Spain

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"Espaa" redirects here. For other uses, see Spain (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 40N 4W
Kingdom of Spain
Reino de Espaa[a][b]
Flag
Coat of arms
Motto: "Plus Ultra" (Latin)
"Further Beyond"
Anthem: "Marcha Real"[2]
"Royal March"
Menu
0:00
Location of Spain (dark green)
ion (green)
[Legend]
Location of Spain (dark green)

in Europe (green & dark grey)

in Europe (green & dark grey)

in the European Union (green)
Capital
and largest city
Madrid
4026'N 342'W
Official language
and national language Spanish[c]
Recognised regional
languages[c]

[Legend]

Aragonese Asturian Basque Catalan Galician Occitan

Ethnic groups (2015)
89.9% Spanish
10.1% others
Demonym
Spanish Spaniard
Government
Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Monarch
Felipe VI
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
Legislature
Cortes Generales
Upper house
Senate
Lower house
Congress of Deputies
Formation
Dynastic
1479
De facto
1516
De jure
1715
First constitution
1812
Current democracy
1978
EEC accession[d]
1986
Area
Total 505,990[4] km2 (51st)
195,364 sq mi
Water (%)
1.04
Population
2015 estimate 46,439,864[5][e] (29th)
2011 census
46,815,916[7]

in the European Un

Density
92/km2 (112th)
240/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2015 estimate
Total $1.619 trillion[8] (16th)
Per capita
$34,899[8] (33rd)
GDP (nominal) 2015 estimate
Total $1.230 trillion[8] (14th)
Per capita
$26,517[8] (30th)
Gini (2013)
33.7[9]
medium
HDI (2014)
Increase 0.876[10]
very high 26th
Currency
Euro[f] ( ) (EUR)
Time zone
CET[g] (UTC+1)
Summer (DST)
CEST[g] (UTC+2)
Date format
dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
Drives on the right
Calling code
+34
ISO 3166 code ES
Internet TLD
.es[h]
Spain (Listeni/'spe?n/; Spanish: Espaa [es'pa?a] ( listen)), officially the Kingd
om of Spain (Spanish: Reino de Espaa),[a][b] is a sovereign state largely located
on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, with archipelagos in the Atlan
tic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, and several small territories on and near the n
orth African coast. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Medite
rranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and no
rtheast by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west and northwest
by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. Along with France and Morocco, it is one of
only three countries to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Extend
ing to 1,214 km (754 mi), the Portugal Spain border is the longest uninterrupted b
order within the European Union.
Spanish territory includes two archipelagos: the Balearic Islands, in the Medite
rranean Sea, and the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast
. It also includes two major exclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, in continental North A
frica; and the islands and peones (rocks) of Alborn, Alhucemas, Chafarinas and Vlez
de la Gomera. With an area of 505,990 km2 (195,360 sq mi), Spain is the second
largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, and the fourth largest
country in Europe. By population, Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the
fifth in the European Union.
Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago. Ib
erian cultures along with ancient Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginian settlements
developed on the peninsula until it came under Roman rule around 200 BCE, after
which the region was named Hispania. In the Middle Ages, the area was conquered
by Germanic tribes and later by the Moors. Spain emerged as a unified country i
n the 15th century, following the marriage of the Catholic Monarchs and the comp
letion of the centuries-long reconquest, or Reconquista, of the peninsula from t
he Moors in 1492. In the early modern period, Spain became one of history's firs
t global colonial empires, leaving a vast cultural and linguistic legacy that in
cludes over 500 million Spanish speakers, making Spanish 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 middle power and a developed country with the
world's fourteenth largest economy by nominal GDP and sixteenth largest by purch
asing power parity. It is a member of the United Nations (UN), the European Unio
n (EU), the Council of Europe (CoE), the Organization of Ibero-American States (
OEI), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organisation for Econom

ic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and m
any other international organisations.
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Prehistory and pre-Roman peoples
2.2 Roman Empire and the Gothic Kingdom
2.3 Middle Ages
2.4 Imperial Spain
2.5 Liberalism and nation state
2.6 Spanish Civil War and dictatorship
2.7 Restoration of democracy
3 Geography
3.1 Islands
3.2 Mountains and rivers
3.3 Climate
3.4 Fauna and flora
4 Politics
4.1 Government
4.2 Human rights
4.3 Administrative divisions
4.3.1 Autonomies
4.3.2 Provinces and municipalities
4.4 Foreign relations
4.5 Military
5 Economy
5.1 Agriculture
5.2 Tourism
5.3 Energy
5.4 Transport
5.5 Science and technology
5.6 Water supply and sanitation
6 Demographics
6.1 Urbanisation
6.2 Peoples
6.3 Minority groups
6.4 Immigration
6.5 Languages
6.6 Education
6.7 Religion
7 Culture
7.1 Monuments and World Heritage Sites
7.2 Literature
7.3 Art
7.4 Cinema
7.5 Architecture
7.6 Music and dance
7.7 Cuisine
7.8 Sport
7.9 Public holidays and festivals
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
11 Further reading
12 External links
Etymology

The origins of the Roman name Hispania, from which the modern name Espaa was deri
ved, are uncertain due to inadequate evidence. Down the centuries there have bee
n a number of accounts and hypotheses:
Lady of Elche
The Renaissance scholar Antonio de Nebrija proposed that the word Hispania evolv
ed from the Iberian word Hispalis, meaning "city of the western world".
Jess Luis Cunchillos argues that the root of the term span is the Phoenician word
spy, meaning "to forge metals". Therefore, i-spn-ya would mean "the land where
metals are forged".[11] It may be a derivation of the Phoenician I-Shpania, mean
ing "island of rabbits", "land of rabbits" or "edge", a reference to Spain's loc
ation at the end of the Mediterranean; Roman coins struck in the region from the
reign of Hadrian show a female figure with a rabbit at her feet,[12] and Strabo
called it the "land of the rabbits".[13]
Hispania may derive from the poetic use of the term Hesperia, reflecting the Gre
ek perception of Italy as a "western land" or "land of the setting sun" (Hesperi
a, ?spe??a in Greek) and Spain, being still further west, as Hesperia ultima.[14
]
There is the claim that "Hispania" derives from the Basque word Ezpanna meaning
"edge" or "border", another reference to the fact that the Iberian Peninsula con
stitutes the southwest corner of the European continent.[14]
Two 15th-century Spanish Jewish scholars, Don Isaac Abrabanel and Solomon ibn Ve
rga, gave an explanation now considered folkloric. Both men wrote in two differe
nt published works that the first Jews to reach Spain were brought by ship by Ph
iros who was confederate with the king of Babylon when he laid siege to Jerusale
m. This man was a Grecian by birth, but who had been given a kingdom in Spain. H
e became related by marriage to Espan, the nephew of king Heracles, who also rul
ed over a kingdom in Spain. Heracles later renounced his throne in preference fo
r his native Greece, leaving his kingdom to his nephew, Espan, from whom the cou
ntry of Espaa (Spain) took its name. Based upon their testimonies, this eponym wo
uld have already been in use in Spain by c. 350 BCE.[15]
History
Main article: History of Spain
Altamira Cave paintings,[16] in Cantabria.
Iberia enters written records as a land populated largely by the Iberians, Basqu
es and Celts. After an arduous conquest, the peninsula came under the rule of th
e Roman Empire. During the early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule but lat
er, much of it was conquered by Moorish invaders from North Africa. In a process
that took centuries, the small Christian kingdoms in the north gradually regain
ed control of the peninsula. The last Moorish kingdom fell in the same year Colu
mbus reached the Americas. A global empire began which saw Spain become the stro
ngest kingdom in Europe, the leading world power for a century and a half, and t
he largest overseas empire for three centuries.
Continued wars and other problems eventually led to a diminished status. The Nap
oleonic invasions of Spain led to chaos, triggering independence movements that
tore apart most of the empire and left the country politically unstable. Prior t
o the Second World War, Spain suffered a devastating civil war and came under th
e rule of an authoritarian government, which oversaw a period of stagnation that
was followed by a surge in the growth of the economy. Eventually democracy was
peacefully restored in the form of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Spai
n joined the European Union, experiencing a cultural renaissance and steady econ
omic growth.
Prehistory and pre-Roman peoples
Main article: Prehistoric Iberia

Celtic castro in A Guarda, Galicia.

Archaeological research at Atapuerca indicates the Iberian Peninsula was populat
ed by hominids 1.2 million years ago.[17] In Atapuerca fossils have been found o
f the earliest known hominins in Europe, the Homo antecessor. Modern humans firs
t arrived in Iberia, from the north on foot, about 35,000 years ago.[18] The bes
t known artifacts of these prehistoric human settlements are the famous painting
s in the Altamira cave of Cantabria in northern Iberia, which were created from
35,600 to 13,500 BCE by Cro-Magnon.[16][19] Archaeological and genetic evidence
suggests that the Iberian Peninsula acted as one of several major refugia from w
hich northern Europe was repopulated following the end of the last ice age.
The largest groups inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula before the Roman conquest we
re the Iberians and the Celts. The Iberians inhabited the Mediterranean side of
the peninsula, from the northeast to the southeast. The Celts inhabited much of
the inner and Atlantic sides of the peninsula, from the northwest to the southwe
st. Basques occupied the western area of the Pyrenees mountain range and adjacen
t areas, the Tartessians were in the southwest and the Lusitanians and Vettones
occupied areas in the central west. A number of trading settlements of Phoenicia
ns, Greeks and Carthaginians developed on the Mediterranean coast.
Roman Empire and the Gothic Kingdom
Main articles: Hispania and Visigothic Kingdom
Roman Theatre, Mrida
During the Second Punic War, an expanding Roman Republic captured Carthaginian t
rading colonies along the Mediterranean coast from roughly 210 to 205 BCE. It to
ok the Romans nearly two centuries to complete the conquest of the Iberian Penin
sula, though they had control of it for over six centuries. Roman rule was bound
together by law, language, and the Roman road.[20]
The cultures of the Celtic and Iberian populations were gradually Romanised (Lat
inised) at differing rates in different parts of Hispania. Local leaders were ad
mitted into the Roman aristocratic class.[i][21] Hispania served as a granary fo
r the Roman market, and its harbours exported gold, wool, olive oil, and wine. A
gricultural production increased with the introduction of irrigation projects, s
ome of which remain in use. Emperors Hadrian, Trajan, Theodosius I, and the phil
osopher Seneca were born in Hispania.[j] Christianity was introduced into Hispan
ia in the 1st century CE and it became popular in the cities in the 2nd century
CE.[21] Most of Spain's present languages and religion, and the basis of its law
s, originate from this period.[20]
Toledo, capital of the Visigothic Kingdom.
The weakening of the Western Roman Empire's jurisdiction in Hispania began in 40
9, when the Germanic Suebi and Vandals, together with the Sarmatian Alans, cross
ed the Rhine and ravaged Gaul until the Visigoths drove them into Iberia that sa
me year. The Suebi established a kingdom in what is today modern Galicia and nor
thern Portugal. As the western empire disintegrated, the social and economic bas
e became greatly simplified: but even in modified form, the successor regimes ma
intained many of the institutions and laws of the late empire, including Christi
anity.
The Alans' allies, the Hasdingi Vandals, established a kingdom in Gallaecia, too
, occupying largely the same region but extending farther south to the Douro riv
er. The Silingi Vandals occupied the region that still bears a form of their nam
e Vandalusia, modern Andalusia, in Spain. The Byzantines established an enclave, S
pania, in the south, with the intention of reviving the Roman empire throughout
Iberia. Eventually, however, Hispania was reunited under Visigothic rule.
Isidore of Seville, archbishop of Seville, was an influential philosopher and wa
s much studied in the Middle Ages in Europe. Also, his theories were vital to th

