Language: Spanish
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Calling Code: 34
Spain, also called Kingdom of Spain, is a
transcontinental country, member of the European Union, constituted
as a social and democratic State of law and whose form of government
is the parliamentary monarchy. Its territory, with capital in
Madrid, is organized into seventeen autonomous communities and two
autonomous cities, these formed, in turn, by fifty provinces.
Spain is located as much to the south of Western Europe as in
the north of Africa. In Europe, it occupies most of the Iberian
peninsula, known as mainland Spain, and the Balearic Islands (in the
western Mediterranean Sea); in Africa there are the cities of Ceuta
(in the Tingitana peninsula) and Melilla (in the cape of Tres
Forcas), the Canary Islands (in the North-East Atlantic Ocean), the
Chafarinas Islands (Mediterranean Sea), the Vélez Peñón de la Gomera
(Mediterranean Sea), the Alhucemas Islands (Gulf of the Al Hoceima
Islands) and the Alboran Island (Alboran Sea). The municipality of
Llivia, in the Pyrenees, constitutes an enclave entirely surrounded
by French territory. Complete the set of territories a series of
islands and islets in front of the own peninsular coasts.
Spain covers an area of 505 370 km², being the fourth largest
country in the continent, after Russia, Ukraine and France. With an
average altitude of 650 meters above sea level it is one of the most
mountainous countries in Europe. Its population is 46 659 302
inhabitants (2018) The peninsular territory shares land borders with
France and with Andorra to the north, with Portugal to the west and
with the British territory of Gibraltar to the south. In its African
territories, it shares land and sea borders with Morocco.
Madrid
Castillo de los Mendoza-Mendoza Castle
Green Spain
Galicia
Castro de Santa Tecla Celtic Settlement
Northern Spain-Pyrenees
Aragon
Eastern Spain
Valencian Community
Catalonia
Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
Andalucia
Andalucia
Central Spain
Castile and León
Castile-La Mancha
The name of Spain derives from Hispania, name with
which the Romans designated geographically the whole of the Iberian
peninsula, an alternative term to the name Iberia, preferred by the
Greek authors to refer to the same space. However, the fact that the
term Hispania is not of Latin origin has led to the formulation of
several theories about its origin, some of them controversial.
Hispania comes from the Phoenician "i-spn-ya", a term whose use
is documented from the second millennium BC, in Ugaritic
inscriptions. The Phoenicians constituted the first non-Iberian
civilization that arrived in the peninsula to expand its trade and
founded, among others, Gadir, the current Cádiz, the oldest
inhabited city in Western Europe.The Romans took the name of the
defeated Carthaginians, interpreting the prefix "i" as 'coast',
'island' or 'land', with the meaning of a 'region'. The spn lexeme,
which in Phoenician and also in Hebrew can be read as saphan, was
translated as 'rabbits' (actually 'damans', some animals the size of
the rabbit spread across Africa and the Fertile Crescent). The
Romans, therefore, gave Hispania the meaning of 'land abundant in
rabbits', a use picked up by Cicero, Caesar, Pliny the Elder, Cato,
Livy and, in particular, Catullus, who refers to Hispania as a
peninsula cuniculosa (in some coins minted in the time of Hadrian
figured personifications of Hispania as a lady sitting and with a
rabbit at his feet), referring to the time he lived in Hispania.
On the Phoenician origin of the term, the historian and Hebraist
Cándido María Trigueros proposed in the Royal Academy of Good
Letters of Barcelona in 1767 a different theory, based on the fact
that the Phoenician alphabet (like the Hebrew) lacked vowels. Thus
"spn" (sphan in Hebrew and Aramaic) would mean in Phoenician 'the
north', a name that would have taken the Phoenicians when arriving
at the Iberian peninsula bordering the African coast, seeing it to
the north of its route, reason why "i-spn-ya" it would be the 'land
of the north'. On the other hand, according to Jesús Luis Cunchillos
in his Grammatical phoenician grammar (2000), the root of the term
span is spy, which means 'to forge or beat metals'. Thus, "i-spn-ya"
would be the 'earth in which metals are forged'.
Apart from
the theory of Phoenician origin, which is the most accepted despite
the fact that the precise meaning of the term remains the subject of
discussions, various hypotheses have been proposed throughout
history, based on apparent similarities and more or less related
meanings. At the beginning of the Modern Age, Antonio de Nebrija, in
the line of Isidoro of Seville, proposed his autochthonous origin as
deformation of the Iberian word Hispalis, which would mean 'the city
of the West' and that, being Hispalis the main city of the
peninsula, the Phoenicians and then the Romans gave their name to
their entire territory, and later, Juan Antonio Moguel proposed in
the 19th century that the term Hispania could come from the word
éuscara Izpania, which would mean 'part of the sea' being composed
of the voices iz and pania or bania which means 'to divide' or 'to
depart' In this respect, Miguel de Unamuno declared in 1902: "The
only difficulty I find [...] is that, according to some countrymen
Mine, the name Spain derives from the Basque 'ezpaña', lip, alluding
to the position that our peninsula has in Europe." Other hypotheses
implied that both Hispalis and Hispania were derivations of the
names of Hispalo and his son Hispan or Hispano, son and grandson,
respectively, of Hercules.
From the Visigoth period, the term Hispania, until
then used geographically, began to be used also with a political
connotation, as shown by the use of the expression Laus Hispaniae to
describe the history of the peoples of the peninsula in the
chronicles of Isidoro de Sevilla .
You are, oh Spain,
sacred and always happy mother of princes and peoples, the most
beautiful of all the lands that extend from the West to India. You,
by right, are now the queen of all the provinces, from whom you
receive your lights not only the sunset, but also the East. You are
the honor and ornament of the orb and the most illustrious portion
of the earth, in which the glorious fecundity of the Goth nation is
greatly enjoyed and splendidly flourished. With justice it enriched
you and nature was more indulgent with the abundance of all created
things, you are rich in fruits, in copious grapes, in happy harvests
... You are located in the most pleasant region of the world, nor
are you Burning in the tropical heat of the sun, you do not get
numbed by glacial rigors, but, clinging to a temperate zone of the
sky, you nourish yourself with happy and soft zephyrs ... And for
that reason, a long time ago, the Golden Rome, head of the people,
he wished you and, although the same Roman power, first winner, has
possessed you, however, at last, the flourishing nation of the
Goths, after innumerable victories all over the world, with hard
work you conquered and loved you and So far you enjoy safe between
regal and very powerful treasures in safety and happiness of empire.
Isidoro de Sevilla, Santo (6th-7th century). History of Regibus
Gothorum, Vandalorum et Suevorum [History of the kings of the Goths,
Vandals and Swabians].
The word Spain derives phonetically
from Hĭspanĭa, on a regular basis through the palatalization of the
/ n / en / ñ / ante Latin iod-ĭa, the loss of the initial H- (which
occurs in late Latin) and the opening of ĭ in initial position a / e
/. However, Spain can not be considered the translation into Spanish
of the Latin word Hispania, since modern usage designates a
different extension.
The evolution of the word Spain is in accordance with other cultural uses. Until the Renaissance, names referring to national and regional territories were relatively unstable, both from the semantic point of view and from their precise geographical delimitation. Thus, in the time of the Romans Hispania corresponded to the territory they occupied in the peninsula, the Balearic Islands and, in the third century, part of North Africa - Mauritania Tingitana, which was included in the year 285 in the Diocesis Hispaniarum.
With the Muslim invasion, the name Spania or Spain was transformed into اسبانيا, Isbāniyā. The use of the word Spain continues to be unstable, depending on who uses it and under what circumstances. Some chronicles and other documents of the High Middle Ages designate exclusively with that name (Spain or Spania) the territory dominated by the Muslims. Thus, Alfonso I of Aragon, «the Battler», says in his documents that «He reigns in Pamplona, Aragon, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza» and, when in 1126 he makes an expedition to Malaga, he tells us «he went to the lands of Spain » But as of the last years of the twelfth century, the use of the name of Spain for the entire Peninsula, whether of Muslims or Christians, became widespread again. This name covered five kingdoms of Spain: Granada (Muslim), Leon with Castile, Navarre, Portugal and the Crown of Aragon (Christians).
