By Renzo Secchi

LOCATION

SPAIN IS LOCATED ON THE

IBERIAN PENINSULA. IT IS IN

THE SOUTHWEST OF EUROPE.

SPAIN IS BORDERED BY

PORTUGAL, GIBRALTAR,

ANDORRA AND FRANCE .

GIBRALTAR IS A WATERWAY

THAT SEPARATES SPAIN

FROM AFRICA.

IN SPAIN THERE ARE 17 AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES AND 2 SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES (CEUTA AND MELILLA)

STATISTICALS DATA

Flag Coat of arms

Capital Madrid

Population 47,737.94

Official language Spanish

Recognised regional

languages

Aragonese Asturian Basque

Catalan Galician Occitan

North : Francia

South : Africa

East :Italia

West :Portugal

Area 505,370 km

Currency Euro

Unitary parliamentary

constitutional monarchy

Monarch : Felipe VI

Prime Minister : Mariano Rajoy

SPAIN

Government

Limit

HISTORY

First Iberian

settlements in

the south of

the peninsula

Rome began to

exercise its

influence and

controlled the entire

peninsula by the

time of Christ.

218 ac

2000 ac

Muslim troops

cross the Strait of

Gibraltar and defeat

the Visigoth king

Rodrigo at the

battle of Guadalete

711 ac

1469

1492

Two Christian kingdoms,

Castile and Aragón,

emerged. The marriage

of Isabella I (Queen of

Castile) to Fernando II

(King of Aragón) united

the kingdoms

Christopher Columbus

sailed under the

Spanish flag to the

Americas. That same

year, most Jews and

Muslims were expelled

from Spain, and the

“reconquest” was

completed

One of Spain’s most

famous rulers was Philip

II (1556–98), who fought

many wars in the name of

the Roman Catholic

Church

1556-1598

Spain began to lose

territory and influence in

the 18th century,

beginning with the War of

the Spanish Succession

1701

Spain had lost most of its

overseas possessions.

1898

1850

It lost other territory to the

United States

HISTORY

King Alfonso

XIII gave up

the throne

when the

people called

for a republic.

A brutal civil war

erupted between

the Nationalists (led

by Francisco

Franco) and the

Republicans.

1936

1931 1969

1982

1986

The Spanish Socialist

Workers Party, led by

Felipe González, won

elections

Spain joined the

European Union (EU)

The crisis brought

down González’s

government

1996

Terrorists believed to be

linked to al-Qaeda

bombed Madrid train

stations, killing nearly two

hundred people.

2004

The global recession

hit spain economy

hard, causing record

high unemployment

rates that peaked at

more than 26

percent in 2013

2013

2008

Roughly a hundred

migrants broke

down sections of the

fence surrounding

Melilla, one of

Spain's two

territories in North

Africa, to illegally

enter the EU

Franco named Juan

Carlos de Borbón y

Borbón as his eventual

successor. Juan Carlos

became King Juan Carlos

I when he instituted a

democratic constitutional

monarchy and a system

of autonomous regional

governments

2014

In October The

Constitutional court

ruled Catalonia's

planned 9 November

independence

referendum was

illegal.

POPULATION

• The Spanish people are a mix of

Mediterranean and Nordic

ancestry but are considered a

homogeneous ethnic group.

• A small portion of the population

is composed of immigrants from

Latin American nations, other

European countries, Africa, and

Asia.

• Spain’s population density is

lower than that of most European

countries

POPULATION STRUCTURE BY AGE AND SEX. YEAR 2014.

Source: Aragon Institute of Statistics using data from the

Municipal Register of Inhabitants on January 1, 2014

Castilian Spanish is the main language of business and government.

Spanish is the language of instruction throughout the country, except in

Catalonia and the Basque region.

English is the most common foreign language, followed by French.

LANGUAGE

Language: %

Castellano 74%

Catalán 17%

Gallego 7%

Vasco 2%

LINGUISTIC MAP

RELIGION

• Spain has no official religion but is largely

a roman catholic nation; 94 percent of the

people are baptized members

• Catholic traditions (baptisms, weddings,

funerals, and family ties) remain an integral

part of society even though many people do

not consider themselves religious.

• Freedom of religion, granted in the 1970s,

opened the way for Spaniards to join other

churches.

GENERAL ATTITUDES

Sociable

Helpful

Personal

pride

Uncomfortable

with silence

Project an

impression

of affluence

Quite

talkativeRules and

punctuality

Enjoy

giving

advice

PERSONAL APPEARENCE

• Style and quality of clothing are important

indicators of a person’s status and

respectability.

• Men usually dress conservatively, avoiding

flashy or bright colors.

• Women like to be stylish, and children are

dressed as nicely as possible.

• Spaniards tend to dress up when going out

in public.

• Colorful regional costumes are sometimes

worn for festivities.