e conversion of the Visigothic Kingdom to a Catholic one, in the Councils of Tol

edo. This Gothic kingdom was the first Christian kingdom ruling in the Iberian P
eninsula, and in the Reconquista it was the referent for the different kingdoms
fighting against the Muslim rule.
Middle Ages
Main articles: Al-Andalus and Reconquista
The death of the Frankish leader Roland defeated by a Basque and Muslim-Visigoth
ic (Banu Qasi) alliance at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass (778) originated the Kin
gdom of Navarre led by igo Arista.
In the 8th century, nearly all of the Iberian Peninsula was conquered (711 718) by
largely Moorish Muslim armies from North Africa. These conquests were part of t
he expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate. Only a small area in the mountainous nort
h-west of the peninsula managed to resist the initial invasion.
Under Islamic law, Christians and Jews were given the subordinate status of dhim
mi. This status permitted Christians and Jews to practice their religions as Peo
ple of the Book but they were required to pay a special tax and had legal and so
cial rights inferior to those of Muslims.[22][23]
Conversion to Islam proceeded at an increasing pace. The mulades (Muslims of ethn
ic Iberian origin) are believed to have comprised the majority of the population
of Al-Andalus by the end of the 10th century.[24][25]
The Muslim community in the Iberian Peninsula was itself diverse and beset by so
cial tensions. The Berber people of North Africa, who had provided the bulk of t
he invading armies, clashed with the Arab leadership from the Middle East.[k] Ov
er time, large Moorish populations became established, especially in the Guadalq
uivir River valley, the coastal plain of Valencia, the Ebro River valley and (to
wards the end of this period) in the mountainous region of Granada.[25]
Hypostyle hall in the Great Mosque of Crdoba.
Crdoba, the capital of the caliphate since Abd-ar-Rahman III, was the largest, ri
chest and most sophisticated city in western Europe. Mediterranean trade and cul
tural exchange flourished. Muslims imported a rich intellectual tradition from t
he Middle East and North Africa. Muslim and Jewish scholars played an important
part in reviving and expanding classical Greek learning in Western Europe. Some
important philosophers at the time were Averroes, Ibn Arabi and Maimonides. The
Romanised cultures of the Iberian Peninsula interacted with Muslim and Jewish cu
ltures in complex ways, giving the region a distinctive culture.[25] Outside the
cities, where the vast majority lived, the land ownership system from Roman tim
es remained largely intact as Muslim leaders rarely dispossessed landowners and
the introduction of new crops and techniques led to an expansion of agriculture.
Petronilla of Aragon and Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona, dynastic union
of the Crown of Aragon.
In the 11th century, the Muslim holdings fractured into rival Taifa kingdoms, al
lowing the small Christian states the opportunity to greatly enlarge their terri
tories.[25] The arrival from North Africa of the Islamic ruling sects of the Alm
oravids and the Almohads restored unity upon the Muslim holdings, with a stricte
r, less tolerant application of Islam, and saw a revival in Muslim fortunes. Thi
s re-united Islamic state experienced more than a century of successes that part
ially reversed Christian gains.
The Reconquista (Reconquest) was the centuries-long period in which Christian ru
le was re-established over the Iberian Peninsula. The Reconquista is viewed as b
eginning with the Battle of Covadonga won by Don Pelayo in 722 and was concurren
t with the period of Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula. The Christian army's
victory over Muslim forces led to the creation of the Christian Kingdom of Astur
ias along the northwestern coastal mountains. Shortly after, in 739, Muslim forc

es were driven from Galicia, which was to eventually host one of medieval Europe
's holiest sites, Santiago de Compostela and was incorporated into the new Chris
tian kingdom. The Kingdom of Len was the strongest Christian kingdom for centurie
s. In 1188 the first modern parliamentary session in Europe was held in Len (Cort
es of Len). The Kingdom of Castile, formed from Leonese territory, was its succes
sor as strongest kingdom. The kings and the nobility fought for power and influe
nce in this period. The example of the Roman emperors influenced the political o
bjective of the Crown, while the nobles benefited from feudalism.
Basilica of San Isidoro, Len.
Muslim armies had also moved north of the Pyrenees but they were defeated by Fra
nkish forces at the Battle of Poitiers, Frankia. Later, Frankish forces establis
hed Christian counties on the southern side of the Pyrenees. These areas were to
grow into the kingdoms of Navarre, Aragon and Catalonia.[26] For several centur
ies, the fluctuating frontier between the Muslim and Christian controlled areas
of Iberia was along the Ebro and Douro valleys.
The break-up of Al-Andalus into the competing taifa kingdoms helped the long emb
attled Iberian Christian kingdoms gain the initiative. The capture of the strate
gically central city of Toledo in 1085 marked a significant shift in the balance
of power in favour of the Christian kingdoms. Following a great Muslim resurgen
ce in the 12th century, the great Moorish strongholds in the south fell to Chris
tian Spain in the 13th century Crdoba in 1236 and Seville in 1248 leaving only the Mu
slim enclave of Granada as a tributary state in the south.[27]
Alfonso X of Castile, Libro de los juegos.
In this period literature and philosophy started to flourish again in the Christ
ian peninsular kingdoms, based on Roman and Gothic traditions. An important phil
osopher from this time is Ramon Llull. Abraham Cresques was a prominent Jewish c
artographer. Roman law and its institutions were the model for the legislators.
The king Alfonso X of Castile focused on strengthening this Roman and Gothic pas
t, and also on linking the Iberian Christian kingdoms with the rest of medieval
European Christendom. He worked for being elected emperor of the Holy Roman Empi
re and published the Siete Partidas code. The Toledo School of Translators is th
e name that commonly describes the group of scholars who worked together in the
city of Toledo during the 12th and 13th centuries, to translate many of the phil
osophical and scientific works from Classical Arabic, Ancient Greek, and Ancient
Hebrew. The Islamic transmission of the classics is the main Islamic contributi
ons to Medieval Europe. The Castilian language more commonly known (especially lat
er in history and at present) as "Spanish" after becoming the national language
and lingua franca of Spain evolved from Vulgar Latin, as did other Romance languag
es of Spain like the Catalan, Asturian and Galician languages, as well as other
Romance languages in Latin Europe. Basque, the only non-Romance language in Spai
n, continued evolving from Early Basque to Medieval. The Glosas Emilianenses fou
nded in the monasteries of San Milln de la Cogolla contain the first written word
s in both Basque and Spanish, having the first become an influence in the format
ion of the second as an evolution of Latin.
Salamanca is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The School of Salamanca was
the intellectual origin of modern international law.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Marinid Muslim sect based in North Africa in
vaded and established some enclaves on the southern coast but failed in their at
tempt to re-establish Muslim rule in Iberia and were soon driven out. The 13th c
entury also witnessed the Crown of Aragon, centred in Spain's north east, expand
its reach across islands in the Mediterranean, to Sicily and even Athens.[28] A
round this time the universities of Palencia (1212/1263) and Salamanca (1218/125
4) were established. The Black Death of 1348 and 1349 devastated Spain.[29]
Imperial Spain
Main article: Spanish Empire

In 1469, the crowns of the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon were united
by the marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. 1478 commen
ced the completion of the conquest of the Canary Islands and in 1492, the combin
ed forces of Castile and Aragon captured the Emirate of Granada, ending the last
remnant of a 781-year presence of Islamic rule in Iberia. That same year, Spain
's Jews were ordered to convert to Catholicism or face expulsion from Spanish te
rritories during the Spanish Inquisition.[30] The Treaty of Granada guaranteed r
eligious tolerance toward Muslims,[31] and although the tolerance was only parti
al, it was not until the beginning of the 17th century, following the Revolt of
the Alpujarras, that Muslims were finally expelled.[l][32]
The year 1492 also marked the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World,
during a voyage funded by Isabella. Columbus's first voyage crossed the Atlantic
and reached the Caribbean Islands, beginning the European exploration and conqu
est of the Americas, although he remained convinced that he had reached the Orie
nt. The colonisation of the Americas started, with conquistadores like Hernn Corts
and Francisco Pizarro. Miscegenation was the rule between the native and the Eu
ropean cultures and people.
Christopher Columbus meets the Catholic Monarchs in the Alhambra.
As Renaissance New Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand centralised royal power at t
he expense of local nobility, and the word Espaa, whose root is the ancient name
Hispania, began to be commonly used to designate the whole of the two kingdoms.[
32] With their wide-ranging political, legal, religious and military reforms, Sp
ain emerged as the first world power.
The unification of the crowns of Aragon and Castile by the marriage of their sov
ereigns laid the basis for modern Spain and the Spanish Empire, although each ki
ngdom of Spain remained a separate country, in social, political, laws, currency
and language.[33][34]
Spain was Europe's leading power throughout the 16th century and most of the 17t
h century, a position reinforced by trade and wealth from colonial possessions a
nd became the world's leading maritime power. It reached its apogee during the r
eigns of the first two Spanish Habsburgs Charles I (1516 1556) and Philip II (1556 159
8). This period saw the Italian Wars, the Revolt of the Comuneros, the Dutch Rev
olt, the Morisco Revolt, clashes with the Ottomans, the Anglo-Spanish War and wa
rs with France.[35]
Anachronous map of the Spanish Empire including territorial claims.
Through exploration and conquest or royal marriage alliances and inheritance, th
e Spanish Empire expanded to include vast areas in the Americas, islands in the
Asia-Pacific area, areas of Italy, cities in Northern Africa, as well as parts o
f what are now France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The fi
rst circumnavigation of the world was carried out in 1519 1521. It was the first e
mpire on which it was said that the sun never set. This was an Age of Discovery,
with daring explorations by sea and by land, the opening-up of new trade routes
across oceans, conquests and the beginnings of European colonialism. Spanish ex
plorers brought back precious metals, spices, luxuries, and previously unknown p
lants, and played a leading part in transforming the European understanding of t
he globe.[36] The cultural efflorescence witnessed during this period is now ref
erred to as the Spanish Golden Age. The expansion of the empire caused immense u
pheaval in the Americas as the collapse of societies and empires and new disease
s from Europe devastated American indigenous populations. The rise of humanism,
the Counter-Reformation and new geographical discoveries and conquests raised is
sues that were addressed by the intellectual movement now known as the School of
Salamanca, which developed the first modern theories of what are now known as i
nternational law and human rights.
Philip II and Charles V, Habsburg Spain. Charles was also Emperor of the Holy Ro
man Empire.