As the Reconquista progressed, several kings proclaimed themselves princes of Spain, trying to reflect the importance of their kingdoms in the Peninsula. After the dynastic union of Castile and Aragon, the name of Spain was used in these two kingdoms to refer to both. This name appeared in the documents of the years 1124 and 1125, on the occasion of the military expedition by Andalusia of Alfonso the Battler, they referred to this one -that had unified the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon after his marriage with Magpie I of León- with the terms "reigning in Spain" or reigning "in all the land of Christians and Saracens of Spain."
On the southwestern coast of Iberia, a culture arose
in the Bronze Age, from which, at the end of the 3rd millennium BC the
Tartessian civilization is formed, trading metal with the Phoenicians.
After the depletion of the mines, Tartessus falls into decay.
Along the east coast of Spain in the 2nd millennium BC. Iberian tribes
appeared; some hypotheses link their ancestral home to North Africa.
Later, the Iberians were assimilated by the Celts. From the Iberians
comes the ancient name of the peninsula - Iberian. The Phoenicians
called the land of the Iberians Spain. In the middle of the 2nd
millennium BC. e. Iberians began to settle in fortified villages on the
territory of modern Castile. The Iberians were mainly engaged in
agriculture, cattle breeding and hunting, they knew how to make tools
from copper and bronze. The Iberians used the Paleo-Spanish script
created earlier by the Tartessians. The Iberian language was not related
to Tartessian.
There is Roman evidence that Ligures previously
lived in Spain, but nothing is known of their existence in the
historical period.
In the late Bronze Age, the urn-field culture
(of which the Lusitanians were probably a remnant in the historical
period) penetrated into Iberia, and at the beginning of the 1st
millennium BC most of Iberia is colonized by Celtic tribes. Part of the
Celts, who lived next to the Iberians, fell under their influence and
created the Celtiberian culture; the Celts, who lived in the western
part, maintained a relatively conservative way of life, were unliterate.
The Celts of Iberia became famous as warriors. It was they who invented
the double-edged sword, which later became the standard weapon of the
Roman army and used against their own inventors.
Roman Spain
During the Second Punic War, between 210 and 205 BC the expanding Roman
Empire took over the Carthaginian colonies in the Mediterranean. It took
almost two centuries for the Roman conquest of Spain, and then for about
six centuries Spain was part of the Roman Empire. The emperors Hadrian,
Trajan, Theodosius I, and also the philosopher Seneca were born in Roman
Spain. Christianity came to Spain in the 1st century AD and became
popular in cities in the 2nd century.
Gothic Spain
The
weakening of Roman jurisdiction in Spain began in 409, when the Germanic
tribes of the Suevs and Vandals, together with the Sarmatian tribes of
the Alans, entered the peninsula with the permission of the Roman
usurper. The Suebi established a state in present-day Galicia and
northern Portugal, while the Vandals settled in southern Spain by 420,
crossed into northern Africa in 429, and captured Carthage in 439.
The Visigoths came to the Iberian Peninsula in 414-415 under the
leadership of Ataulf, and later settled almost throughout Spain. After
the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the kingdom of the Visigoths gains
full independence. The Visigoths, like other Gothic tribes, professed
Arianism. However, a significant part of the population of Spain was
still made up of the descendants of the Ibero-Romans, who professed
orthodox Christianity.
The Byzantine emperor Justinian the Great
considered it his duty to restore the Roman Empire to its former borders
under the principle of "One state, one faith, one law." As a result of
the Vandal War, the Vandal kingdom was defeated and incorporated into
the Roman Empire up to Ceuta. In the spring of 552, Justinian sent an
expedition to Spain and conquered the south of Spain from the Visigoths,
which became the "Province of Spain". However, Byzantium was unable to
send troops to Spain, and the Visigothic king Leovigild returned most of
the conquests. The Visigothic kings Sisebut and his son Svintila
expelled the Byzantines from the peninsula.
Under King Leovigild,
under the influence of his wife Goisvinta, in 580 the first last Arian
council was held in Toledo, as opposed to ecumenical councils, as a
result of which the Visigothic Arians persecuted orthodox Christians.
However, in 589, under King Reccared I, as a result of the 3rd Council
of Toledo, the Visigoths converted to orthodox Christianity, which
subsequently lost the Gothic language in which Arian liturgies were
held. Also, the Third Council of Toledo obliged the Jews to release
Christian slaves. The Third Council of Toledo made it possible to unite
society, as a result of which the Goths and the Ibero-Romans began to
profess one religion, marking the beginning of the formation of the
Spanish nation.
In 711, the troops of Tariq ibn Ziyad of the Umayyad Caliphate
landed in Gibraltar. In a short period, the Umayyad Caliphate
captured a large territory of Spain and defeated the state of the
Visigoths. By 714, the Moors had established control over most of
the peninsula, in 717 they began an attack on the south of France,
and in 719 they reached Toulouse. Al-Andalus was founded on the
territory of Spain, and then in 756 the Emirate of Cordoba. Cordoba
becomes one of the largest cities in the world, an important
cultural, scientific and economic center. In the 9th century, the
palace city of Madina al-Zahra was built in Cordoba. With the
arrival of Muslims in Spain, the dawn of Jewish culture begins.
The first minor victory of the Christians was won in 718 at
Covadonga, which is considered the beginning of the Reconquista, the
conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the Spaniards and the
Portuguese from the Muslims. The Battle of Poitiers in 732 in France
prevented the further spread of Islam in Europe. However, the real
pushing back of the Muslims from Spain took several centuries and
was completed only with the fall of the Emirate of Granada in 1492.
spanish empire
The completion of the Reconquista and the
unification of the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile in 1492 marked the
beginning of the Spanish Empire. In the same year, Christopher
Columbus made the first expedition to America, which was the
beginning of the Spanish colonization of America, which had a
predominantly male type - men moved to new lands who married local
women of Indian or African origin. Spain became a pioneer of
colonization, having begun to colonize America before other European
states. At the same time, the Mediterranean cities of Spain were
practically depopulated to the point that they could not resist the
Barbary pirates.
Spain became the first global empire, owning
vast territories on different continents. The colonization of
America was also of a religious nature. While the conflict between
Catholics and Protestants raged in Europe, the natives of America
were converting to Catholic Christianity. Since the Spaniards were
shocked by the customs of human sacrifice among the Mayans, Aztecs
and Incas, it was decided to evangelize the natives by military
force, who were "mired in sin." Huge territories were captured by
the Spaniards - Mexico, the Philippines, New Andalusia, Chile, Peru,
and many others - Spain began to be called an empire on which the
sun never sets.
The period of the Spanish Habsburgs is called
the "Golden Age of Spain". After the end of the Habsburg dynasty in
Spain, the War of the Spanish Succession began. By the 19th century,
the decline of the Spanish Empire begins - the war for the
independence of the Spanish colonies in America begins.
20th
century
In 1923, the military dictatorship of General Miguel
Primo de Rivera was established. The king already during this period
did not have any power in the country. In January 1930, after losing
support in the army, unable to rectify the situation after the acute
economic crisis of the previous year, the dictator leaves the
country. On April 14, 1931, the last of the Bourbons, Alfonso XIII,
left the country, but did not abdicate - the parties supporting him
suffered a crushing defeat in the municipal elections. The
government was formed by adherents of the regime change. Soon Niceto
Alcala Zamora y Torres became the first Prime Minister of the
Republic of Spain. Thus began the Republican period.
The
radical policy of the new government towards the landowners, the
church, the army, the extreme liberalism towards the
separatist-minded regions of the north and east met with ardent
support from one part of the population and a burning feeling of
hatred from the other. Local uprisings succeeded each other. Despite
all the radical measures, in 2 years the government has not achieved
any success in the economy. In the elections in November 1933, the
conservatives returned to the government, the reforms were stopped.
