if you have a Social Security number.

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I. Principal industries

Long a largely agricultural country, Spain produces large crops of wheat, barley, vegetables, tomatoes, olives, sugar beets, citrus fruit, grapes, and cork. Spain is the world's largest producer of olive oil and Europe's largest producer of lemons, oranges, and strawberries. The best-known wine regions are those of Rioja, in the upper Ebro valley, and of Málaga and Jerez de la Frontera, in Andalusia. Cattle, pigs, and poultry are raised. Agriculture is handicapped in many places by lack of mechanization, by insufficient irrigation, and by soil exhaustion and erosion.

1. What proportion of the GNP does each industry contribute?

The industry is highly infrastructure dependent, and relies upon various transport ... by determining what percentage of each industry is accounted for by tourism with 66.8 million, followed by the United States with 49 million, Spain with 43.4 .Twenty-five Countries Recording the Highest Contribution of Tourism to GNP

2. Ratio of private to publicly owned industries

25% of the workers work for the public administrationA part of them for the State administration (schools, police, army)A second part for the health system (hospitals)The third part for the local administrations.

And I think that the state owns 5% of the industries like electricity production and transportation services (trains, toll roads) but their workers are not considered to be employed by the administration.

J. Foreign investment

Spain received 11645 million euros of foreign investment in the first half of 2011. Spain received a total of 11645 million euros during the first half of 2011.

1. Opportunities?

There are jobs in Spain for foreigners, however, along the coast most jobs are seasonal. It depends largely on what you can and will be able to do. You will probably have to have a good command of the Spanish language. Most qualifications obtained in the UK and Europe are recognised in Spain. Whatever job you end up doing, If you intend to work in Spain make sure you get a contract from your employer which is at least 6 months long. This will protect you and give you the same rights as a Spanish employee.

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2. Which industries?

The economy of Spain is the twelfth-largest economy in the world, based on nominal GDP comparisons, and the fifth-largest in Europe. It is regarded as the world's 20th most developed country. Until 2008 the economy of Spain had been regarded as one of the most dynamic within the EU, attracting significant amounts of foreign investment.

K. International trade statistics

The Customs Authority is responsible for collecting Foreign Trade statistics. Data are recorded at the moment when merchandise is delivered to the customs. For extra-EU countries data are collected from the administrative documents (Single Administrative Document -SAD) - and INTRASTAT declarations for trade within the EU.

1. Major exports

exports: motor vehicles, machinery, basic metals, vegetable products, chemicals, mineral products, and textiles

imports:machinery, equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, and measuring/ medical instruments.

a.  Dollar valueThe Spanish dollar (also known as the piece of eight, the real de a ocho or the eight-real coin) is a silver coin, of approximately 38 mm diameter, worth eight reales, that was minted in the Spanish Empire after a Spanish currency reform in 1497.

b.  TrendsSpain is likely to experience further liberalization of markets and privatization in the sectors of telecommunications, defense, energy, transportation, and aerospace. In order to attract more foreign investors, the government will likely institute more labor law reform with the aim of increasing the flexibility of the labor market.

2. Major importsSpain has to import all of its fossil fuelsa.  Dollar valueSpain became part of the Bretton Woods System, pegging the peseta at a value of 60 pesetas = 1 U.S. dollar

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b.  TrendsSpain has used the euro since 2002, which replaced the old peseta. It is the same currency that is used in much of Western Europe (apart from Switzerland, the UK, Denmark and Sweden). The euro is the only currency accepted in Spain - it is unlikely you'll be able to use anything else, even in the airport. It may be possible to exchange old Spanish peseta notes in a bank, but no shop will accept them anymore.

3. Balance-of-payments situation

The services credit totaled $57.8 billion and debit $33.5 billion.

a. Surplus or deficit?Surplusb. Recent trendssurplus

4. Exchange rates

Euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.755 (2010) 0.7198 (2009) 0.6827 (2008) 0.7345 (2007) 0.7964 (2006)

a. Single or multiple exchange rates?

Multiple

b.  Current rate of exchangeeuros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.755 (2010)

c. TrendsPositive

L. Trade restrictions

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Imported goods are not legally entered until after the shipment has been released by Spanish Customs. Spain Customs may regulate any shipment at any time for review or investigation, which could result in clearance and/or delivery delays.