In the late 16th century and first half of the 17th century, Spain was confronte
d by unrelenting challenges from all sides. Barbary pirates, under the aegis of
the rapidly growing Ottoman Empire, disrupted life in many coastal areas through
their slave raids and the renewed threat of an Islamic invasion.[37] This was a
t a time when Spain was often at war with France.
The Protestant Reformation dragged the kingdom ever more deeply into the mire of
religiously charged wars. The result was a country forced into ever expanding m
ilitary efforts across Europe and in the Mediterranean.[38]
By the middle decades of a war- and plague-ridden 17th-century Europe, the Spani
sh Habsburgs had enmeshed the country in continent-wide religious-political conf
licts. These conflicts drained it of resources and undermined the economy genera
lly. Spain managed to hold on to most of the scattered Habsburg empire, and help
the imperial forces of the Holy Roman Empire reverse a large part of the advanc
es made by Protestant forces, but it was finally forced to recognise the separat
ion of Portugal (with whom it had been united in a personal union of the crowns
from 1580 to 1640) and the Netherlands, and eventually suffered some serious mil
itary reverses to France in the latter stages of the immensely destructive, Euro
pe-wide Thirty Years' War.[39]
The Family of Philip V (1743). During the Enlightenment in Spain a new royal fam
ily reigned, the House of Bourbon.
In the latter half of the 17th century, Spain went into a gradual decline, durin
g which it surrendered several small territories to France and the Netherlands;
however, it maintained and enlarged its vast overseas empire, which remained int
act until the beginning of the 19th century.
The decline culminated in a controversy over succession to the throne which cons
umed the first years of the 18th century. The War of the Spanish Succession was
a wide-ranging international conflict combined with a civil war, and was to cost
the kingdom its European possessions and its position as one of the leading pow
ers on the Continent.[40] During this war, a new dynasty originating in France,
the Bourbons, was installed. Long united only by the Crown, a true Spanish state
was established when the first Bourbon king, Philip V, united the crowns of Cas
tile and Aragon into a single state, abolishing many of the old regional privile
ges and laws.[41]
The 18th century saw a gradual recovery and an increase in prosperity through mu
ch of the empire. The new Bourbon monarchy drew on the French system of modernis
ing the administration and the economy. Enlightenment ideas began to gain ground
among some of the kingdom's elite and monarchy. Military assistance for the reb
ellious British colonies in the American War of Independence improved the kingdo
m's international standing.[42]
Liberalism and nation state
Main articles: Mid-19th-century Spain, Spanish American wars of independence and
Spanish American War
The Third of May 1808 by Francisco de Goya depicts an episode of the Spanish Ind
ependence War.
In 1793, Spain went to war against the revolutionary new French Republic as a me
mber of the first Coalition. The subsequent War of the Pyrenees polarised the co
untry in a reaction against the gallicised elites and following defeat in the fi
eld, peace was made with France in 1795 at the Peace of Basel in which Spain los
t control over two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. The Prime Minister, Manue
l Godoy, then ensured that Spain allied herself with France in the brief War of
the Third Coalition which ended with the British victory at the Battle of Trafal
gar in 1805. In 1807, a secret treaty between Napoleon and the unpopular prime m
inister led to a new declaration of war against Britain and Portugal. Napoleon's

troops entered the country to invade Portugal but instead occupied Spain's majo
r fortresses. The ridiculed Spanish king abdicated in favour of Napoleon's broth
er, Joseph Bonaparte.
Joseph Bonaparte was seen as a puppet monarch and was regarded with scorn by the
Spanish. The 2 May 1808 revolt was one of many nationalist uprisings across the
country against the Bonapartist regime.[43] These revolts marked the beginning
of a devastating war of independence against the Napoleonic regime.[44] Napoleon
was forced to intervene personally, defeating several Spanish armies and forcin
g a British army to retreat. However, further military action by Spanish armies,
guerrillas and Wellington's British-Portuguese forces, combined with Napoleon's
disastrous invasion of Russia, led to the ousting of the French imperial armies
from Spain in 1814, and the return of King Ferdinand VII.[45]
During the war, in 1810, a revolutionary body, the Cortes of Cdiz, was assembled
to co-ordinate the effort against the Bonapartist regime and to prepare a consti
tution.[46] It met as one body, and its members represented the entire Spanish e
mpire.[47] In 1812 a constitution for universal representation under a constitut
ional monarchy was declared but after the fall of the Bonapartist regime Ferdina
nd VII dismissed the Cortes Generales and was determined to rule as an absolute
monarch. These events foreshadowed the conflict between conservatives and libera
ls in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Proclamation of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 in Cdiz.
Spain's conquest by France benefited Latin American anti-colonialists who resent
ed the Imperial Spanish government's policies that favored Spanish-born citizens
(Peninsulars) over those born overseas (Criollos) and demanded retroversion of
the sovereignty to the people. Starting in 1809 Spain's American colonies began
a series of revolutions and declared independence, leading to the Spanish Americ
an wars of independence that ended Spanish control over its mainland colonies in
the Americas. King Ferdinand VII's attempt to re-assert control proved futile a
s he faced opposition not only in the colonies but also in Spain and army revolt
s followed, led by liberal officers. By the end of 1826, the only American colon
ies Spain held were Cuba and Puerto Rico.
The Napoleonic War left Spain economically ruined, deeply divided and politicall
y unstable. In the 1830s and 1840s Anti-liberal forces known as Carlists fought
against liberals in the Carlist Wars. Liberal forces won, but the conflict betwe
en progressive and conservative liberals ended in a weak early constitutional pe
riod. After the Glorious Revolution of 1868 and the short-lived First Spanish Re
public, a more stable monarchic period began characterised by the practice of tu
rnismo (the rotation of government control between progressive and conservative
liberals within the Spanish government).
Spanish general Juan Prim, Prime Minister of Spain, with his government after th
e Glorious Revolution, 1869.
In the late 19th century nationalist movements arose in the Philippines and Cuba
. In 1895 and 1896 the Cuban War of Independence and the Philippine Revolution b
roke out and eventually the United States became involved. The Spanish American Wa
r was fought in the spring of 1898 and resulted in Spain losing the last of its
once vast colonial empire outside of North Africa. El Desastre (the Disaster), a
s the war became known in Spain, gave added impetus to the Generation of 98 who
were conducting an analysis of the country.
Although the period around the turn of the century was one of increasing prosper
ity, the 20th century brought little peace; Spain played a minor part in the scr
amble for Africa, with the colonisation of Western Sahara, Spanish Morocco and E
quatorial Guinea. It remained neutral during World War I (see Spain in World War
I). The heavy losses suffered during the Rif War in Morocco brought discredit t
o the government and undermined the monarchy.

A period of authoritarian rule under General Miguel Primo de Rivera (1923 1931) en
ded with the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic. The Republic offered
political autonomy to the linguistically distinct regions of Basque Country, Cat
alonia and Galicia and gave voting rights to women and was increasingly dominate
d by left wing political parties. In the worsening economic situation of the Gre
at Depression, Spanish politics became increasingly chaotic and violent.
Spanish Civil War and dictatorship
Main articles: Spanish Civil War and Spain under Franco
The Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936. For three years the Nationalist forces
led by General Francisco Franco and supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy
fought the Republican side, which was supported by the Soviet Union, Mexico and
International Brigades but it was not supported by the Western powers due to the
British-led policy of Non-Intervention. The civil war was viciously fought and
there were many atrocities committed by all sides. The war claimed the lives of
over 500,000 people and caused the flight of up to a half-million citizens from
the country.[48][49] In 1939, General Franco emerged victorious and became a dic
tator.
Franco giving a speech in ibar, 1949
The state as established under Franco was nominally neutral in the Second World
War, although sympathetic to the Axis. The only legal party under Franco's post
civil war regime was the Falange Espaola Tradicionalista y de las JONS, formed in
1937; the party emphasised falangism, a form of fascism that emphasised anti-co
mmunism, nationalism and Roman Catholicism. Given Franco's opposition to competi
ng political parties, the party was renamed the National Movement (Movimiento Na
cional) in 1949.
After World War II Spain was politically and economically isolated, and was kept
out of the United Nations. This changed in 1955, during the Cold War period, wh
en it became strategically important for the US to establish a military presence
on the Iberian Peninsula as a counter to any possible move by the Soviet Union
into the Mediterranean basin. In the 1960s, Spain registered an unprecedented ra
te of economic growth which was propelled by industrialisation, a mass internal
migration from rural areas to cities and the creation of a mass tourism industry
. Franco's rule was also characterised by authoritarianism, promotion of a unita
ry national identity, the favouring of a very conservative form of Roman Catholi
cism known as National Catholicism, and discriminatory language policies.
Restoration of democracy
See also: Spanish transition to democracy and Spanish society after the democrat
ic transition
Posters of the first elections under Spanish Constitution of 1978, showing polit
ical leaders including Adolfo Surez (first president), Manuel Fraga, Felipe Gonzle
z and Santiago Carrillo.
In 1962, Salvador de Madariaga, founder of the Liberal International and the Col
lege of Europe, met in the congress of the European Movement in Munich with memb
ers of the opposition to Franco's regime inside the country and in the exile. Th
ere were 118 politicians from all factions. At the end of the meetings a resolut
ion in favour of democracy was made.[50][51][52]
With Franco's death in November 1975, Juan Carlos succeeded to the position of K
ing of Spain and head of state in accordance with the law. With the approval of
the new Spanish Constitution of 1978 and the restoration of democracy, the State
devolved much authority to the regions and created an internal organisation bas
ed on autonomous communities.
In the Basque Country, moderate Basque nationalism has coexisted with a radical
nationalist movement led by the armed organisation ETA. The group was formed in