Now pogroms and rebellions across the country have already begun to
be carried out by their opponents - liberals and anarchists. In the
next elections in January 1936, again, as in 1931, the radicals won
- the "People's Front" with the participation of the Communist
Party. The new composition of the Cortes (Spain's parliament)
resumed the implementation of radical policies, hoping to start
solving the deepest problems in the country's economy with extreme
measures.
In July of the same year, conservative generals led by J. Sanjurho
raised a well-prepared rebellion. In the very first days of the
uprising, after the death of the old leader in a plane crash, F. Franco
became the new head of the conspiracy. The nationalists turned to
Germany and Italy for help, the communists received help from the USSR
and many left-wing parties in Europe and the world. The civil war began.
Republicans in their zone expropriated land, businesses, banks,
organized the persecution of priests and monks. On the "nationalist"
territory, all traditional institutions were restored, power was
concentrated in the hands of Franco. The front of armed confrontation
stretched across the country. For 3 years of slow victorious advance in
battles, all the provinces supporting the Republicans were conquered.
From the first to the last weeks of the war, the capital, Madrid, was
under siege. During these years, Spain was the main diplomatic problem
of all the developed countries of the world.
In 1939, after the
victory of the military, the dictatorship was extended to the whole
country, political parties were banned, except for the fascist "phalanx"
that supported Franco. Spain remained neutral during World War II,
although it sent a volunteer Blue Division to the Eastern Front.
In 1947, Spain was again declared a kingdom (however, the throne
remained unoccupied under the regency of Franco's caudillo).
In
November 1975, after the death of Franco, Juan Carlos I was proclaimed
king, who appointed A. Suarez as prime minister in July 1976, the
dismantling of the fascist regime and democratic reforms began. In
October 1977, the country's main political forces signed the so-called
"Moncloa Pact" (after the seat of government in Madrid), which provided
for a set of political and economic measures to complete the country's
transition to democracy. The pact provided for parliamentary control
over the media, the reorganization of law enforcement forces, the
liberalization of legislation on rallies and assemblies, the
democratization of the social security system and the education sector,
the implementation of tax reform, etc. The Moncloa Pact became a classic
example of a compromise between different parties based on a national
consensus for implementation of common tasks in a "transitional"
society. In December 1978, a new constitution came into force.
In
1986 Spain joined the European Union. The Basque country and Catalonia,
according to the constitution, received significant autonomy in 1978,
but separatist movements still exist in them (the Basque terrorist
organization ETA is especially intransigent).
XXI Century
In
March 2004, there were 13 explosions at the railway station in Madrid,
as a result of which 191 people were killed and 2,050 people were
injured, the attack was organized by the Islamists. The explosions took
place three days before the parliamentary elections, which resulted in
the loss of the March 14, 2004 elections by the People's Party, led by
Prime Minister Aznar, who sent Spanish troops to support the US and
Britain in Iraq unilaterally, without the consent of parliament.
In early 2004, the new socialist government of José Luis Rodriguez
Zapatero made a sharp turn in Spanish foreign policy: from support for
the US course to solidarity with most of the EU countries. After winning
the elections on March 14, 2004, the socialist government withdrew
Spanish troops from Iraq, thus fulfilling an important item in the
electoral program of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).
In 2005, same-sex marriage was legalized in Spain. Thus, Spain
became the third state in the world, after the Netherlands and Belgium,
to recognize the legal equality of marriage unions, regardless of the
sex of the spouses.
On March 9, 2008, parliamentary elections
were held in Spain. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party won the
election. In accordance with the results of the elections, the Spanish
Socialist Workers' Party won 168 seats in parliament, its main rival,
the conservative People's Party, received 154 seats. The remaining seats
(a total of 350 seats in parliament) were divided among another 8
parties, mostly regional ones. The Communists and the Greens of the
United Left Coalition reduced their presence in parliament from five to
three deputies. In the elections, where candidates from 92 parties ran,
75% of voters took part.
On November 20, 2011, early
parliamentary elections were held, where the People's Party headed by M.
Rahoy won, receiving 186 out of 350 seats in the lower house. In
December, Rajoy took office as Prime Minister of Spain. The main goal of
the new government is to lead Spain out of a protracted financial
crisis.
One of the problems of modern Spain is the problem of
immigration. Mostly residents of the Maghreb countries and Latin America
come to Spain. At the beginning of the new century, according to rough
estimates, there were 2.5 million Latin Americans in the EU countries,
800 thousand of which were in Spain. However, after the terrorist
attacks of 2004, the attitude of the Spaniards towards immigrants has
changed significantly.
The relief of Spain is predominantly mountainous. The center of the
country is located at a distance of 300 km from the sea. The relief is
dominated by systems of mountain ranges and high plateaus.
Plateaus and mountains make up about 90% of its territory. Almost half
of the country's surface is occupied by the vast, highest in Europe high
- with an average height of 660 m - the Meseta plateau. It is
distinguished by the alternation of plateaus, fold-block ridges and
mountain basins. The Central Cordillera divides it into two parts:
northern and southern.
In the north, Meseta is bordered by the
powerful Cantabrian Mountains, which stretch along the coast of the Bay
of Biscay for 600 km, isolating the hinterland from the influence of the
sea. In their central part is the Picos de Europa massif (from Spanish -
Peaks of Europe) with heights up to 2648 m. These mountains of the
Alpine type are composed mainly of deposits of the Carboniferous period
- limestone, quartzite, sandstone. The Cantabrian Mountains are an
orographic and tectonic continuation of Spain's most powerful mountain
system, the Pyrenees.
The Pyrenees are several parallel ranges
stretching from west to east for 450 km. This is one of the most
inaccessible mountainous countries in Europe. Although on average their
height is not very high (a little over 2500 m), they have only a few
conveniently located passes. All passes are at an altitude of 1500-2000
m. Therefore, only four railways go from Spain to France: two of them
bypass the Pyrenees along the coast from the northwest and southeast,
and two more railways cross the Pyrenees in the Aerbe-Oloron- Saintes
Marie and Ripoll - Prades, through a system of tunnels. The widest and
highest part of the mountains is the central one. Here is their main
peak - Aneto Peak, reaching 3404 m.
From the northeast, the
system of the Iberian mountains adjoins the Meseta, the highest point of
which is the San Miguel peak in the Moncayo mountain range, which,
according to various sources, has a height of 2314 to 2316 m.
Between the eastern Pyrenees and the Iberian mountains stretch the low
Catalan Mountains, the southern slopes of which break off in ledges to
the Mediterranean Sea. The Catalan Mountains (average heights 900-1200
m, peak - Mount Caro, 1447 m) follow for 400 km almost parallel to the
Mediterranean coast and actually separate the Aragonese plateau from it.
The areas of coastal plains developed in Murcia, Valencia and Catalonia
north of Cape Palos to the border with France are highly fertile.
The entire southeast of the Iberian Peninsula is occupied by the
Cordillera Betica, which is a system of massifs and ridges. The
mountains of the Sierra Nevada serve as its crystalline axis. In height,
they are second only to the Alps in Europe. Their peak, Mount Mulasen,
reaching 3478 m, is the highest point in peninsular Spain. However, the
highest mountain peak in Spain is located on the island of Tenerife
(Canary Islands) - this is the Teide volcano, whose height reaches 3718
m.
Most of the territory of Spain is located at an altitude of
about 700 m above sea level. It is the second highest country in Europe
after Switzerland.
The only large lowland - Andalusian - is
located in the south of the country. In the northeast of Spain, in the
valley of the Ebro River, lies the Aragonese plain. Smaller lowlands
stretch along the Mediterranean Sea. One of the main rivers of Spain
(and the only navigable one in the lower reaches) flows through the
Andalusian lowland - the Guadalquivir. The rest of the rivers, including
the largest ones: Tajo and Duero, the lower reaches of which are located
on the territory of neighboring Portugal, the Ebro, Guadiana, are
distinguished by sharp seasonal level fluctuations and rapids.