Certain forms of documentation are mandatory for shipments to Spain. Exporters from other countries are required to present one commercial invoice, one bill of lading and three copies of a certificate of origin for all shipments. Other certificates are required for exporting perishable foods, pharmaceutical goods , live animals and some medical goods.

1. Embargoes

There are different sort of embargoes: precautonary embargoes and executive embargoes. The embargo can be requested in many sort of processes in different jurisdictional orders (civil, criminal, etc). With the information you give, it is quite hard to provide more accurate advice. If you could explain your case with more details, we would be in position to give more information.

2. Quotas

Spain has been transformed in the last three decades from a rural, backward, agricultural country into a nation with a diversified economy with strong manufacturing and service sectors. However Spain's bureaucracy remains firmly rooted in the 1950's.

3. Import taxes

Spanish import taxes within the Spain And Costa Blanca forum, discussions, general chat , Does anyone know what the Spanish import taxes are on goods purchased from outside the EU.

4. Tariffs

Financial incentives for photovoltaics are incentives offered to electricity consumers to install and operate solar-electric generating systems, also known as photovoltaics (PV). A government may offer incentives in order to encourage the PV industry to achieve the economies of scale needed to compete where the cost of PV-generated electricity is above the cost from the existing grid. Such policies are implemented to promote national or territorial energy independence, high tech job creation and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions which cause global warming.

5. Licensing

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The licensing industry in Spain is estimated to comprise nearly 600 companies as active participants (Property owners, licensing agents, licensees…). Over 1,300 licensing properties are listed in the market, according to industry sources.

Licensing has been growing strongly in the last few years in Spain, although a characteristic of the Spanish market is that it tends to concentrate in few segments with many licenses. The current economic environment has affected the industry with a reluctance to incorporate new properties by licensees and agents, both of whom are focusing efforts on well-established properties. There is a perception in the industry of market saturation, as the number of properties has grown significantly while the number of licensees is remaining stable.

6. Customs duties

Spain, a member of the European Union and the World Trade Organization, adheres to EU and GATT trading rules. Spain determines customs duties based on cost, insurance, and freight (CIF), and applies the EU Common External Tariff to non-EU imports. Most customs costs amount to 20-30% of CIF, including tariffs, value-added tax (16%), and customs agent and handling fees.

M. Extent of economic activity not included in cash income activities.

1. Countertrades Over-the-counter (OTC) or off-exchange trading is to trade financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, commodities or derivatives directly between two parties. It is contrasted with exchange trading, which occurs via facilities constructed for the purpose of trading (i.e. exchanges), such as futures exchanges or stock exchanges.

Types of countertrades requested (i.e., barter, counter purchase, etc.)

There are five main variants of countertrade:

Barter : Exchange of goods or services directly for other goods or services without the use of money as means of purchase or payment.

Barter is the direct exchange of goods between two parties in a transaction. The principal exports are paid for with goods or services supplied from the importing market. A single contract covers both flows, in its simplest form involves no cash. In practice, supply of the principal exports is often held up until sufficient revenues have been earned from the sale of bartered goods. One of the largest barter deals to date involved Occidental Petroleum Corporation's agreement to ship sulphuric acid to the former Soviet Union for ammonia urea and potash under a 2 year deal which was worth 18 billion euros. Furthermore, during

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negotiation stage of a barter deal, the seller must know the market price for items offered in trade. Bartered goods can range from hams to iron pellets, mineral water, furniture or olive-oil all somewhat more difficult to price and market when potential customers must be sought.

Switch trading: Practice in which one company sells to another its obligation to make a purchase in a given country.

Counter purchase: Sale of goods and services to one company in other country by a company that promises to make a future purchase of a specific product from the same company in that country.

Buyback: occurs when a firm builds a plant in a country - or supplies technology, equipment, training, or other services to the country and agrees to take a certain percentage of the plant's output as partial payment for the contract.

Offset: Agreement that a company will offset a hard - currency purchase of an unspecified product from that nation in the future. Agreement by one nation to buy a product from another, subject to the purchase of some or all of the components and raw materials from the buyer of the finished product, or the assembly of such product in the buyer nation.

F. Business customs and practices

Brazilians seek long term relationships. Though profits are very important, it is almost always a secondary issue after personal relationships. A foreign

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company which enters the Brazilian market with such intentions, and which always stresses that they are there to establish long-lasting relations, has tremendous competitive advantage.