1959 during Franco's rule but has continued to wage its violent campaign even af
ter the restoration of democracy and the return of a large measure of regional a
utonomy. On 23 February 1981, rebel elements among the security forces seized th
e Cortes in an attempt to impose a military backed government. King Juan Carlos
took personal command of the military and successfully ordered the coup plotters
, via national television, to surrender.
During the 1980s the democratic restoration made possible a growing open society
. New cultural movements based on freedom appeared, like La Movida Madrilea. On 3
0 May 1982 Spain joined NATO, following a referendum. That year the Spanish Soci
alist Workers Party (PSOE) came to power, the first left-wing government in 43 y
ears. In 1986 Spain joined the European Economic Community, which later became t
he European Union. The PSOE was replaced in government by the Partido Popular (P
P) after the latter won the 1996 General Elections; at that point the PSOE had s
erved almost 14 consecutive years in office.
Spain has been a member of the European Union since 1986
On 1 January 2002, Spain fully adopted the euro, and Spain experienced strong ec
onomic growth, well above the EU average during the early 2000s. However, well p
ublicised concerns issued by many economic commentators at the height of the boo
m warned that extraordinary property prices and a high foreign trade deficit wer
e likely to lead to a painful economic collapse.[53]
On 11 March 2004 a local Islamist terrorist group inspired by Al-Qaeda carried o
ut the largest terrorist attack in Spanish history when they killed 191 people a
nd wounded more than 1,800 others by bombing commuter trains in Madrid.[54] Thou
gh initial suspicions focused on the Basque group ETA, evidence soon emerged ind
icating Islamist involvement. Because of the proximity of the 2004 election, the
issue of responsibility quickly became a political controversy, with the main c
ompeting parties PP and PSOE exchanging accusations over the handling of the inc
ident.[55] At 14 March elections, PSOE, led by Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapatero, obtaine
d a plurality, enough to form a new cabinet with Rodrguez Zapatero as the new Pre
sidente del Gobierno or Prime Minister of Spain, thus succeeding the former PP a
dministration.[56]
The proportion of Spain's foreign born population increased rapidly from around
1 in 50 in 2000 to almost 1 in 8 in 2010 but has since declined. In 2005 the Spa
nish government legalised same sex marriage. The bursting of the Spanish propert
y bubble in 2008 led to the 2008 15 Spanish financial crisis and high levels of un
employment, cuts in government spending and Catalan independentism served as a b
ackdrop to the 2011 12 Spanish protests. In 2011 Mariano Rajoy's conservative Peop
le's Party won elections with 44.6% of votes and Rajoy became the Spanish Prime
Minister after having been the leader of the opposition from 2004 to 2011. On 19
June 2014, the monarch, Juan Carlos, abdicated in favour of his son, who became
Felipe VI.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Spain
Topographic map of Spain
At 505,992 km2 (195,365 sq mi), Spain is the world's fifty-second largest countr
y and Europe's fourth largest country. It is some 47,000 km2 (18,000 sq mi) smal
ler than France and 81,000 km2 (31,000 sq mi) larger than the US state of Califo
rnia. Mount Teide (Tenerife) is the highest mountain peak in Spain and is the th
ird largest volcano in the world from its base.
Spain lies between latitudes 26 and 44 N, and longitudes 19 W and 5 E.
On the west, Spain is bordered by Portugal; on the south, it is bordered by Gibr
altar (a British overseas territory) and Morocco, through its exclaves in North
Africa (Ceuta and Melilla, and the peninsula of Vlez de la Gomera). On the northe

ast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, it is bordered by France and the Princip
ality of Andorra. Along the Pyrenees in Girona, a small exclave town called Llvia
is surrounded by France.
Islands
Main article: List of islands of Spain
Spain also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Is
lands in the Atlantic Ocean and a number of uninhabited islands on the Mediterra
nean side of the Strait of Gibraltar, known as plazas de soberana ("places of sov
ereignty", or territories under [Spanish] sovereignty), such as the Chafarinas I
slands and Alhucemas. The peninsula of Vlez de la Gomera is also regarded as a pl
aza de soberana. The isle of Alborn, located in the Mediterranean between Spain an
d North Africa, is also administered by Spain, specifically by the municipality
of Almera, Andalusia. The little Pheasant Island in the River Bidasoa is a Spanis
h-French condominium.
Largest inhabited islands of Spain:
Mt Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands.
Island Population
Tenerife
899,833
Majorca (Mallorca)
862,397
Gran Canaria
838,397
Lanzarote
141,938
Ibiza 125,053
Fuerteventura 103,107
Minorca (Menorca)
92,434
La Palma
85,933
Mountains and rivers
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, World Heritage Site in the Pyrenees.
Mainland Spain is a mountainous country, dominated by high plateaus and mountain
chains. After the Pyrenees, the main mountain ranges are the Cordillera Cantbric
a (Cantabrian Range), Sistema Ibrico (Iberian System), Sistema Central (Central S
ystem), Montes de Toledo, Sierra Morena and the Sistema Btico (Baetic System) who
se highest peak, the 3,478 m high Mulhacn, located in Sierra Nevada, is the highe
st elevation in the Iberian Peninsula. The highest point in Spain is the Teide,
a 3,718-metre (12,198 ft) active volcano in the Canary Islands. The Meseta Centr
al (often translated as "Inner Plateau") is a vast plateau in the heart of penin
sular Spain.
There are several major rivers in Spain such as the Tagus (Tajo), Ebro, Guadiana
, Douro (Duero), Guadalquivir, Jcar, Segura, Turia and Minho (Mio). Alluvial plain
s are found along the coast, the largest of which is that of the Guadalquivir in
Andalusia.
Climate
Tablas de Daimiel National Park.
Main article: Climate of Spain
The coastal Mediterranean region of Costa Brava
Three main climatic zones can be separated, according to geographical situation
and orographic conditions:[57][58][59]
The Mediterranean climate, characterised by warm and dry summers. It is domi
nant in the peninsula, with two varieties: Csa and Csb according to the Kppen cli
mate classification. The Csb Zone, with a more extreme climate, hotter in summer
and colder in winter, extends to additional areas not typically associated with
a Mediterranean climate, such as much of central and northern-central of Spain
(e.g. Valladolid, Burgos, Len).
The semi-arid 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 oceanic climate (Cfb), located in the northern quarter
specially in the region of Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias
a. In contrary to the Mediterranean climate, winter and summer
influenced by the ocean, and have no seasonal drought.

the summer.
of the country, e
and partly Galici
temperatures are

Apart from these main types, other sub-types can be found, like the alpine clima
te in the Pyrenees and Sierra Nevada, and a typical desert climate in the zone o
f Almera and in most parts of the Canary Islands; while in higher areas of the Ca
nary Islands the predominant climate is subtropical.
The below-listed list covers the average temperatures of three major cities in S
pain; Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia along with Santa Cruz de Tenerife which has a
significantly different climates to the predominant climate in Spain. More infor
mation regarding temperature can be found in city articles and the main article
about the Spanish climate.
Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia a
nd Santa Cruz de Tenerife[60] Location Coldest month Warmest month
Madrid 9.8 C (49.6 F)
2.7 C (36.9 F)
32.1 C (89.8 F)
19.0 C (66.2 F)
Barcelona
13.6 C (56.5 F)
4.7 C (40.5 F)
28.5 C (83.3 F)
20.2 C (68.4 F)
Valencia
16.4 C (61.5 F)
7.1 C (44.8 F)
30.2 C (86.4 F)
21.9 C (71.4 F)
Santa Cruz de Tenerife 21.0 C (69.8 F)
15.4 C (59.7 F)
29.0 C (84.2 F)
21.9 C (71.4 F)
Fauna and flora
The fauna presents a wide diversity that is due in large part to the geographica
l position of the Iberian peninsula between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean a
nd between Africa and Eurasia, and the great diversity of habitats and biotopes,
the result of a considerable variety of climates and well differentiated region
s.
The vegetation of Spain is varied due to several factors including the diversity
of the relief, the climate and latitude. Spain includes different phytogeograph
ic regions, each with its own floristic characteristics resulting largely from t
he interaction of climate, topography, soil type and fire, biotic factors.
Politics
Main articles: Politics of Spain and Spanish Constitution of 1978
The Royal Palace in Madrid.
According to the Democracy Index of the EIU, Spain is one of the 24 full democra
cies in the world.
The Spanish Constitution of 1978 is the culmination of the Spanish transition to
democracy. The constitutional history of Spain dates back to the constitution o
f 1812. Impatient with the slow pace of democratic political reforms in 1976 and
1977, Spain's new King Juan Carlos, known for his formidable personality, dismi
ssed Carlos Arias Navarro and appointed the reformer Adolfo Surez as Prime Minist
er.[61][62] The resulting general election in 1977 convened the Constituent Cort
es (the Spanish Parliament, in its capacity as a constitutional assembly) for th
e purpose of drafting and approving the constitution of 1978.[63] After a nation
al referendum on 6 December 1978, 88% of voters approved of the new constitution
.