Significant areas of the country suffer from lack of water. Related to
this is the problem of deflation - millions of tons of topsoil are blown
out every year.
The capital of Spain Madrid is located in the
geographical center of the country and is the "highest" capital in
Europe.
There are more than 2,000 beaches on the coast of Spain:
Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, Costa del Azahar, Costa de Almeria, Costa
Blanca, Mar Menor, Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz, Rias- Bahas, Rias
Altas, Costa Cantabrica, Canary and Balearic Islands.
Spain is one of the warmest countries in Southern Europe. The average
number of sunny days is 260-285. The average annual temperature on the
Mediterranean coast is +20 °C. In winter, the temperature drops below
zero, usually only in the central and northern regions of the country.
In summer, the temperature rises to +40 ° C and above (from the central
part to the southern coast). On the northern coast, the temperature is
not so high - about +25 °C.
Spain is characterized by very deep
internal climatic differences, and it can only conditionally be
attributed entirely to the Mediterranean climatic region. These
differences are manifested both in temperature and in annual amounts and
precipitation patterns.
In the far northwest, the climate is mild
and humid with little temperature variation throughout the year and high
rainfall. Constant winds from the Atlantic bring a lot of moisture,
mainly in winter, when foggy and cloudy weather prevails with drizzling
rain, almost without frost and snow. The average temperature of the
coldest month is the same as in the northwest of France. Summers are hot
and humid, with average temperatures rarely below +16°C. Annual rainfall
exceeds 1070 mm, and in some places reaches 2000 mm.
Completely
different conditions in the interior of the country - on the plateau of
Old and New Castile and the Aragonese plain. In these areas, the
influence of the plateau-mountain-hollow relief, considerable height,
and local continental air is felt. They are characterized by relatively
low precipitation (no more than 500 mm per year) and sharp temperature
fluctuations by season. In Old Castile and the Plain of Aragon there are
rather cold winters, with frosts and strong, harsh winds; summers are
hot and rather dry, although the maximum precipitation falls on this
season of the year. In Nueva Castile, the climate is slightly milder,
with warmer winters but also low rainfall. Agriculture in all these
areas needs artificial irrigation.
The climate of Spain is a
diverse set of climatic zones. The predominant climate is Mediterranean,
which is distinguished by poor rainfall and is divided into 3 types:
Mediterranean maritime, Mediterranean continental and arid.
Mediterranean Sea: occupies the Mediterranean coast (excluding the
southeast), the south-Atlantic, the Balearic archipelago, Ceuta and
Melia. Average temperatures vary between 13 and 16 °C. In summer the
temperature rises to 22 °C, due to the influence of the sea it is not
too hot. The temperature in winter does not fall below 10 °C.
Mediterranean continental: covers the interior of the peninsula (except
for the middle zone of the Ebro Valley). It is characterized by its
isolation from maritime influence, which gives this climatic type a
continental character. According to thermal characteristics, three
subtypes of the continental Mediterranean climate are distinguished:
Subtype of the northern sub-meset and uplands of Teruel and Cuenca.
Represents cool summers (temperatures below 22 °C) and cold winters
(average temperature of the coldest month between 6 and -3 °C).
A
subtype of the southern sub-meset and dividing line of the Ebro Valley
with hot summers (temperatures above 22 °C) and cold winters.
Subtype
of Extremadura and central Andalusia with very hot summers and moderate
winters (6-10°C, coldest month).
Mediterranean arid (steppe):
occupies the southeast of the peninsula and the middle zone of the Ebro
Valley. The average annual precipitation is below 300 mm, which
determines this climate as steppe. Temperatures can vary between the
warm steppe of the coastal zone of the southeast (average temperature is
17–18 °C and does not fall below 10 °C in winter) and the cold steppe of
the interior of the southeast with average temperatures no more than 17
°C in summer, in winter - between − 3 and 8 °C.
In the north-west of Spain, brown forest soils are developed on the coastal plains and windward slopes of the mountains. The interior of the country - Old and New Castile, the Iberian mountains and the Aragonese plateau - are characterized by brown soils; in areas rich in limestone, terra dew is found - eluvial soil; in the driest treeless areas thin calcareous gray-brown soils with areas of solonchaks in relief depressions are presented. Serozems are developed in the arid landscapes of Murcia. They are non-gypsum-bearing and not saline; when irrigated, they give high yields of fruit and other crops. Heavy clay barros soils stand out on flat alluvial plains, especially favorable for rice cultivation.
A variety of climatic conditions - from humid in the north to arid in
the south - determines the heterogeneity of the flora and vegetation of
Spain. In the north, similarities with Central Europe appear, and in the
south - with Africa. Traces of forest vegetation in Murcia, La Mancha
and Granada indicate that in the past a significant part of the
territory of Spain was afforested, but now forests and light forests
occupy only 30% of the country's area, and only 5% falls on full-fledged
closed forest stands.
Evergreen oak forests grow in the northwest
of the country. In the mountain forests, there are more deciduous oak
species, along with beech, ash, birch and chestnut, which is typical for
Central Europe. In the interior of Spain, in some places, small tracts
of dry evergreen forests with a predominance of oak, interspersed with
pine forests and shrubs, have been preserved. In the most arid areas of
New Castile, the Aragonese plateau and Murcia, there are fragments of
semi-deserts (usually on salt marshes).
In areas of southern
Spain where there is more rainfall, especially along the coast, typical
Mediterranean shrub-grass communities such as garigi and tomillar are
present. Gariga is characterized by the participation of local species
of gorse and cornflowers, for tomillar - the presence of aromatic
labiales (shrub species of thyme, rosemary, etc.), as well as rockrose.
A special variety of garriga is made up of scattered thickets of the
dwarf fan palm, very characteristic of Andalusia, as well as communities
dominated by tall alpha grass, or esparto, a hardy xerophyte that gives
strong fiber.
In the fauna of Spain, Central European and African
connections are obvious. Among European species, two varieties of the
brown bear deserve mention (a large Asturian and a smaller, black suit
found in the Pyrenees), a lynx, a wolf, a fox, a forest cat. There are
deer, hares, squirrels and moles. The Imperial Eagle is found in Spain
and North Africa, and the blue magpie found in the Iberian Peninsula is
also found in East Asia. On both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar, there
are genets, Egyptian mongooses and one species of chameleon.
The bowels of Spain abound in minerals. Especially significant are
the reserves of metal ores, the deposits of which are associated with
outcrops of the folded base of the Meseta or with volcanic rocks of
mountain structures. Along the northwestern outskirts of the Meseta,
within the Gallic massif, in the Caledonian and Proterozoic granite
intrusions, there are tin, tungsten, and uranium ores. A strip of
lead-zinc-silver deposits stretches along the southern outskirts of
Meseta. There is also a large mercury deposit of global importance -
Almaden. Iron ores are found in the north and south of Spain. They are
confined to the structures of the Mesozoic and Alpine magmatic cycles.
These are the well-known deposits of the Bilbao region on the northern
slope of the Biscay Mountains and in Almeria on the southern slope of
the Cordillera Beta. In the north, in the Carboniferous deposits that
fill the foothill depression of the Asturian Mountains, there is the
largest coal basin in the country. In addition, there are small deposits
of coal on the southern slopes of the mountains and in some other areas.
The Cenozoic deposits of intermountain and intramountain depressions
contain strata of salts and brown coal. Significant reserves of potash
salts are located within the Ebro plain.
Most of the mineral
deposits in the country are very modest in size and rather heavily
depleted, like many deposits in other European regions, which makes
Spain dependent on mineral imports, mainly from North Africa.