Brazilians have a very strong culture of importing and exporting. Over time, they have developed a sense that there is a whole world out there, which they are willing to reach through both imports and exports. The idea of taking and giving is very strong.

Business Meetings

In a meeting, shake hands with and greet each person individually; never walk in and acknowledge everyone all at once. If you know the order of status then shake hands from highest to lowest.

Always be on time for an appointment but expect to wait. They're always 10-15 minutes late. Be patient with business-related delays. Expect many interruptions [during meetings], especially at the higher levels.

They are very interested in physical contact. In a meeting they might touch your arm or pat you on the back. You don't have to initiate physical contact but be aware that it might happen.

Business Protocol

You might be invited to a meal in a business contact's home. Dinner time is from 7:00 - 9:00 PM.

Don't bring anything with you [to a dinner in a home]. Instead, send flowers afterward as a thank you. Be careful not to send purple flowers, or anything purple because it's considered a death omen.

Don't give personal gifts such as ties or perfume. These are seen as too personal for business entertainment gifts.

If you have a business dinner at a restaurant, the service charge added to the meal cost. However, it is customary to give another 5% to the waiter. Taxi drivers are also tipped 10%.

In a meeting, shake hands with and greet each person individually; never walk in and acknowledge everyone all at once. If you know the order [of status] then shake hands from highest to lowest. Have as many documents as possible translated before you get there. It's an insult to confuse Portuguese and Spanish in Brazil. (Remember Brazilians speak Portuguese.) Always be on time for an appointment but expect to wait. They're always 10-15 minutes late. Be patient with business-related delays. Expect many interruptions [during meetings], especially at the higher levels. Offices are shared except at the most senior level, so visitors shouldn't be put off if someone does not have a private office since that's not an indication of status.

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V. Religion and aesthetics

Brazil religion has a powerful heritage of Roman Catholicism which dates back to the zeal of the Iberian missionaries.  The fifteenth century crusaders had the goal to distribute Christianity to those who did not believe in the Mother Church.  In the Western Hemisphere, the converts included African slaves and American Indians.  Not only was the adherence to the Church sought by conversion to the beliefs, but conformity was enforced by way of such measures as the inquisition, although not so heavily in Brazil. The presence of Catholicism as the Brazil religion of the majority of the people was strengthened in the latter part of the nineteenth century by an inward migration of many Italian, Polish and German Catholic citizens.

Officially there is no state religion or official religion in Brazil.  In practice, there is only limited separation between the church and the state.  Most government officials avoid taking positions or actions that would offend the Church officials.

Brazil is the largest of the Roman Catholic countries of the world with a population in 1996 of over 75 percent of the people, or 122 million individuals. In 1980 the declared Catholic preference was nearly 90%.  It is uncertain whether the decrease is due to a loss of membership or a more objective position in answering census questions regarding religion.

A significant difference between the beliefs of nominal Catholics and practicing Catholics is also noted.   Less than 20% of Catholics who classify themselves as nominal Christians attend church.  The makeup of Brazil religion attendance at churches is normally older and female. Significantly, there is a identifiable difference between Catholics who practice the more charismatic forms of their religion and part of the Pentecostal group to begin revitalizing their church and increase direct participation in services.

In the central part of the country, Brazil religion is typified by the more traditional varieties of Catholicism where prayers to revered figures, patron saints and participation in church rites and fiestas such as the Festa do Divino and the Cirio in Belem.

During the 1970s, the progressives in the Church emphasized political and social causes in the local communities under the military regime.  Thus, the church was recognized as the focus of resistance and championship of human rights. The religion of Brazil at present is more conservative than not.  Power in the church is concentrated in the hands of the progressive clergy.

A. Religion and other belief systems

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Religion

Catholicism

Brazil is said to be the largest Roman Catholic country in the world, but the truth is that there are all varieties of religious beliefs and practices to be found in the country. Brazil was officially Catholic for four centuries, from the 1500's until the fall of the Portuguse Empire, in 1889. The Brazilian Constitution of 1889 guaranteed religious freedom and a wide range of religions have since been practiced freely. Nevertheless, according to the CNBB (National Conference of Brazilian Bishops), in 1996 about 80% of the population declared themselves Roman Catholics. Many Brazilians are baptized and married in the Catholic Church, however, they don't attend Sunday Mass very often.