As a result, Spain is now composed of 17 autonomous communities and two autonomo

us cities with varying degrees of autonomy thanks to its Constitution, which nev
ertheless explicitly states the indivisible unity of the Spanish nation. The con
stitution also specifies that Spain has no state religion and that all are free
to practice and believe as they wish.
The Spanish administration approved legislation in 2007 aimed at furthering equa
lity between genders in Spanish political and economic life (Gender Equality Act
).[64][65] However, in the legislative branch, as of July 2010 only 128 of the 3
50 members of the Congress were women (36.3%).[66] It places Spain 13th on a lis
t of countries ranked by proportion of women in the lower house. In the Senate,
the ratio is even lower, since there are only 79 women out of 263 (30.0%).[67] T
he Gender Empowerment Measure of Spain in the United Nations Human Development R
eport is 0.794, 12th in the world.[68]
Government
Congress of Deputies.
See also: List of Spanish monarchs and Monarchs of Spain family tree
Spain is a constitutional monarchy, with a hereditary monarch and a bicameral pa
rliament, the Cortes Generales (General Courts). The executive branch consists o
f a Council of Ministers of Spain presided over by the Prime Minister, nominated
and appointed by the monarch and confirmed by the Congress of Deputies followin
g legislative elections. By political custom established by King Juan Carlos sin
ce the ratification of the 1978 Constitution, the king's nominees have all been
from parties who maintain a plurality of seats in the Congress.
The legislative branch is made up of the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los D
iputados) with 350 members, elected by popular vote on block lists by proportion
al representation to serve four-year terms, and a Senate (Senado) with 259 seats
of which 208 are directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by
the regional legislatures to also serve four-year terms.
Head of State
King Felipe VI, since 19 June 2014
Head of Government
Prime Minister of Spain (Presidente del Gobierno, literally President of
the Government): Mariano Rajoy Brey, elected 20 November 2011.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Presidency: Soraya Senz de
Santamara.
Cabinet
Council of Ministers (Consejo de Ministros) designated by the Prime Mini
ster.
Spain is organisationally structured as a so-called Estado de las Autonomas ("Sta
te of Autonomies"); it is one of the most decentralised countries in Europe, alo
ng with Switzerland, Germany and Belgium;[69] for example, all Autonomous Commun
ities have their own elected parliaments, governments, public administrations, b
udgets, and resources. Health and education systems among others are managed reg
ionally, and in addition, the Basque Country and Navarre also manage their own p
ublic finances based on foral provisions. In Catalonia and the Basque Country, a
full-fledged autonomous police corps replaces some of the State police function
s (see Mossos d'Esquadra, Ertzaintza, Polica Foral and Polica Canaria).
Human rights
Main articles: Human rights in Spain and LGBT rights in Spain
Europride festival 2007 in Madrid
The Government respects the human rights of its citizens; although there are a f
ew problems in some areas, the law and judiciary provide effective means of addr
essing individual instances of abuse. There are allegations that a few members o
f the security forces abused detainees and mistreated foreigners and illegal imm

igrants. According to Amnesty International (AI), government investigations of s

uch alleged abuses are often lengthy and punishments were light. Violence agains
t women was a problem, which the Government took steps to address.
Spain provides one of the highest degrees of liberty in the world for its LGBT c
ommunity. Among the countries studied by Pew Research Center in 2013, Spain is r
ated first in acceptance of homosexuality, with an 88% of society supporting the
gay community compared to 11% who do not.[70]
Administrative divisions
Main article: Political divisions of Spain
The Spanish State is integrated by 17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous ci
ties, both groups being the highest or first-order administrative division in th
e country. Autonomous communities are integrated by provinces, of which there ar
e 50 in total, and in turn, provinces are integrated by municipalities. In Catal
onia, two additional divisions exist, the comarques (sing. comarca) and the vegu
eries (sing. vegueria) both of which have administrative powers; comarques being
aggregations of municipalities, and the vegueries being aggregations of comarqu
es. The concept of a comarca exists in all autonomous communities, however, unli
ke Catalonia, these are merely historical or geographical subdivisions.
Autonomies
Main article: Autonomous communities of Spain
See also: Nationalities and regions of Spain
Galicia
Navarre
Madrid
La Rioja
Aragon
Catalonia
Valencia
Castile
La Mancha
Extremadura
Portugal
Castile
and Len
Asturias
Cantabria
Basque Country
Murcia
Andalusia
Ceuta
Melilla
France
Balearic
Islands
Canary
Islands
Mediterranean Sea
Bay of Biscay
Atlantic
Ocean
Andorra
Atlantic
Ocean
Flag of the Balearic Islands.svg
Flag of Andaluca.svg
Flag of Castile and Len.svg
Flag of the Valencian Community (2x3).svg
Bandera Castilla-La Mancha.svg

Flag of Aragon.svg
Flag of the Community of Madrid.svg
Flag of La Rioja (with coat of arms).svg
Flag Melilla.svg
Gibraltar (UK)
Flag Ceuta.svg
Flag of Catalonia.svg
Flag of Cantabria.svg
Flag of the Basque Country.svg
Flag of Galicia.svg
Flag of Extremadura (with coat of arms).svg
Bandera de Navarra.svg
Flag of Asturias.svg
Flag of the Canary Islands.svg
Flag of the Region of Murcia.svg
Autonomous communities are the first level administrative division in the countr
y. These were created after the 1979 and current constitution came into effect i
n recognition of the right to self-government to the "nationalities and regions
of Spain".[71] Autonomous communities were to be integrated by adjacent province
s with common historical, cultural, and economical traits. This territorial orga
nisation, based on devolution, is known in Spain as the "State of Autonomies".
The basic institutional law of each autonomous community is the Statute of Auton
omy. The Statutes of Autonomy establish the name of the community according to i
ts historical identity, the limits of their territories, the name and organisati
on of the institutions of government and the rights they enjoy according to the
constitution.[72]
The government of all autonomous communities must be based on a division of powe
rs comprising:
a Legislative Assembly whose members must be elected by universal suffrage a
ccording to the system of proportional representation and in which all areas tha
t integrate the territory are fairly represented;
a Government Council, with executive and administrative functions headed by
a president, elected by the Legislative Assembly and nominated by the King of Sp
ain;
a Supreme Court of Justice, under the Supreme Court of the State, which head
the judicial organisation within the autonomous community.
Supporters of Catalan independence in 2012
Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque Country, which identified themselves as "natio
nalities" were granted self-government through a rapid process. Andalusia also t
ook that denomination in its first Statute of Autonomy, even though it followed
the longer process stipulated in the constitution for the rest of the country. P
rogressively, other communities in revisions to their Statutes of Autonomy have
also taken that denomination in accordance to their historical regional identity
, such as the Valencian Community,[73] the Canary Islands,[74] the Balearic Isla
nds,[75] and Aragon.[76]
The autonomous communities have wide legislative and executive autonomy, with th
eir own parliaments and regional governments. The distribution of powers may be
different for every community, as laid out in their Statutes of Autonomy, since
devolution was intended to be asymmetrical. Only two communities the Basque Countr
y and Navarre have full fiscal autonomy. Aside of fiscal autonomy, the "historical
" nationalities Andalusia, the Basque Country, Catalonia, and Galicia were devolved
more powers than the rest of the communities, among them the ability of the regi
onal president to dissolve the parliament and call for elections at any time. In

addition, the Basque Country, Catalonia and Navarre have police corps of their
own: Ertzaintza, Mossos d'Esquadra and the Polica Foral respectively. Other commu
nities have more limited forces or none at all, like the Polica Autnoma Andaluza[7
7] in Andalusia or the BESCAM in Madrid.
Hall of the Consell de Cent, local body of Barcelona between the 13th and 18th c
enturies.
Nonetheless, recent amendments to existing Statutes of Autonomy or the promulgat
ion of new Statutes altogether, have reduced the asymmetry between the powers or
iginally granted to the "historical nationalities" and the rest of the regions.
Finally, along with the 17 autonomous communities, two autonomous cities are als
o part of the State of Autonomies and are first-order territorial divisions: Ceu
ta and Melilla. These are two exclaves located in the northern African coast.
Provinces and municipalities
Main articles: Provinces of Spain and Municipalities of Spain
Autonomous communities are subdivided into provinces, which served as their terr
itorial building blocks. In turn, provinces are integrated by municipalities. Th
e existence of both the provinces and the municipalities is guaranteed and prote
cted by the constitution, not necessarily by the Statutes of Autonomy themselves
. Municipalities are granted autonomy to manage their internal affairs, and prov
inces are the territorial divisions designed to carry out the activities of the
State.[78]
The current provincial division structure is based with minor changes on the 1833 te
rritorial division by Javier de Burgos, and in all, the Spanish territory is div
ided into 50 provinces. The communities of Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja, the Ba
learic Islands, Madrid, Murcia and Navarre are the only communities that are int
egrated by a single province, which is coextensive with the community itself. In
this cases, the administrative institutions of the province are replaced by the
governmental institutions of the community.
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Spain
Mariano Rajoy in a G-20 Summit in Mexico. Spain is a permanent guest of the G-20
.
The Ibero-American Summit, in San Salvador, 2008
After the return of democracy following the death of Franco in 1975, Spain's for
eign policy priorities were to break out of the diplomatic isolation of the Fran
co years and expand diplomatic relations, enter the European Community, and defi
ne security relations with the West.
As a member of NATO since 1982, Spain has established itself as a participant in
multilateral international security activities. Spain's EU membership represent
s an important part of its foreign policy. Even on many international issues bey
ond western Europe, Spain prefers to co-ordinate its efforts with its EU partner
s through the European political co-operation mechanisms.[vague]
Spain has maintained its special relations with Hispanic America and the Philipp
ines. Its policy emphasises the concept of an Ibero-American community, essentia
lly the renewal of the historically liberal concept of "Hispanidad" or "Hispanis
mo", as it is often referred to in English, which has sought to link the Iberian
Peninsula with Hispanic America through language, commerce, history and culture
.
Territorial disputes
Spain claims Gibraltar, a 6-square-kilometre (2.3 sq mi) Overseas Territory of t
he United Kingdom in the southernmost part of the Iberian Peninsula. Then a Span

ish town, it was conquered by an Anglo-Dutch force in 1704 during the War of the
Spanish Succession on behalf of Archduke Charles, pretender to the Spanish thro
ne.
The legal situation concerning Gibraltar was settled in 1713 by the Treaty of Ut
recht, in which Spain ceded the territory in perpetuity to the British Crown[79]
stating that, should the British abandon this post, it would be offered to Spai
n first. Since the 1940s Spain has called for the return of Gibraltar. The overw
helming majority of Gibraltarians strongly oppose this, along with any proposal
of shared sovereignty.[80] UN resolutions call on the United Kingdom and Spain,
both EU members, to reach an agreement over the status of Gibraltar.[81][82]
The Spanish claim makes a distinction between the isthmus that connects the Rock
to the Spanish mainland on the one hand, and the Rock and city of Gibraltar on
the other. While the Rock and city were ceded by the Treaty of Utrecht, Spain as
serts that the "occupation of the isthmus is illegal and against the principles
of International Law".[83] The United Kingdom relies on de facto arguments of po
ssession by prescription in relation to the isthmus,[84] as there has been "cont
inuous possession [of the isthmus] over a long period".[85]
Morocco claims sovereignty over the Spanish North African cities of Ceuta and Me
lilla
Another claim by Spain is about the Savage Islands, a claim not recognised by Po
rtugal. Spain claims that they are rocks rather than islands, therefore claiming
that there is no Portuguese territorial waters around the disputed islands. On
5 July 2013, Spain sent a letter to the UN expressing these views.[86][87]
Spain claims the sovereignty over the Perejil Island, a small, uninhabited rocky
islet located in the South shore of the Strait of Gibraltar. The island lies 25
0 metres (820 ft) just off the coast of Morocco, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Ceut
a and 13.5 kilometres (8.4 mi) from mainland Spain. Its sovereignty is disputed
between Spain and Morocco. It was the subject of an armed incident between the t
wo countries in 2002. The incident ended when both countries agreed to return to
the status quo ante which existed prior to the Moroccan occupation of the islan
d. The islet is now deserted and without any sign of sovereignty.
Besides the Perejil Island, the Spanish-held territories claimed by other countr
ies are two: Morocco claims the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla and the plaz
as de soberana islets off the northern coast of Africa; and Portugal does not rec
ognise Spain's sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza.
Military
Aircraft carrier/assault ship Juan Carlos I (L61), multirole fighter Eurofighter
Typhoon, Boeing CH-47 Chinook, universal tank Leopard 2
Main article: Spanish Armed Forces
The armed forces of Spain are known as the Spanish Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas
Espaolas). Their Commander-in-chief is the King of Spain, Felipe VI.[88]
The Spanish Armed Forces are divided into three branches:[89]
Army (Ejrcito de Tierra)
Navy (Armada)
Air Force (Ejrcito del Aire)
Economy
Main article: Economy of Spain
Torre Agbar, Barcelona
Spain's capitalist mixed economy is the 16th largest worldwide and the 5th large
st in the European Union, as well as the Eurozone's 4th largest.