Population dynamics:
1 year - 3 million people;
150 - 7 million
people;
500 - 3 million people;
1000 - 6 million people;
1200 -
10 million people;
1300 - 14 million people;
1450 - 20 million
people;
1800 - 11.6 million people;
1850 - 11.3 million people;
1900 - 18.6 million people;
1932 - 24.1 million people;
1959 -
29.9 million people;
1977 - 36.3 million people;
2009 - 45.9
million people;
2011 - 46.7 million people;
2013 - 46.7 million
people;
2014 - 46.5 million people;
2015 - 46.4 million people;
2016 - 45.9 million people;
2017 - 46.57 million people;
2018 -
46.72 million people
2019 - 45.71 million people
2020 - 47.5
million people
In modern Spain (1492-1860) there was a negative
natural increase: in the XV-XVIII centuries in Spain there were an
average of 1.79 children per family, with immigration to the colonies.
The population of Spain as of 2021, according to the Institute of
State Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)) was
47,344,649 people. Among them, 40,051,756 people were born in Spain,
7,292,893 people were born abroad, of which 3,260,185 people were born
in America, 2,185,627 people in Europe, 1,318,133 people in Africa,
520,208 people in Asia, and Oceania 8740 people.
As of 2021, the
urban population is 81.1%. Population density - 94 people / km².
The official language is Spanish; in the autonomous regions, along with
Castilian (Spanish), other languages \u200b\u200bare also official
(Catalan-Valencian-Balearic in Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic
Islands, Basque in the Basque Country and Navarre, Galician in Galicia,
Aran in Catalonia). Some of the native Spaniards also speak non-official
Aragonese, Extremaduran, Occitan and Fala de Shalima.
More than
2.7 million Spaniards live outside the country, including 1.7 million in
the countries of North and South America, over 1 million in Western
Europe (mainly in France and Germany).
As of 2020, 7.2 million
immigrants lived in Spain, or 15.22% of the country's population.
Cities
The largest cities in Spain are:
Madrid;
Barcelona;
Valencia;
Seville;
Zaragoza;
Malaga.
The official language of Spain is Spanish, belonging to the
Indo-European family of languages (Romance group, Ibero-Romance
subgroup).
Spain is a multi-ethnic country. In addition to the
Castilians, Catalans, Galicians, Basques, Occitans, Asturians, Aragonese
live in Spain, speaking their own languages (Catalan, Galician,
Basque, Occitan, Asturian and Aragonese, respectively). A dialect of
Catalan is spoken by the Valencians (officially it is considered the
Valencian language). Catalan is also spoken by the inhabitants of the
Balearic Islands.
During the Franco regime, ethnic minorities
were subjected to forced assimilation, but despite this, the languages
of these peoples did not disappear and have experienced a real revival
in recent decades.
However, the Aragonese language is
disappearing, which was widely spoken in former times, and now survives
only in a few rural settlements. The Basques experienced strong
assimilation in the province of Navarre, but in the Basque Country the
Basque language has a strong position.
The Asturian language is
also being revived (variant names depending on the locality: Asturleone,
Asturian, Leonese, Extremaduran), which is found in the autonomous
communities of Asturias, Castile-Leon, Extremadura, Cantabria.
The composition of the population of Spain by religion as of 2021:
non-practicing Catholics - 39%, practicing Catholics - 18.4%, atheists -
14.6%, agnostics - 12.9%, non-believers / indifferent to religion -
11.4% , believers in another religion or confession - 2.5%, did not
answer - 1.3%.
The first Protestant communities in Spain arose in
the 16th century, but were completely destroyed by the Spanish
Inquisition. Protestants began preaching again in Spain in ser. XIX
century. At the moment, 567 thousand representatives of this direction
of Christianity live in the country, most of which are Pentecostals (312
thousand).
Since the end of the 19th century, Greek merchants
professing Orthodoxy have settled in the coastal cities of the country.
In connection with mass labor migration from the countries of Eastern
Europe, the number of Orthodox grew noticeably by the end of the 20th
century. There are currently 900,000 Orthodox Christians living in Spain
(mostly Romanians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Greeks, and Serbs).
Since the end of the 19th century, Muslims have been massively resettled
in Spain, primarily workers from Morocco. In the second half of the 20th
century, the flow of immigrants increases and includes refugees from
other countries of North Africa. By 2010, there were already 1 million
Muslims in the country (Islamic leaders talk about 2 million Muslims).
The predominant branch of Islam is Sunnism.
Religious Jews
(15,000) represent a small but influential group in the country. Among
the migrants there are also Buddhists (47,000), Hindus (45,000), Sikhs,
supporters of the Chinese folk religion and the Afro-Brazilian Macumba
religion.
During the life of the last generation in Spain, the
number of non-religious people increased markedly. At present, 19% of
the country's population are unbelievers. According to some polls, the
number is even higher. In a survey by the Center for Sociological
Research in June 2015, 25.4% of respondents declared their
non-religiousness (among them, 9.5% are staunch atheists and 15.9% are
non-believers).
The administrative division of Spain is regulated by the constitution
and current legislation. The main administrative-territorial unit in
Spain is the autonomous community (autonomous region). There are
currently 17 autonomous communities in the country, with the Basque
Country, Catalonia, Navarre, Galicia and Andalusia having extended
autonomies.
The autonomous communities, in turn, are divided into
50 provinces. Also within Spain are two so-called autonomous cities in
Africa - Ceuta and Melilla - and the sovereign territories of Spain.
The provinces are divided into comarcas, of which there are
currently 324. The comarcas, in turn, are divided into municipalities,
of which there are more than 8 thousand.
Autonomous communities
of Spain:
Andalusia;
Aragon;
Asturias;
Balearic Islands;
The Basque Country is the capital of Vitoria-Gasteiz;
Valencia is the
capital of Valencia;
Galicia;
Canary Islands;
Cantabria;
Castile-La Mancha;
Castile-Leon;
Catalonia - the capital is
Barcelona;
Madrid (as an autonomous region);
Murcia;
Navarre;
Rioja;
Extremadura.
Spain is a constitutional monarchy. The basic law of the state is the
constitution adopted in 1978. The head of state is the king, currently
Philip VI.
The executive power is headed by the prime minister,
the leader of the party that won the majority of votes in parliamentary
elections.
The legislative body is a bicameral parliament - the
Cortes Generales (Congress of Deputies and the Senate). It consists of
the Senate (259 seats - some deputies are elected by direct universal
suffrage, others are appointed by provincial legislatures; all senators
are elected for a 4-year term) and the Congress of Deputies (350 seats -
elected by party lists for a 4-year term).
The body of
constitutional supervision is the Constitutional Court, the highest
judicial instance is the Supreme Court, the highest judicial instances
of the Autonomous Communities are the highest courts of justice, the
courts of appeal are the Provincial Audiences, the district courts are
the courts of first instance and investigation, the lowest level of the
judicial system is the justices of the peace, the court of cases of
impeachment - the National Audience, the supreme control body - the
Court of Accounts, the governing body of the courts - the General
Council of the Judiciary.
In total, more than 500 political
parties and public organizations are officially registered in Spain.
parties
People's Party;
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE);
Citizens - Civic Party;
Communist Party;
Podemos;
Major regional parties include the Catalan Convergence and Union bloc,
the Left Republican Party of Catalonia, the Basque Nationalist Party,
the Canary Coalition.
Developments
After the parliamentary
elections on December 20, 2015, Spain found itself in a situation of
government crisis. The People's Party, which won first place, received
28.7% of the vote and 123 seats in the Congress of Deputies, and the
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party - 22% (90 seats). It was not possible
to form a government that would receive a majority in the Congress of
Deputies. On June 26, early parliamentary elections were held in Spain,
the People's Party remained the largest, added a little and achieved 137
mandates, but this did not allow it to form a government alone. From
December 2015 to October 2016 Spain was ruled by a technical government
led by Acting Prime Minister Rajoy.
On October 29, the Congress
of Deputies, in the second round of voting, by a simple majority
supported Rakhoy's candidacy for the post of head of government. Rajoy's
minority government has the smallest parliamentary support in modern
Spanish history.