GREETINGS

• Men usually greet each other with a handshake.

• Good friends often add a pat on the back and, if they have not

• Seen each other for some time, an abrazo (hug).

• Women may greet other women by giving one

kiss on each cheek. such kisses are also very

common between a man and a woman when

a friend introduces them for the first time, if

they haven’t seen each other for some time,

or if they are bidding farewell.

GESTURE

• Spaniards stand close and frequently touch one another on the arm while conversing.

• One indicates “yes” by nodding the head up and down and “no” by moving it side to

side.

• Spaniards often use exaggerated hand gestures and facial expressions to support

what they are saying.

• They may also speak loudly,

laugh, and smile a lot.

• Pointing at others is impolite.

EATING

• In the Spanish culture is easily the

least important meal of the day,

occurring first thing in the morning

until about 10:00 am.

• Many Spaniards skip breakfast but if

they do have breakfast it will likely be

something light and simple which

may consist of coffee, hot chocolate

or fresh squeezed orange juice

accompanied by a croissant, pastry,

or toast with jam. Another common

breakfast pastry which you will often

see available in bars are “churros”,

fried Spanish fritters with sugar.

DESAYUNO (BREAKFAST)

• Lunch, the most important meal of

the day, is eaten at about 2 pm

,generally consists of several

courses starting with a light first

course such as soup or salad, a

heavier second course of meat or

fish, fruit or a pastry as dessert,

followed by coffee or shots of

traditional liquor afterwards.

COMIDA (LUNCH)

• Dinner, similar to lunch but usually

lighter, is a late affair in Spain which

is normally served from 9 to 10:30

pm. in the summer time it is

common to see Spaniards sitting

down to dine as late as 12 am.

CENA (DINNER)

TAPAS

Finger food, or (tapas) can be anything that is served as a finger food usually in a small

bowl. One summons the server by raising a hand.

The bill, which is paid to the server, usually includes a service charge, although it is also

customary to leave a small tip (5–10 percent of the bill).

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FAMILY

HOUSING

• The buildings, which are usually bunched close

together, often look out over public patios or

swimming pools.

• Apartments tend to be quite small—no more than

two or three bedrooms—and there is rarely a

separate dining room.

• People normally eat in the kitchen or the living

room, which tends to be the home’s focal point,

the place where friends are entertained.

DIET

• Spanish cuisine is typically Mediterranean. fresh vegetables, meat, eggs,

chicken, and fish are common foods. like many other Europeans, Spaniards go

grocery shopping every day.

• Most fried foods are cooked in olive

oil. Meals often include two

courses: rice or pulse (e.g., lentils,

peas, beans),followed by fish or

meat, served with potatoes.

Valencian rice dish. Rice with fish, seafood, and/or meat.

PAELLA

Raw vegetable soup made of hard bread, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, garlic,

olive oil, vinegar of wine, and salt.

GAZPACHO

Rice with calamari ink

ARROS NEGRE

GAMBAS AJILLO

(GARLIC PRAWNS)

Omelette with potatoes and onions.

TORTILLA ESPAÑOLA (SPANISH OMELET)

PATATAS BRAVAS

DANCE

FLAMENCO IS A VERY POPULAR DANCE IN SPAIN AND HAS

BEEN IN THEIR HISTORY.

TRADITIONAL SPANISH DANCES

This typical dance hails from the north of Spain, namely Aragón

Features a fast tempo as couples dance with their hands raised high above their heads playing

castanets

JOTA ARAGONESA

SEVILLANA

FIESTAS (FESTIVALS) AND TRADITIONS

LA CORRIDA DE TOROS (BULL FIGHTING)

• National sport of Spain.

• Bull fighting is very closely associated with Spain and can trace its origins back to 711 a.d

• This is when the first bullfight took place in celebration for the crowning of king Alfonso VIII.

• It is very popular in Spain with several thousand spaniards flocking to their local bull-ring

each week.

• It is said that the total number of people watching bullfights in spain reaches one million

every year

• The top bullfighter, called the matador, performs

the faena, which is a dance with death to

demonstrate his superiority over the bull

• One wrong move and the matador could be

impaled on the horns of the bull.

LA TOMATINA (TOMATO FIGHT)

La Tomatina is a food fight festival held on the last wednesday of august each year in the

town of Bunol near to Valencia in Spain. Thousands upon thousands of people make their

way from all corners of the world to fight in this 'world's biggest food fight' where more than

one hundred metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets.

LOS SAN FERMINES

• The fiestas of San Fermín are celebrated in Irunea/Pamplona, in the region of

Navarra, every year from the 6th to the 14th of July. They have become

internationally known because of the running of the bulls, where the bulls are lead

through the streets of the old quarter as far as the bull ring by runners.