The centre-right government of former prime minister Jos Mara Aznar worked success
fully to gain admission to the group of countries launching the euro in 1999. Un
employment stood at 7.6% in October 2006, a rate that compared favourably to man
y other European countries, and especially with the early 1990s when it stood at
over 20%. Perennial weak points of Spain's economy include high inflation,[90]
a large underground economy,[91] and an education system which OECD reports plac
e among the poorest for developed countries, together with the United States and
UK.[92]
By the mid-1990s the economy had recommmenced the growth that had been disrupted
by the global recession of the early 1990s. The strong economic growth helped t
he government to reduce the government debt as a percentage of GDP and Spain's h
igh unemployment began to drop steadily. With the government budget in balance a
nd inflation under control Spain was admitted into the Eurozone in 1999.
Spain is a member of the Schengen Area, the Eurozone and the European Single Mar
ket.
Since the 1990s some Spanish companies have gained multinational status, often e
xpanding their activities in culturally close Latin America. Spain is the second
biggest foreign investor there, after the United States. Spanish companies have
also expanded into Asia, especially China and India.[93] This early global expa
nsion is a competitive advantage over its competitors and European neighbours. T
he reason for this early expansion is the booming interest toward Spanish langua
ge and culture in Asia and Africa and a corporate culture that learned to take r
isks in unstable markets.
Spanish companies invested in fields like renewable energy commercialisation (Ib
erdrola was the world's largest renewable energy operator[94]), technology compa
nies like Telefnica, Abengoa, Mondragon Corporation, Movistar, Hisdesat, Indra, t
rain manufacturers like CAF, Talgo, global corporations such as the textile comp
any Inditex, petroleum companies like Repsol and infrastructure, with six of the
ten biggest international construction firms specialising in transport being Sp
anish, like Ferrovial, Acciona, ACS, OHL and FCC.[95]
The urban transformation of Bilbao has been hailed as an example of "smart city"
.[96][97][98]
In 2005 the Economist Intelligence Unit's quality of life survey placed Spain am
ong the top 10 in the world.[99] In 2013 the same survey (now called the "Whereto-be-born index"), ranked Spain 28th in the world.[100]
In 2010, the Basque city of Bilbao was awarded with the Lee Kuan Yew World City
Prize,[101] and its mayor at the time, Iaki Azkuna, was awarded the World Mayor P
rize in 2012.[102] The Basque capital city of Vitoria-Gasteiz received the Europ
ean Green Capital Award in 2012.[103]
Agriculture
Main article: Agriculture in Spain
A vineyard growing grapes for Rioja wine, La Rioja
Crop areas were farmed in two highly diverse manners. Areas relying on non-irrig
ated cultivation (secano), which made up 85% of the entire crop area, depended s
olely on rainfall as a source of water. They included the humid regions of the n
orth and the northwest, as well as vast arid zones that had not been irrigated.
The much more productive regions devoted to irrigated cultivation (regado) accoun
ted for 3 million hectares in 1986, and the government hoped that this area woul
d eventually double, as it already had doubled since 1950. Particularly notewort
hy was the development in Almera one of the most arid and desolate provinces of Spa
in of winter crops of various fruits and vegetables for export to Europe.
Though only about 17% of Spain's cultivated land was irrigated, it was estimated

to be the source of between 40-45% of the gross value of crop production and of
50% of the value of agricultural exports. More than half of the irrigated area
was planted in corn, fruit trees, and vegetables. Other agricultural products th
at benefited from irrigation included grapes, cotton, sugar beets, potatoes, leg
umes, olive trees, mangos, strawberries, tomatoes, and fodder grasses. Depending
on the nature of the crop, it was possible to harvest two successive crops in t
he same year on about 10% of the country's irrigated land.
Citrus fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, olive oil, and wine Spain's traditional
agricultural products continued to be important in the 1980s. In 1983 they represe
nted 12%, 12%, 8%, 6%, and 4%, respectively, of the country's agricultural produ
ction. Because of the changed diet of an increasingly affluent population, there
was a notable increase in the consumption of livestock, poultry, and dairy prod
ucts. Meat production for domestic consumption became the single most important
agricultural activity, accounting for 30% of all farm-related production in 1983
. Increased attention to livestock was the reason that Spain became a net import
er of grains. Ideal growing conditions, combined with proximity to important nor
th European markets, made citrus fruits Spain's leading export. Fresh vegetables
and fruits produced through intensive irrigation farming also became important
export commodities, as did sunflower seed oil that was produced to compete with
the more expensive olive oils in oversupply throughout the Mediterranean countri
es of the EC.
Tourism
Main article: Tourism in Spain
Benidorm, one of Europe's largest coastal tourist destinations
The climate of Spain, its geographic location, popular coastlines, diverse lands
capes, historical legacy, vibrant culture and excellent infrastructure, has made
Spain's international tourist industry among the largest in the world. In the l
ast five decades, international tourism in Spain has grown to become the second
largest in the world in terms of spending, worth approximately 40 billion Euros
or about 5% of GDP in 2006.[104][105]
Energy
Main article: Energy in Spain
Wind turbines in Galicia. Spain is the fourth producer of wind power in the worl
d.[106]
Spain is one of the world's leading countries in the development and production
of renewable energy. In 2010 Spain became the solar power world leader when it o
vertook the United States with a massive power station plant called La Florida,
near Alvarado, Badajoz.[107][108] Spain is also Europe's main producer of wind e
nergy. In 2010 its wind turbines generated 42,976 GWh, which accounted for 16.4%
of all electrical energy produced in Spain.[109][110][111] On 9 November 2010,
wind energy reached an instantaneous historic peak covering 53% of mainland elec
tricity demand[112] and generating an amount of energy that is equivalent to tha
t of 14 nuclear reactors.[113] Other renewable energies used in Spain are hydroe
lectric, biomass and marine (2 power plants under construction).[114]
Non-renewable energy sources used in Spain are nuclear (8 operative reactors), g
as, coal, and oil. Fossil fuels together generated 58% of Spain's electricity in
2009, just below the OECD mean of 61%. Nuclear power generated another 19%, and
wind and hydro about 12% each.[115]
Transport
Main article: Transport in Spain
The Spanish road system is mainly centralised, with six highways connecting Madr
id to the Basque Country, Catalonia, Valencia, West Andalusia, Extremadura and G
alicia. Additionally, there are highways along the Atlantic (Ferrol to Vigo), Ca
ntabrian (Oviedo to San Sebastin) and Mediterranean (Girona to Cdiz) coasts. Spain
aims to put one million electric cars on the road by 2014 as part of the govern

ment's plan to save energy and boost energy efficiency.[116] The Minister of Ind
ustry Miguel Sebastian said that "the electric vehicle is the future and the eng
ine of an industrial revolution."[117]
AVE high-speed trains.
Spain has the most extensive high-speed rail network in Europe, and the second-m
ost extensive in the world after China.[118][119] As of October 2010, Spain has
a total of 3,500 km (2,174.80 mi) of high-speed tracks linking Mlaga, Seville, Ma
drid, Barcelona, Valencia and Valladolid, with the trains reaching speeds up to
300 km/h (190 mph). On average, the Spanish high-speed train is the fastest one
in the world, followed by the Japanese bullet train and the French TGV.[120] Reg
arding punctuality, it is second in the world (98.54% on-time arrival) after the
Japanese Shinkansen (99%).[121] Should the aims of the ambitious AVE program (S
panish high speed trains) be met, by 2020 Spain will have 7,000 km (4,300 mi) of
high-speed trains linking almost all provincial cities to Madrid in less than t
hree hours and Barcelona within four hours.
There are 47 public airports in Spain. The busiest one is the airport of Madrid
(Barajas), with 50 million passengers in 2011, being the world's 15th busiest ai
rport, as well as the European Union's fourth busiest. The airport of Barcelona
(El Prat) is also important, with 35 million passengers in 2011, being the world
's 31st-busiest airport. Other main airports are located in Majorca (23 million
passengers), Mlaga (13 million passengers), Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) (11 million
passengers), Alicante (10 million passengers) and smaller, with the number of p
assengers between 4 and 10 million, for example Tenerife (two airports), Valenci
a, Seville, Bilbao, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura. Also, more than 30 airports
with the number of passengers below 4 million.
Science and technology
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, Instituto de Astrofsica de Canarias.
In the 19th and 20th centuries science in Spain was held back by severe politica
l instability and consequent economic underdevelopment. Despite the conditions,
some important scientists and engineers emerged. The most notable were Miguel Se
rvet, Santiago Ramn y Cajal, Narcs Monturiol i Estarriol, Celedonio Calatayud, Jua
n de la Cierva, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo and Severo Ochoa.
Water supply and sanitation
Main article: Water supply and sanitation in Spain
Water supply and Sanitation in Spain is characterized by universal access and ge
nerally good service quality, while tariffs are among the lowest in the EU.[122]
Almost half of the population is served by private or mixed private-public wate
r companies, which operate under concession contracts with municipalities. The l
argest of the private water companies, with a market share of about 50% of the p
rivate concessions, is Aguas de Barcelona (Agbar). However, the large cities are
all served by public companies except Barcelona and Valencia. The largest publi
c company is Canal de Isabel II, which serves the metropolitan area of Madrid.
Droughts affect water supply in Southern Spain, which increasingly is turning to
wards seawater desalination to meet its water needs.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Spain
See also: List of Spanish autonomous communities by population
Valencia. The Mediterranean coast is the most densely inhabited area in Spain.
In 2008 the population of Spain officially reached 46 million people, as recorde
d by the Padrn municipal (Spain's Municipal Register).[123] Spain's population de
nsity, at 91/km (235/sq mi), is lower than that of most Western European countrie
s and its distribution across the country is very unequal. With the exception of
the region surrounding the capital, Madrid, the most populated areas lie around
the coast. The population of Spain more than doubled since 1900, when it stood