The preamble to the Spanish Constitution proclaims the willingness to
"cooperate in strengthening peaceful relations and cooperation with all
countries of the world." Currently, Spain's foreign policy is mainly
based on three directions: Europe (especially the EU), the
Ibero-American direction, the countries of the Mediterranean Sea.
To date, Spain has diplomatic relations with all UN countries.
Recently, Spain has relations with Bhutan (since October 2010), South
Sudan (since independence from Sudan in July 2011) and the state of
Kiribati (since September 2011).
In early 2004, in connection
with the coming to power of the new socialist government of J. L.
Rodriguez Zapatero, there was a sharp turn in Spanish foreign policy
from support for the US course to solidarity with the leaders of the
European Union, in particular, in the Iraq issue: after winning the
elections on March 14, 2004 The new socialist government withdrew
Spanish troops from Iraq.
Spain is the largest of the EU
countries that did not recognize the independence of Kosovo because of
their own similar problems with the Basques and the Catalans.
One
of the most important areas of Spanish foreign policy is Latin America.
However, there are also critical situations in Ibero-American relations
at the present time. The basis of disagreements often became the
political life of Cuba. Aznar's government demanded democratic reforms
on the island, which led to F. Castro's refusal to attend Iberoamerican
summits. Without a doubt, there were more positive moments in the
relations between the two regions, and each of the aspects of
development is important for further cooperation. At the beginning of
the 21st century, Spain is assisting the countries of this region in the
development of civil society, democratic foundations, open and free
trade, and in solving socio-economic problems. To achieve these goals,
the Iberoamerican Community of Nations was created. Summits are held
annually, at which the most important issues are resolved. On October
14-15, 2005, the 15th Ibero-American Summit took place in Salamanca. It
was prepared by the Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and
the Secretariat for Ibero-American Cooperation. During the summit,
conferences on culture and education, tourism, a meeting of economic
ministers, a parliamentary forum, meetings on healthcare and
agricultural development were held. The summit attracted the attention
of the world community: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, President of
the European Commission Jose Manuel Duran Barroso, President of the
European Parliament Jose Borrell and other prominent figures took part
in its work. The summit discussed specific issues: economic development,
immigration and the role of Iberoamerica in the international arena. The
final document of the summit was the "Declaration of Salamanca". One of
the most important decisions was a document calling for an end to the
economic and commercial blockade of Cuba, as well as the repeal of the
Helms-Burton Act. In recent years, this region has also become important
in terms of the participation of Spanish companies Repsol, Telefónica,
BBVA, ENDESA, Iberdrola, Acciona, and others.
An equally
important area of Spanish foreign policy is the Mediterranean. Solving
problems in this region and maintaining friendly relations and contacts
with the Mediterranean countries play an important role for Spain,
because it is a matter of its own security, in addition, these countries
are neighbors with it, and are also important trading partners. An
important project in the field of the Spanish-Mediterranean dialogue is
the Barcelona Process, a program designed to strengthen state
institutions in the countries of the Mediterranean region, develop the
economy, progress in the social field, and resolve acute issues and
problems of the region.
Spain is known for being the last country
to ratify the Protocol on Montenegro's accession to NATO on May 10,
2017.
Ties to Morocco
In the foreign policy of Spain, Morocco
occupies one of the key places, for which the Moroccan kingdom is the
most important African partner, if only because of its territorial
proximity. The main directions of Spanish policy in Morocco are: issues
related to the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, the unresolved problem
with Western Sahara, problems of illegal migration, issues of stopping
drug smuggling, etc.
Relations between Spain and the Maghreb
countries began to develop most actively after the Socialist Party came
to power in Spain in 1982.
Under the government of the People's
Party, led by Prime Minister H.M. Aznar, who were in power from 1996 to
2004, relations could not be called good and were rather characterized
by instability, in particular, the conflict over the island of Perejil
in 2002 occupies a bright place .
The socialists, who came back
to power in April 2004, led by José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, were
determined to improve relations with their neighbors, and especially
with Morocco. Since the meeting between Mohamed VI and Juan Carlos in
2005, relations between the two monarchs have improved markedly. The
conflict in Western Sahara, which arose a long time ago, has always had
an adverse effect on relations between the two countries. After the
aborted quadripartite conference, Morocco in 1975 authorized the "Green
March" to Western Sahara with the aim of "cleansing" Western Sahara from
Spain. The result was an agreement between Spain, Mauritania and Morocco
on the transfer of temporary control over the Sahara to Morocco and
Mauritania.
An important component of relations between the two
countries are close economic ties. In 1995, the Moroccan government
decides to put everything on foreign investors, the most important of
which are Spain and France.
In 2007, Spain ranked 8th in the world in terms of economic
development, according to the IMF; in 2014 - 14th place. Traditionally,
Spain is an agricultural country, in addition, it is one of the largest
producers in Western Europe. Since the mid-1950s, industrial growth has
been rapid and quickly assumed a greater weight than agriculture in the
country's economy. Development plans launched in 1964 helped expand the
economy. However, in the late 1970s, a period of economic recession
began due to rising oil prices and increased imports associated with the
establishment of democracy and the opening of borders. The development
of the steel industry, the development of shipyards, and the textile
industry have increased. The income generated from tourism is also quite
high.
Since Spain became a full member of the European Union (EU)
in 1986, economic policy has evolved depending on this supranational
organization. In the 1990s, the country took a leading position in the
EU (although it is still a recipient, that is, it receives subsidies to
support agriculture and some areas from pan-European funds). There was a
construction boom that inflated the "soap bubble" of the real estate
market, which later turned into a crisis.
The global economic
crisis has also seriously affected Spain. The long-term excess of state
spending over income eventually led, by the end of the 2000s, to a state
budget deficit of over 11% of GDP; The country's foreign trade deficit
was 5% of the total economy. Unemployment began to exceed 25%.
In
the 2010s, the recession in the Spanish economy, which began in the
spring of 2012, lasted a year and a half. By the end of 2014, the
country's economy began to rise, and even the fastest in Europe.
As in neighboring Italy, in Spain there is a rather acute problem of
smoothing the economic inequality between the northern (more
industrially developed) and backward southern regions with high
unemployment.
GDP - $ 1.311 trillion (2017); the increase in the
period from 2017 to 2019 amounted to 2.3-3.1%. During the years of the
crisis since 2008, in aggregate, it has decreased by 9%.
Major
ports: Bilbao, Barcelona; oil - Algeciras, Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
Tarragona, coal - Gijón.
Spain is one of the largest centers of
international tourism (81.8 million people in 2017), 1.3 million people
are employed in this area. The main tourist centers are Madrid and
Barcelona, as well as resorts - Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, Costa
Blanca, Costa del Sol; 95% of tourists are from EU countries.
In
the country's economy, strong positions are occupied by companies from
the USA, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Switzerland. They own more
than 50% of machine-building and metallurgy enterprises. About 40% of
the share capital falls on the share of 8 largest Spanish financial,
industrial and banking groups (Marchey, Fierro, Urquijo, Garrigues,
Ruiz-Mateos, etc.).
As of January 1, 2020, the minimum wage in
Spain is €1,108. As of 2016, the average wage in Spain is €2,189. The
Spanish tax system combines federal, regional and municipal taxes;
corporate income tax is 25%.
On April 5, 2020, plans to introduce
an unconditional basic income were announced due to the COVID-2019
epidemic.
The leading branch of agriculture is plant growing (it provides over
50% of the cost of production). They grow wheat (about 20% of the
cultivated area), barley, corn (in the central and southern regions of
the country), rice (on the irrigated lands of the Mediterranean coast;
its yield in Spain is one of the highest in the world), potatoes and
sugar beets, legumes. Also vegetables (occupy 60% of the cultivated
area): tomatoes, onions, peppers, eggplants.
Olives (the world's
leading olive grower), citrus and tobacco. In the very south of the
country, almonds are grown (the leading export place in Western Europe),
dates and sugar cane (in Europe they grow only in Spain), figs,
pomegranates, and cotton.