Candomblé

Candomblé is a religion that was brought to Brazil by the slaves from Nigeria and Benin. According to the slave-owners and Catholic officials, African slaves had to be converted to Christianity and were therefore prohibited from performing their Candomblé rituals. In order to continue their traditional practices while still contenting their owners, the slaves coupled their deities with corresponding personalities in Catholicism. For instance, Oxalá, a male god of procreation and harvest, was identified with Jesus; and Iemanjá, goddess of the sea, was associated with "Our Lady of Conception". The Catholic Church was content to let matters lie, hoping that over the years, African traditions would eventually die out and that Christian beliefs would be strengthened. However, this has not been the case. Today, especially in the North-East, many Brazilians of all socio-economic classes practice both Catholicism and Candomblé. Umbanda, a religion derived from candomblé coupled with the Christian and spiritist beliefs found in Kardecism, is also practiced widely. 

Protestantism

In recent decades, Protestantism has grown rapidly in Brazil. According to the 2000 Census, approximately 15 percent of the population identify themselves as Protestants, an estimated 85 percent of which are Pentecostal/Evangelical. These Evangelical churches have different denominations which include the Assembly of God and the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Lutherans and Baptists make up the bulk of the remaining Protestants and are centered in the southern part of the country, where the majority of German and northern European immigrants concentrated during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

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1. Orthodox doctrines and structures

The Canons

The permanent criteria of church structure for the Orthodox Church today, outside of the New Testament writings, are found in the canons (regulations and decrees) of the first seven ecumenical councils; the canons of several local or provincial councils, whose authority was recognized by the whole church; the so-called Apostolic Canons (actually some regulations of the church in Syria, dating from the 4th century); and the "canons of the Fathers," or selected extracts from prominent church leaders having canonical importance.

A collection of these texts was made in the Byzantine nomocanon, attributed, in its final form, to the patriarch Photius (9th century). The Byzantine Church, as well as the modern Orthodox Churches, has adapted the general principles of this collection to its particular situation, and the local autocephalous churches govern themselves according to their own particular statutes, although all accept the ancient canons as their common canonical reference.

The canons themselves do not represent a system or a code. They do, however, reflect a consistent view of the church, of its mission, and of its various ministries; they also reflect an evolution of ecclesiastical structure—i.e., the growth of centralization in the framework of the Christian Roman Empire. For the Orthodox Church today, only the original self-understanding of the church has a theologically normative value. Thus, those canons that reflect the nature of the church as the body of Christ have an unchanging validity today; other canons, if they can be recognized as conditioned by the historical situation in which they were issued, are subject to change by conciliar authority; others have simply fallen out of practice. The use and interpretation of the canons is therefore possible only in the light of some understanding of the church's nature. This theological dimension is the ultimate criterion through which it is possible to distinguish what is permanent in the canons from that which represents no more than a historical value.

The Episcopate

The Orthodox understanding of the church is based on the principle, attested to in the canons and in early Christian tradition, that each local community of Christians, gathered around its bishop and celebrating the Eucharist, is the local realization of the whole body of Christ. "Where Christ is, there is the Catholic church," wrote Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 100). Modern Orthodox theology also emphasizes that the office of the bishop is the highest among the sacramental ministries and that there is therefore no divinely established authority over that of the bishop in his own community, or diocese. Neither

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the local churches nor the bishops, however, can or should live in isolation. The wholeness of church life, realized in each local community, is regarded as identical with that of the other local churches in the present and in the past. This identity and continuity is manifested in the act of the ordination of bishops, an act that requires the presence of several other bishops in order to constitute a conciliar act and to witness to the continuity of apostolic succession and tradition.

The bishop is primarily the guardian of the faith and, as such, the centre of the sacramental life of the community. The Orthodox Church maintains the doctrine of apostolic succession—i.e., the idea that the ministry of the bishop must be in direct continuity with that of the Apostles of Jesus. Orthodox tradition—as expressed especially in its medieval opposition to the Roman papacy—distinguishes the office of the "Apostle" from that of the bishop, however, in that the first is viewed as a universal witness to the historic Jesus and his Resurrection, while the latter is understood in terms of the pastoral and sacramental responsibility for a local community, or church. The continuity between the two is, therefore, continuity in faith rather than in function. This Orthodox concept of the doctrine of apostolic succession has received wider exposure in Western churches recently because of increased encounters and consultations between Orthodox and Anglican churchmen, the Orthodox always emphasizing unity of faith as a prerequisite for recognition, on their part, of the "validity" of Anglican orders.