at 18.6 million, principally due to the spectacular demographic boom in the 1960
s and early 1970s.[124]
Native Spaniards make up 88% of the total population of Spain. After the birth r
ate plunged in the 1980s and Spain's population growth rate dropped, the populat
ion again trended upward, based initially on the return of many Spaniards who ha
d emigrated to other European countries during the 1970s, and more recently, fue
lled by large numbers of immigrants who make up 12% of the population. The immig
rants originate mainly in Latin America (39%), North Africa (16%), Eastern Europ
e (15%), and Sub-Saharan Africa (4%).[125] In 2005, Spain instituted a three-mon
th amnesty program through which certain hitherto undocumented aliens were grant
ed legal residency.
In 2008, Spain granted citizenship to 84,170 persons, mostly to people from Ecua
dor, Colombia and Morocco.[126] A sizeable portion of foreign residents in Spain
also comes from other Western and Central European countries. These are mostly
British, French, German, Dutch, and Norwegian. They reside primarily on the Medi
terranean coast and the Balearic islands, where many choose to live their retire
ment or telecommute.
Substantial populations descended from Spanish colonists and immigrants exist in
other parts of the world, most notably in Latin America. Beginning in the late
15th century, large numbers of Iberian colonists settled in what became Latin Am
erica and at present most white Latin Americans (who make up about one-third of
Latin America's population) are of Spanish or Portuguese origin. Around 240,000
Spaniards emigrated in the 16th century, mostly to Peru and Mexico.[127] Another
450,000 left in the 17th century.[128] Between 1846 and 1932 it is estimated th
at nearly 5 million Spaniards emigrated to the Americas, especially to Argentina
and Brazil.[129] Approximately two million Spaniards migrated to other Western
European countries between 1960 and 1975. During the same period perhaps 300,000
went to Latin America.[130]
Urbanisation
v t e
Largest cities or towns in Spain
Instituto Nacional de Estadstica (INE)
Rank
Name
Autonomous community
Pop.
Rank
Name
Autonomo
us community
Pop.
Madrid
Madrid
Barcelona
Barcelona
1
Madrid Madrid 3,165,235
11
Alicante
Valencia
332,067
Valencia
Valencia
Seville
Seville
2
Barcelona
Catalonia
1,602,386
12
Crdoba
Andalusi
a
328,041
3
Valencia
Valencia
786,424
13
Valladolid
Castile and Len
306,830
4
Seville
Andalusia
696,676
14
Vigo
Galicia
294,997
5
Zaragoza
Aragon 666,058
15
Gijn Asturias
275,735
6
Mlaga Andalusia
566,913
16
L'Hospitalet
Cataloni
a
253,518
7
Murcia Murcia 439,712
17
A Corua
Galicia
244,810
8
Palma Balearic Islands
399,093
18
Vitoria-Gasteiz

Basque Country 242 092

9
Las Palmas
Canary Islands 382,283
Andalusia
237,540
10
Bilbao Basque Country 347,574
20
228,647

19

Granada

Elche

Valencia

Metropolitan areas
Main article: List of metropolitan areas in Spain
Geographical distribution of the Spanish population in 2008
Source: "reas urbanas +50", Ministry of Public Works and Transport (2013)[131]
e d Rank
Metro area
Autonomous
community
Population
Government data
Other estimations
1
Madrid Madrid 6,052,247
5.4
6.5 m[132][133]
2
Barcelona
Catalonia
5,030,679
4.2
5.1 m[132][134]
3
Valencia
Valencia
1,551,585
1.5 2.3 m[135]
4
Seville
Andalusia
1,294,867
1.2 1.3 m
5
Mlaga Andalusia
953,251
6
Bilbao Basque Country 910,578
7
Oviedo Gijn Avils
Asturias
835,053
8
Zaragoza
Aragon 746,152
9
Alicante Elche Valencia
698,662
10
Murcia Murcia 643,854
Peoples
Main articles: Spanish people and Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain
Asturian folk musicians with bagpipes.
The Spanish Constitution of 1978, in its second article, recognises historic ent
ities nationalities (a carefully chosen word to avoid the more politically charged
"nations") and regions, within the context of the Spanish nation. For some people
, Spain's identity consists more of an overlap of different regional identities
than of a sole Spanish identity. Indeed, some of the regional identities may eve
n conflict with the Spanish one. Distinct traditional regional identities within
Spain include the Basques, Catalans, Galicians, Cantabrians and Castilians, amo
ng others.[136]
It is this last feature of "shared identity" between the more local level or Aut
onomous Community and the Spanish level which makes the identity question in Spa
in complex and far from univocal.
Minority groups
Spain has a number of descendants of populations from former colonies, especiall
y Latin America and North Africa. Smaller numbers of immigrants from several Sub
-Saharan countries have recently been settling in Spain. There are also sizeable
numbers of Asian immigrants, most of whom are of Middle Eastern, South Asian an
d Chinese origin. The single largest group of immigrants are European; represent
ed by large numbers of Britons, Germans, French and others.[137]
Ceuta and Melilla have a big population of North African ancestry.
The arrival of the gitanos, a Romani people, began in the 16th century; estimate
s of the Spanish Gitano population fluctuate around 700,000.[138] There are also
the mercheros (also quinquis), a formerly nomadic minority group. Their origin
is unclear.
Historically, Sephardi Jews and moriscos are the main minority groups originated
in Spain and with a contribution to Spanish culture.[139] The Spanish governmen
t is offering Spanish nationality to sephardi Jews.[140]
Immigration

Main article: Immigration to Spain

Marbella, Mlaga, where Britons who are the third biggest immigrant community in Spa
in reside in large numbers.
According to the Spanish government there were 5.7 million foreign residents in
Spain in 2011, or 12% of the total population. According to residence permit dat
a for 2011, more than 860,000 were Romanian, about 770,000 were Moroccan, approx
imately 390,000 were British, and 360,000 were Ecuadorian.[141] Other sizeable f
oreign communities are Colombian, Bolivian, German, Italian, Bulgarian, and Chin
ese. There are more than 200,000 migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa living in Spai
n, principally Senegaleses and Nigerians.[142] Since 2000, Spain has experienced
high population growth as a result of immigration flows, despite a birth rate t
hat is only half the replacement level. This sudden and ongoing inflow of immigr
ants, particularly those arriving illegally by sea, has caused noticeable social
tension.[143]
Palma de Mallorca where a large population of Germans live.
Within the EU, Spain had the 2nd highest immigration rate in percentage terms af
ter Cyprus, but by a great margin, the highest in absolute numbers, up to 2008.[
144] The number of immigrants in Spain had grown up from 500,000 people in 1996
to 5.2 million in 2008 out of a total population of 46 million.[145][146] In 200
5 alone, a regularisation programme increased the legal immigrant population by
700,000 people.[147] There are a number of reasons for the high level of immigra
tion, including Spain's cultural ties with Latin America, its geographical posit
ion, the porosity of its borders, the large size of its underground economy and
the strength of the agricultural and construction sectors, which demand more low
cost labour than can be offered by the national workforce.
Another statistically significant factor is the large number of residents of EU
origin typically retiring to Spain's Mediterranean coast. In fact, Spain was Eur
ope's largest absorber of migrants from 2002 to 2007, with its immigrant populat
ion more than doubling as 2.5 million people arrived.[148] In 2008, prior to the
onset of the economic crisis, the Financial Times reported that Spain was the m
ost favoured destination for Western Europeans considering a move from their own
country and seeking jobs elsewhere in the EU.[149]
In 2008, the government instituted a "Plan of Voluntary Return" which encouraged
unemployed immigrants from outside the EU to return to their home countries and
receive several incentives, including the right to keep their unemployment bene
fits and transfer whatever they contributed to the Spanish Social Security.[150]
The program had little effect; during its first two months, just 1,400 immigran
ts took up the offer.[151] What the program failed to do, the sharp and prolonge
d economic crisis has done from 2010 to 2011 in that tens of thousands of immigr
ants have left the country due to lack of jobs. In 2011 alone, more than half a
million people left Spain.[152] For the first time in decades the net migration
rate was expected to be negative, and nine out of 10 emigrants were foreigners.[
152]
Languages
Main article: Languages of Spain
The languages of Spain (simplified)
Spain is openly multilingual,[153] and the constitution establishes that the nat
ion will protect "all Spaniards and the peoples of Spain in the exercise of huma
n rights, their cultures and traditions, languages and institutions.[154]
Spanish (espaol) officially recognised in the constitution as Castilian (castellano
) is the official language of the entire country, and it is the right and duty of
every Spaniard to know the language. The constitution also establishes that "all
other Spanish languages" that is, all other languages of Spain will also be officia
l in their respective autonomous communities in accordance to their Statutes, th

eir organic regional legislations, and that the "richness of the distinct lingui
stic modalities of Spain represents a patrimony which will be the object of spec
ial respect and protection."[155]
The other official languages of Spain, co-official with Spanish are:
Basque (euskara) in the Basque Country and Navarre;
Catalan (catal) in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and in the Valencian Commu
nity, where its distinct modality of the language is officially known as Valenci
an (valenci); and
Galician (galego) in Galicia
Hispanophone and Lusophone worlds.
As a percentage of the general population, Basque is spoken by 2%, Catalan (or V
alencian) by 17%, and Galician by 7% of all Spaniards.[156]
In Catalonia, Aranese (arans), a local variety of the Occitan language, has been
declared co-official along with Catalan and Spanish since 2006. It is spoken onl
y in the comarca of Val d'Aran by roughly 6,700 people. Other Romance minority l
anguages, though not official, have special recognition, such as the Astur-Leone
se group (Asturian
asturianu, also called bable
in Asturias[157] and Leonese
ons in Castile and Len) and Aragonese (aragons) in Aragon.