• The fiestas are celebrated in honor of San Fermin, Patron Saint of Navarra,

although the religious aspect would seem to have taken on a secondary role over

the last number of years.

CARNAVAL

SEMANA SANTA

JAVIER BARDEM

PENELOPE CRUZ

FAMOUS PERSONALITIES

RAFAEL NADAL

IKER CASILLAS

ENRIQUE

IGLESIAS

FERNANDO ALONSO

PEDRO ALMODÓVAR

ANTONIO BANDERAS

RECREATION

• Soccer (fútbol) is the most popular spectator sport in Spain. Fans often crowd homes

and local bars to watch important matches.

SPORTS

EL FUTBOL (TEAMS)

PLAYERS AND SHIRTS

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CAMP NOU STADIUM

SANTIAGO BERNABEU STADIUM

ARTS

PRADO MUSEUM

PAINTERS

PABLO PICASSO

EL GUERNICA

FRANCISCO DE

GOYA

THE FAMILY OF CARLOS IV

SOCIETY

PRIME MINISTER MARIANO RAJOYHEAD OF STATE: KING FELIPE VI

ESTRUCTURE

• Spain’s bicameral legislature (las cortes generales) consists of a 259-seat

senate and a 350-seat congress of deputies, the latter having the greater power.

POLITICAL PARTIES

ECONOMY

• Major industries in Spain include textiles and apparel, food, metals, chemicals,

automobiles, and machine tools.

• Tourism is increasingly important to economic development, especially in coastal regions.

• Agriculture employs less than one-tenth of the labor force, but the country is a world

leader in the production of wine and olive oil.

• Economic conditions improved substantially after Spain joined the European Union (EU) in

1986.

TOURISM ATTRACTIONS

Palacio Real (Royal Palace)

The Palacio Real (Royal Palace) of Madrid is the official residence of the King of Spain although it is

only used for state ceremonies. The Royal Palace was built between 1738 to 1755 and King Carlos III

took up residence in the palace in 1764.

The Sagrada Familia is a large roman catholic church in Barcelona, and one of Spain’s most visited tourist

attractions. it’s a design by Antoni Gaudí, a Catalan architect who worked on this project for almost 40

years until his death in 1926. the construction of the basilica began in 1882 and still as yet not finished.

The Sagrada Familia

Ibiza is one of the Balearic islands in the Mediterranean sea, off the coast of Spain. The island

is one of the most popular party destinations in all of Europe.

IBIZA

El Escorial is the ultimate symbol of Spain’s former royal glory. Lying 50 kilometres outside Madrid,

this UNESCO-listed sixteenth century royal complex was built under the orders of King Philip II of

Spain between 1563 and 1567.

THE ESCORIAL

PLAZA MAYOR OF MADRID

Once the principal mosque of western Islam and still known as the Mezquita, Cordoba mosque

is one of the largest in the world and the finest achievement of Moorish architecture in Spain.

The Great Mosque of Cordoba (Mezquita)

AGRICULTURE

• Agriculture employs less than one-tenth

of the labor force, but the country is a

world leader in the production of wine

and olive oil.

• Farm and ranch products include

grains, citrus fruits, wine grapes,

vegetables, and animals.

TRANSPORTATION

El Talgo 350, comúnmente conocido como el “Pato”, es el tercer tren más rápido de Europa y el quinto de mayor

velocidad en el mundo con 46 unidades en servicio en España.

TRANSPORTATION

The Siemens Velaro e, commonly known as AVS 103 in Spain, is the second fastest train in Europe and the fourth

highest rate in the world. the train design is based on an evolution of the ice 3 developed for the operator Deutsche

Bahn.

EDUCATION

• Education in Spain is free and it lasts from 6 to 16 years of age.

• Children from the ages of 3-5 have the opportunity of attending pre-school,

which is free for all students

• The child can get a job when he or she is 16 years old

• The current education in Spain is known as the fundamental law of education

PUBLIC HEALTH CARE

• Until recently Spain provided universal health care to all of its citizens under a tax-

financed scheme run by Ingesa (Instituto Nacional de Gestión Sanitaria), part of the

ministry of health and social policy (Ministerio de Sanidad, servicios sociales y

igualdad). the management of these services has now been decentralised and

transferred to the distinct autonomous regions (Comunidades Autonomas) with

corresponding powers and responsibilities.

• Over 90% of the population in Spain makes use of the public system for their

medical needs. The most frequent model allows Spaniards to choose their primary

care doctor (GP), through which they access the rest of the system.

HEALTH

PRIVATE HEALTH CARE

• An estimated 18% of the population holds private health insurance including

most civil servants who have the choice of coverage by the public or the private

systems. this insurance is used either as a supplement or an alternative to

public care.

• The advantage of private insurance is that the companies have their own

network of hospitals, clinics and laboratories. Policyholders usually do not have

to wait as long for treatment.