No bishop can be consecrated or exercise his ministry without being in unity with his colleagues—i.e., be a member of an Episcopal council, or “synod." After the Council of Nicaea (325), whose canons are still effective in the Orthodox Church, each province of the Roman Empire had its own synod of bishops that acted as a fully independent unit for the consecration of new bishops and also as a high ecclesiastical tribunal. In the contemporary Orthodox Church these functions are fulfilled by the synod of each autocephalous church. In the early church the bishop of the provincial capital acted as chairman of the synod and was generally called "metropolitan." Today this function is fulfilled by the local primate who is sometimes called "patriarch" (in the autocephalous churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russia, Georgia, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria), but he may also carry the title of archbishop (Cyprus, Greece) or metropolitan (Poland, the Czech and Slovak republics, America). The titles of archbishop and metropolitan are also widely used as honorific distinctions.

Generally, but not always, the jurisdiction of each autocephalous synod coincides with national borders—the exceptions are numerous in the Middle East (e.g., jurisdiction of Constantinople over the Greek islands, jurisdiction of Antioch over several Arab states, etc.)—and concerns also the national dioceses of the Orthodox diaspora (e.g., western Europe, Australia, America), which frequently remain under the authority of their mother churches. The latter situation led to an uncanonical overlapping of Orthodox jurisdictions, all based on ethnic origins. Several factors, going back to the

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Middle Ages, have contributed to modern ecclesiastical nationalism in the Orthodox Church. These factors include the use of the vernacular in the liturgy and the subsequent identification of religion with national culture; this identification sometimes helps the survival of the church under adverse political conditions, but it also hampers missionary expansion and the sense of a specifically Christian identity of the faithful.

Clergy And Laity

The emphasis on communion and fellowship, as the basic principle of church life, inhibited the development of clericalism. The early Christian practice of having the laity participate in episcopal elections never disappeared completely in the East. In modern times, it has been restored in several churches. The Moscow Council of 1917-1918 introduced it in Russia, even if the events of the Revolution prevented its full implementation. Bishops are also elected by clergy-laity conventions in America and in other areas of the Orthodox world.

The lower orders of the clergy—i.e., priests and deacons—are generally married men. The present canonical legislation allows the ordination of married men to the diaconate and the priesthood, provided that they were married only once and that their wives are neither widows nor divorcees. These stipulations reflect the general principle of absolute monogamy, which the Eastern Church considered as a Christian norm to which candidates for the priesthood are to comply strictly. Deacons and priests cannot marry after their ordination.

Bishops, however, are selected from among the unmarried clergy or widowed priests. The rule defining the requirement for an unmarried episcopate was issued at a time (6th century) when monks represented the elite of the clergy. The contemporary decrease in the number of monks in the Orthodox Church has created a serious problem in some territorial churches, in that new candidates for the episcopacy are difficult to find.

Besides being admitted, at least in some areas, to participation in episcopal elections, Orthodox laymen often occupy positions in church administration and in theological education. In Greece almost all professional theologians are laymen. Laymen also frequently serve as preachers.

Monasticism

The tradition of Eastern Christian monasticism goes back to the 3rd and 4th centuries of the Christian Era. From its beginning it was essentially a contemplative movement seeking the experience of God in a life of permanent prayer. This contemplative character has remained its essential feature throughout the centuries. Eastern Christianity never experienced the development of religious orders, pursuing particular missionary or educational goals and organized on a universal scale, as did Western Christianity.

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Concern for prayer, as the central and principal function of monasticism, does not mean that the Eastern Christian monastic movement was of a single uniform character. Eremitic (solitary) monasticism, favouring the personal and individual practice of prayer and asceticism, often competed with "cenobitic" (communal) monastic life, in which prayer was mainly liturgical and corporate. The two forms of monasticism originated in Egypt and coexisted in Byzantium, as well as throughout eastern Europe.