Viticulture - on the Mediterranean coast
and in the regions of Castile-La Mancha, Extremadura.
Animal
husbandry is developing successfully: goats and sheep are bred in arid
regions, and in the north - cattle.
An original industry is the
harvesting and export of cork bark.
Fishing
Spain is among the
top ten countries in the world in terms of catching fish, seafood and
their processing, is a major exporter of fresh fish and canned fish
(annually 20-25% of the total catch is processed into canned food). The
main part of the fishery is carried out off the coast of Cantabria, the
Basque Country and Galicia. The most caught are sardines, hake,
mackerel, anchovies and cod.
The oldest industry is mining.
Among the branches of
engineering, shipbuilding stands out. There is an automotive industry
(SEAT). Developed metalworking and production of industrial equipment.
Of the light industries, the most important are the textile and
leather and footwear industries (Spain accounts for 4% of world shoe
exports).
In the food industry, winemaking, the production of
vegetable oil (Spain is the world leader in the production of olive
oil), fruit and vegetable and canned fish stand out.
Fuel and
energy complex
In the fuel and energy complex (FEC), the problem lies
in the fact that, having one of the highest growth rates in the EU,
Spain does not provide itself with energy on its own and is dependent on
foreign exporters - the country imports 80% of the consumed energy
carriers (almost all gas and oil). Spain ranks 40th in the world in
terms of energy resources.
29 companies are engaged in the sale
of gas on the Spanish domestic market. At the same time, the leading
position in the sector of gas supply and sales of gas to end consumers
is maintained by Gas Natural Fenosa and its regional branches. The
length of distribution networks owned by the company is more than 45,000
km. Spain's main gas distribution companies also include Endesa,
Iberdrola, CEPSA, Naturgas.
The annual oil production is about 30
million tons, and covers less than 10% of the needs.
About 10%
accounted for by nuclear power, 6% by hydropower. Also, the Spanish
government pays great attention to alternative energy sources (12%),
being one of the five countries investing in alternative energy. In
2018, the Spanish government announced a decision to go completely green
by 2050.
Spain is one of the largest centers of international tourism. The
main tourist centers are Madrid and Barcelona, as well as resorts -
Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Canary Islands.
1.3 million people are employed in this area.
According to
the statistics of the UN World Tourism Organization on the international
tourist flow in 2017, Spain with 81.8 million visitors took 2nd place
after France.
Banking sector
The Spanish banking system is one
of the most stable in Europe. Among its distinctive features, the
following can be distinguished: a high degree of concentration of
banking capital along with a small number of credit institutions (395),
a significant level of foreign exchange reserves (€ 13.9 billion), an
extensive network of branches of private banks and state savings banks.
The dominant role is played by national banks with 100% Spanish capital.
The leader in terms of the value of market assets is the financial group
Grupo Santander, which was formed in 1999 as a result of the merger of
two large banks.
The internationalization of national financial
institutions has a decisive influence on the position of Spain in the
world economy. About a quarter of the assets of the Spanish banking
system are located abroad, with one half in Latin America and the other
half in European countries. The two main Spanish banking groups
Santander and BBVA are among the largest banks in the world.
The
financial crisis in Spain began to gradually develop into a political
one. On the one hand, regions with their extremely weak banks need help
from the government. On the other hand, some territories, in particular
Catalonia, believe that without the guiding and guiding hand of Madrid,
they would feel much better.
The Spanish road network is mostly centralized with 6 highways
connecting Madrid with the Basque Country, Catalonia, Valencia,
Andalusia, Extremadura and Galicia. In addition, highways run along the
Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. The length of motor roads is 328
thousand km. Car park - more than 19 million cars. Roads carry out 90%
of passenger and 79% of cargo transportation. Spain intended to have a
million electric vehicles by 2014, as part of the government's plan to
save energy and improve the environment.
Over the past three
decades, a modern transport infrastructure has been created in Spain,
and the companies that built and maintain it have become the largest
operators in this area of the world economy. Six out of ten
enterprises with the largest number of transport infrastructure
concessions in the world are Spanish: ACS, Ferrovial, FCC, Abertis,
Sacyr, OHL. Spanish technologies are used in railway projects in the UK,
the metros of Washington and Mexico, the management of airports in
Sydney and Stockholm. Spain is the European leader in air traffic
control systems.
The first railway was built in 1848 and had a
length of about 30 km. The line is still active, connecting Barcelona
and the town of Mataro on the Mediterranean coast. The total track
length in 2004 was 14,781 km, of which 8,791 km were electrified. In
2017, the total length of Spanish highways is about 20,000 km, including
100 stations and more than 1,500 km of high-speed AVE lines. In terms of
HSR, Spain ranks 1st in Europe and 2nd (after China) in the world. About
€ 100,000 is allocated annually to maintain 1 km of high-speed lines in
Spain.
There are railroad gauges:
broad gauge (1668 mm) 11,829
km (6950 km electrified at 3 kV DC);
standard gauge (1435 mm) 998 km
(all electrified with 25 kV alternating current);
narrow gauge (1040
mm) 1926 km (815 km electrified);
narrow gauge (914 mm) 28 km (all
electrified).
About 6.5% of all land transport cargo and 6% of
passengers are transported by rail. Spain currently has more than 1500
km of high-speed lines connecting Madrid with Malaga, Seville, Valencia,
Barcelona, Valladolid, Tarragona, Zaragoza, Alicante, Ferrol. In 2013,
a line was built connecting Spain with the French HSR. Night trains run
from Spain to Paris, Lisbon, Geneva, Zurich, Milan. If the ambitious
Spanish high-speed rail program is carried out, by 2020 Spain should
have 7,000 km of high-speed rail lines (according to national practice,
these include lines with a speed of 200-250 km / h), allowing you to get
from the province to Madrid in less than than 3 hours and to Barcelona
within 4 hours. The distance of 630 km from Madrid to Barcelona is
covered by a high-speed train in 2 hours 38 minutes; taking into account
the tourist passenger traffic, this is the busiest route in Spain. Most
of the railway network is owned by the state-owned company
"Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias de España", and traffic
on the railway is regulated by the state agency RENFE. Regional
companies (FEVE, FGC, Euskotren, FGV, SFM) also participate in this
market.
The problem of further financing of Spanish railways in
the context of the crisis and insufficient passenger traffic is urgent,
which calls into question the feasibility of investments: 20 million
annual regular trips on high-speed, long-distance and night trains with
a total passenger traffic of 200 million people a year.
There is
a metro in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca,
Seville, Valencia.
About 300 ships with a total displacement of
1.511 million tons are involved in maritime transport. From 30 million
tons of foreign trade cargo are transported by ships under Spanish flags
annually. 24 seaports control almost 93% of all traffic. Spain was in
4th place in terms of freight traffic in the EU in 2010. Transportation
of goods in containers amounted to 112 million tons, which brought Spain
to the first place in this indicator. Along with the Netherlands,
Belgium, Romania, Slovenia and Bulgaria, Spain is a country with a high
proportion of transport traffic outside the EU. In 2010, the Spanish
ports of Algeciras and Valencia were included in the rating of 20 major
European ports in terms of cargo tonnage. In terms of tourist traffic,
the ranking includes the port of Algeciras and the port of Palma de
Mallorca.
Air transport plays an important role. Of the 41 airports operating
in 2017, 34 operate scheduled flights. Airports in Spain are subordinate
to the public organization "Spanish Airports and Air Navigation", which
in turn is subordinate to the Ministry of Development. Under the Catalan
Autonomy Act of 2006, three Catalan airports were placed under the
control of the Catalan Generalitat, which manages them jointly with the
public organization Aerocat Estatuto de autonomía. With 50.8 million
passengers in 2008, Madrid Airport is one of the busiest airports in the
world. Barcelona Airport handled 30 million passengers in 2008. Less
busy airports are in Gran Canaria, Malaga, Valencia, Seville, Mallorca,
Alicante and Bilbao.
The Spanish airlines are: Air Europa, Air
Nostrum, Air Pullmantur, Binter Canarias, Iberia LAE, Islas Airways,
Vueling Airlines.
On November 2, 2004, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez
Zapatero announced the new doctrine of Spanish national defense 1/2004.
The former military doctrine was adopted in December 2000 by the
government of José María Aznar. In particular, it attached great
importance to the readiness of the Spanish armed forces to resolve
possible internal social or territorial conflicts (the army, according
to the Spanish constitution, protects the country not only from an
external, but also from an internal enemy). The actions of the army
outside of Spain were determined by its NATO membership and
transatlantic solidarity with the United States.
In the new
doctrine 1/2004, terrorism is declared the main enemy of Spain (both
external and internal). It is noted that from now on, Spanish troops
will be able to take part in international peacekeeping operations
directly approved by the UN or, as was the case in Kosovo, enjoying the
obvious support of the world community. In addition, participation in
hostilities will require permission from the Spanish Parliament.
In the new military doctrine, the role of the JEMAD Defense General
Staff, which is headed by General Felix Sans, has been increased. At the
end of October 2004, he made a statement about the need to "balance" the
unequal relationship between Spain and the United States that developed
after 1953, when Spain and the United States signed a military
cooperation agreement in the field of defense, under which the United
States received the right to use several large military bases in Spain .
In 2001, Spain abolished conscription and completely switched to a
professional army.
There are no laws in Spain banning openly gays
and lesbians from serving in the armed forces. On March 4, 2009, Spanish
Defense Minister Carme Chacón (the first woman to hold this post) issued
a decree repealing a pre-existing law that banned transgender people
from serving in the armed forces.
In the ranking of military
power, taking into account for 2019, the Spanish army ranks 20th.
After 2008, the proportion of immigrants among Spanish offenders
gradually increased. This is due to increased immigration to Spain
(including illegal) from African countries, as well as from Latin
America. Among the latter, two gangs from the Dominican Republic became
particularly active: Dominicans Don't Play (Dominicans do not joke) and
Trinitarios (Trinitaria - named after the underground organization La
Trinitaria, which fought for the independence of the Dominican Republic
from Haiti in 1838).
Drug trafficking in Spain is € 15.7 million
per day (2014)
Spain has a system of compulsory free secondary education for the
population aged 6 to 16 years. About 70% study in public schools, 96.5%
in state universities.
The largest universities in the country:
Autonomous University of Madrid, Complutense (in Madrid), Barcelona
Central and Autonomous, Santiago de Compostela, Polytechnic University
of Valencia.
Spain is distinguished by a high degree of ethno-cultural diversity.
The most important factors in the development of local material and
spiritual culture were the successive influence of several religions -
Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.
Spain's most famous museum, the
Prado, is located in Madrid. There are many more unique museums and
galleries in Spain: the Picasso Museum and the National Art Museum of
Catalonia located in Barcelona, the National Sculpture Museum in
Valladolid, the El Greco Museum in Toledo, the Guggenheim Museum in
Bilbao, the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art in Cuenca.
The
national holiday in Spain - the Day of the Spanish Nation, is celebrated
annually on October 12 (the date of the discovery of America by
Christopher Columbus).
The period of formation of Spanish painting is the end of the 16th - the first quarter of the 17th century, when local schools (Seville, Valencia, etc.) are actively developing, as well as caravaggism techniques penetrate and actively adapt to Spanish soil.
The environment in which the art of Spain developed in the Middle
Ages was complex. Initially, the Visigoths, a branch of a larger people,
the Goths, ruled the Iberian Peninsula. This architectural style is
named after them throughout Europe. Spanish Gothic has distinctive
features. First, the influence of Moorish art. Secondly, it is
characterized by diversity, despite common features. In the period of
the XII-XIII centuries, there was a struggle for the return of power
with the Moors (Reconquista). Before that, in the XI century, the
Romanesque style dominated in Spain, and it was preceded by the Asturian
(proto-Romanesque) style. Gothic spread throughout Spain unevenly. In
Castile, Gothic works appeared already in the 13th century, in Catalonia
- in the 14th-15th centuries, and it penetrated into Andalusia only in
the second half of the 15th century.
The interior of the
cathedrals also differed from the French. In a hot climate, narrow
windows were made, and twilight reigned inside. Where there was usually
a choir in cathedrals, a walled chapel was placed here. The altar and
retablo (behind the altar image) were placed behind.
Catalonia
developed its own version of Gothic. Buildings in Catalonia are
distinguished by greater spatial freedom, breadth of plan, and the
predominance of calm horizontal lines. Instead of sharp gothic roofs -
flat roofs on ledges. Flying buttresses and buttresses do not protrude,
but are often hidden inwards.
There are 187 active lighthouses in
Spain.
Abroad, Spanish music is often associated only with flamenco, a West
Andalusian musical genre, which, however, is not widespread outside this
area.
Among classical composers, such geniuses as Isaac Albéniz,
Manuel de Falla, Enrique Granados originated from Spain.
The most
popular musical instrument is the guitar.
Press
Spain has a well developed media network. 137 newspapers and
about 1000 magazines are published. Most read daily newspapers: El País,
El Mundo, La Vanguardia, ABC, El Periódico, Marca. Magazines for women
Patrones, Labores del HOGAR, Moda.
Broadcasting
Broadcasting
in Spain is divided into public and commercial. Public broadcaster -
RTVE, includes 1st and 2nd TV channels (La 1 and La 2) and 4 radio
stations (Radio Nacional, Radio Clásica, Radio 3, Radio 4). Commercial
broadcasters are Antena 3, Cuatro, Telecinco and LaSexta.
Depending on the form of signal distribution, television in Spain is
divided into terrestrial, cable, satellite and IPTV. Radio broadcasting
in Spain is represented only by terrestrial and Internet radio
broadcasting, public radio stations can broadcast in common multiplexes
with public television channels through terrestrial, cable, satellite
television and IPTV. Over-the-air broadcasting broadcasts in the
analogue standard in the VHF band, while Radio Nacional, CERA and COPE
also broadcast in the medium wave band.
Football has been the main sport in Spain since the beginning of the
20th century. Basketball, tennis, cycling, handball, motorcycling,
skateboarding and, more recently, Formula 1 are also important thanks to
the presence of Spanish champions in all these disciplines. Today, Spain
is the world's leading sports power, the development of sports in the
country in particular was spurred by the summer Olympic Games in
Barcelona. In 2008, Spain won the European Football Championship,
defeating the German national team with a score of 1:0 in the final
match (a goal scored by the Spanish striker Fernando Torres), and in
2010, they won the World Cup, breaking the resistance of the Netherlands
national team in the final. with a score of 1:0 (the decisive goal was
scored a few minutes before the end of the game by the Spanish
midfielder Andres Iniesta). In 2012, Spain again won the European
Football Championship, defeating Italy 4-0 in the final.
In
tennis, Spain is best known for Rafael Nadal, who won 22 Grand Slams, as
well as winning the 2008 Beijing singles and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro
doubles.
In general, in the 2000s, the Spanish national teams won
the World and European Championships in almost all team sports:
football, basketball, water polo, field hockey, roller hockey, handball,
volleyball and the Davis Cup in tennis.
The Spanish national ice
hockey team plays in the second division of the world championship. And
in 2011, the team played in the 1st division (5th place). Ice Hockey
World Championship Division 1 2011.
Although the climate of Spain
is more in line with the development of summer sports, among the
representatives of winter sports in Spain there are also outstanding
world-class athletes. In particular, the single skater Javier Fernandez
is a two-time world champion, and the multiple winner and medalist of
the World Cup stages in snowboard cross-country Lucas Egibar took 2nd
place in this discipline at the home championship of the planet, which
was held in March 2017 in Sierra Nevada .
The asteroid (804) Spain is named after Spain, discovered in 1915 by the Spanish astronomer José Comas at the Fabra Observatory, near Barcelona and named after the discoverer's home country.