In Byzantium the great monastery of Studion became the model of numerous cenobitic communities (see above under History: The church of imperial Byzantium). It is in the framework of the eremitic, or Hesychast, tradition, however, that the most noted Byzantine mystical theologians (e.g., Symeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas, etc.) received their training. One of the major characteristics of the Hesychast tradition is the practice of the "Jesus prayer," or constant invocation of the name of Jesus, sometimes in connection with breathing. This practice won wide acceptance in medieval and modern Russia.

Cenobitic traditions of Byzantium also were important in Slavic lands. The colonization of the Russian north was largely accomplished by monks who acted as pioneers of civilization and as missionaries.

In Byzantium, as well as in other areas of the Orthodox world, the monks were often the only upholders of the moral and spiritual integrity of Christianity, and thus they gained the respect of the masses, as well as that of the intellectuals. The famous Russian startsy ("elders") of the 19th century became the spiritual leaders of Dostoyevsky, Gogol, and Tolstoy and inspired many religious philosophers in their quest for religious experience.

1. Relationship with the people

Brazilian people are amazingly diverse and vibrant from their origin to their lifestyles. They're generous to a fault and very friendly, even to strangers.

The origin of the people of Brazil is primarily Portuguese, but their history also includes African slaves and immigrants from Italy, Germany, Japan, Spain, Syria, and Lebanon.

The official definition of a Brazilian is anyone who is born in the country of Brazil.

The definition expands to include foreigners who have lived in Brazil and indicate they want to become a citizen by applying for Brazilian citizenship and also any child born outside of Brazil to a Brazilian parent.

3. Which religions are prominent?

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Dominance of Catholicism

Although Brazil enjoys a diverse mix of religious groups, Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion in the region. In fact, over 76% of the country follows the Catholic Church, making this medical tourism destination the largest concentration of Catholics in the world. The numbers attending Church, or indeed identifying themselves as Roman Catholics, have diminished in recent decades however. Many other Christian denominations have come to the forefront like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and various mainstream Protestant groups. And with the country's steady influx of immigrants from the East (especially from Japan, China, and Korea), Brazil also benefits from Shinto and Buddhist strains as well.

Native Religions

Brazil’s religious make-up can be traced to the diverse groups of people who came in various forms – natives, invaders, immigrants, and slaves. The Portuguese brought with them, not just the language, but also Roman Catholicism. When the Portuguese landed in Brazil, the country was populated by native Indians who had their own traditional religious practices. In the regions just north of Bahia, indigenous tribes still practice the Catimbo religion; a sect that is heavily influenced by spirits, shamanism, and omens.

Afro Brazilian Religions

When African slaves began to be imported into Brazil, they brought with them their religious practices, many of which involved invoking the gods through chants or dances. Over time, these Afro Brazilian religious practices began mingling with Catholic and Protestant influences to create synthetic religions. Some of the more popular exponents include Candomble, which has a huge following in urban centers like Rio de Janeiro, and Umbanda which is a mix of Kardecist Spiritism (a doctrine founded by Allen Kardic which has a million plus followers). For a long time, these Afro Brazilian cults were regarded as Satanic, but the government, in an effort to separate state from religion, has legalized them all. 

Not only do all these religions live in relative harmony, but they also frequently intermingle to create new hybrids. The Protestant groups of Brazil are especially known for their capacity to split and form new groups, with names like the Evangelical Church of the Four Square Gospel. Less than 2 percent of this medical tourism center consists of Jews, Moslems, and Buddhists, although their influence can be seen in the architecture, food, and religious festivals as well. Brazil is an incredibly diversecountry whose rich fabric is made possible only by centuries of multi-cultural exchange.

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4. Membership of each religion

The influence of Catholicism on brazil culture and religion occurred followed its introduction by the missionaries who accompanied the Portuguese explorers and settlers of Brazil.

It is said that the first Mass celebrated in Brasil was on Easter Sunday in 1500, carried out by a priest in the party who claimed possession of Portugal.

Brazil culture and religion does not however encompass only Brazil people of the Catholic faith. There has been a growing number of other religions in Brazil such as Protestant communities over the last decades.

Babtistism and methodism, which are also growing in numbers, there are many other belief systems, many of which have been absorbed into Catholicism.

There is also a large number of Jehovah's Witnesses in Brasil. A very small number of people are followers of African traditional religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda.

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