lli

In the North African Spanish autonomous city of Melilla, Riff Berber is spoken b
y a significant part of the population. In the tourist areas of the Mediterranea
n coast and the islands, English and German are widely spoken by tourists, forei
gn residents, and tourism workers.[158]
Education
Main article: Education in Spain
State education in Spain is free and compulsory from the age of six to sixteen.
The current education system was established by the 2006 educational law, LOE (L
ey Orgnica de Educacin), or Fundamental Law for the Education.[159] In 2014, the L
OE was partially modified by the newer LOMCE law (Ley Orgnica para la Mejora de l
a Calidad Educativa), or Fundamental Law for the Improvement of the Education Sy
stem, commonly called Ley Wert (Wert Law).[160] Since 1970 to 2014, Spain has ha
d seven different educational laws (LGE, LOECE, LODE, LOGSE, LOPEG, LOE and LOMC
E).[161]
Religion
Main article: Religion in Spain
Further information: History of the Jews in Spain, Bah' Faith in Spain, Hinduism i
n Spain and Islam in Spain
Religions in Spain
Catholicism
?
69%
No Religion
?
26%
Other Faith
?
4%
No Answer
?
2%
Numbers from the following source:[162]
Roman Catholicism has long been the main religion of Spain, and although it no l

onger has official status by law, in all public schools in Spain students have t
o choose either a religion or ethics class, and Catholicism is the only religion
officially taught. According to an April 2014 study by the Spanish Centre for S
ociological Research about 69% of Spaniards self-identify as Catholics, 2% other
faith, and about 26% identify with no religion. Most Spaniards do not participa
te regularly in religious services. This same study shows that of the Spaniards
who identify themselves as religious, 59% hardly ever or never go to church, 15%
go to church some times a year, 8% some time per month and 14% every Sunday or
multiple times per week.[162] Recent polls and surveys have revealed that atheis
ts comprise anywhere from 8% to 20% of the Spanish population.[163][164]
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, A Corua.
Altogether, about 22% of the entire Spanish population attends religious service
s at least once per month.[165] Though Spanish society has become considerably m
ore secular in recent decades, the influx of Latin American immigrants, who tend
to be strong Catholic practitioners, has helped the Catholic Church to recover.
There have been four
nedict XIII. Spanish
stantism with Teresa
unded by Ignatius of

Spanish Popes. Damasus I, Calixtus III, Alexander VI and Be

misticism was an important intellectual fight against Prote
of vila, a reformist nun, ahead. The Society of Jesus was fo
Loyola.

Protestant churches have about 1,200,000 members.[166] There are about 105,000 J
ehovah's Witnesses. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has approxim
ately 46,000 adherents in 133 congregations in all regions of the country and ha
s a temple in the Moratalaz District of Madrid.[167]
A study made by the Union of Islamic Communities of Spain demonstrated that ther
e were about 1,700,000 inhabitants of Muslim background living in Spain as of 20
12, accounting for 3-4% of the total population of Spain. The vast majority was
composed of immigrants and descendants originating from Morocco and other Africa
n countries. More than 514,000 (30%) of them had Spanish nationality.[168]
The recent waves of immigration have also led to an increasing number of Hindus,
Buddhists, Sikhs and Muslims. After the Reconquista in 1492, Muslims did not li
ve in Spain for centuries. Late 19th-century colonial expansion in northwestern
Africa gave a number of residents in Spanish Morocco and Western Sahara full cit
izenship. Their ranks have since been bolstered by recent immigration, especiall
y from Morocco and Algeria.
Judaism was practically non-existent in Spain from the 1492 expulsion until the
19th century, when Jews were again permitted to enter the country. Currently the
re are around 62,000 Jews in Spain, or 0.14% of the total population. Most are a
rrivals in the past century, while some are descendants of earlier Spanish Jews.
Approximately 80,000 Jews are thought to have lived in Spain prior to its expul
sion.[169]
Culture
Main article: Culture of Spain
Culturally, Spain is a Western country. Almost every aspect of Spanish life is p
ermeated by its Roman heritage, making Spain one of the major Latin countries of
Europe. Spanish culture is marked by strong historic ties to Catholicism, which
played a pivotal role in the country's formation and subsequent identity. Spani
sh art, architecture, cuisine, and music has been shaped by successive waves of
foreign invaders, as well as by the country's Mediterranean climate and geograph
y. The centuries-long colonial era globalised Spanish language and culture, with
Spain also absorbing the cultural and commercial products of its diverse empire
.
Monuments and World Heritage Sites
Main article: World Heritage Sites in Spain

See also: Castles in Spain and Cathedrals in Spain

It should be noted that after Italy (49) and China (45), Spain is the third coun
try in the world with the most World Heritage Sites. At the present time it has
44 recognised sites, including the landscape of Monte Perdido in the Pyrenees, w
hich is shared with France, the Prehistoric Rock Art Sites of the Ca Valley and S
iega Verde, which is shared with Portugal (the Portuguese part being in the Ca Va
lley, Guarda), and the Heritage of Mercury, shared with Slovenia.[170] In additi
on, Spain has also 14 Intangible cultural heritage, or "Human treasures", Spain
ranks first in Europe according to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List, t
ied with Croatia.[171]
Aqueduct of Segovia, Roman.
Santa Mara del Naranco, pre-Romanesque.
Cathedral of Burgos, Gothic.
Aljafera of Zaragoza, Mudjar.
Old Town of Cceres, Renaissance.
1984
Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzn (Granada, Andalusia).
1984 Burgos Cathedral (Burgos, Castile-Len).
1984 Historic Centre of Crdoba (Crdoba, Andalusia).
1984 Monastery and Royal Site of El Escorial (Madrid).
1984 Works of Antoni Gaud (Barcelona, Catalonia).
1985 Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain (Asturias,
Basque Country and Cantabria regions).
1985 Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of Asturias (Asturias).
1985 Old Town of vila with its Extra-Muros Churches (vila, Castile-Len).
1985 Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct (Segovia, Castile-Len).
1985 Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) (A Corua, Galicia).
1986 Garajonay National Park (La Gomera, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Isla
nds).
1986 Historic City of Toledo (Toledo, Castile-La Mancha).
1986 Mudjar Architecture of Aragon (Provinces of Teruel and Zaragoza in Arago
n).
1986 Old Town of Cceres (Cceres, Extremadura).
1987 Cathedral, Alczar and Archivo de Indias in Seville (Seville, Andalusia).
1988 Old City of Salamanca (Salamanca, Castile-Len).
1991 Poblet Monastery (Tarragona, Catalonia).
1993 Archaeological Ensemble of Mrida (Badajoz, Extremadura).
1993 Route of Santiago de Compostela (Provinces of Burgos, Len and Palencia i
n Castile-Len, Provinces of A Corua and Lugo in Galicia, La Rioja, Navarre, and th
e Province of Huesca in Aragon).
1993 Royal Monastery of Santa Mara de Guadalupe (Cceres, Extremadura).
1994 Doana National Park (Provinces of Cdiz, Huelva and Seville in Andalusia).
1996 Historic Walled Town of Cuenca (Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha).
1996 Silk Exchange of Valencia (Valencia).
1997 Las Mdulas (Len, Castile-Len).
1997 Palau de la Msica Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona (Barcel
ona, Catalonia).
1997 Pirineos
Monte Perdido (Huesca, Aragon
Spanish part / Midi-Pyrnes and Aqu
itaine French part). (Shared with France).
1997 San Milln Yuso and Suso Monasteries (La Rioja).
1998 (2010)
Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Ca Valley (Guarda, Norte Region
Portuguese part) and Siega Verde (Salamanca, Castile-Len
Spanish part). (Shared
with Portugal).
1998 Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula (A
ndalusia, Aragon, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia, Murcia and Valencia regions).
1998 University and Historic Precinct of Alcal de Henares (Madrid).
1999 Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture (Ibiza, Balearic Islands).
1999 San Cristbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Isla
nds).

2000
2000
2000
2000
2000
2001
2003
2006
2007
2009
2011

Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco (Tarragona, Catalonia).

Archaeological Site of Atapuerca (Burgos, Castile-Len).
Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Bo (Lleida, Catalonia).
Palmeral of Elche (Alicante, Valencia).
Roman Walls of Lugo (Lugo, Galicia).
Aranjuez Cultural Landscape (Madrid).
Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of beda and Baeza (Jan, Andalusia).
Vizcaya Bridge (Biscay, Basque Country).
Teide National Park (Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands).
Tower of Hercules (A Corua, Galicia).
Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana (Majorca, Balearic Island

s).
2012 Heritage of Mercury. Almadn (Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha
Spanish part
) and Idrija (Slovene Littoral Slovenian part). (Shared with Slovenia).
Literature
Main articles: Spanish literature, Royal Spanish Academy and Instituto Cervantes
The earliest recorded examples of vernacular Romance-based literature date from
the same time and location, the rich mix of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian cultur
es in Muslim Spain, in which Maimonides, Averroes, and others worked, the Kharja
s (Jarchas).
During the Reconquista, the epic poem Cantar de Mio Cid was written about a real
man his battles, conquests, and daily life.
Bronze statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, with Miguel de Cervantes, in the
Plaza de Espaa in Madrid.
Other major plays from the medieval times were Mester de Juglara, Mester de Clere
ca, Coplas por la muerte de su padre or El Libro de buen amor (The Book of Good L
ove).
During the Renaissance the major plays are La Celestina and El Lazarillo de Torm
es, while many religious literature was created with poets as Luis de Len, San Ju
an de la Cruz, Santa Teresa de Jess, etc.
The Baroque is the most important period for Spanish culture. We are in the time
s of the Spanish Empire. The famous Don Quijote de La Mancha by Miguel de Cervan
tes was written in this time. Other writers from the period are: Francisco de Qu
evedo, Lope de Vega, Caldern de la Barca or Tirso de Molina.
During the Enlightenment we find names such as Leandro Fernndez de Moratn, Benito
Jernimo Feijo, Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos or Leandro Fernndez de Moratn.
During the Romanticism, Jos Zorrilla created one of the most emblematic figures i
n European literature in Don Juan Tenorio. Other writers from this period are Gu
stavo Adolfo Bcquer, Jos de Espronceda, Rosala de Castro or Mariano Jos de Larra.
In Realism we find names such as Benito Prez Galds, Emilia Pardo Bazn, Leopoldo Ala
s (Clarn) or Vicente Blasco Ibez and Menndez Pelayo. Realism offered depictions of c
ontemporary life and society 'as they were'. In the spirit of general "Realism",
Realist authors opted for depictions of everyday and banal activities and exper
iences, instead of romanticised or stylised presentations.
The group that has become known as the Generation of 1898 was marked by the dest
ruction of Spain's fleet in Cuba by US gunboats in 1898, which provoked a cultur
al crisis in Spain. The "Disaster" of 1898 led established writers to seek pract
ical political, economic, and social solutions in essays grouped under the liter
ary heading of Regeneracionismo. For a group of younger writers, among them Migu
el de Unamuno, Po Baroja, and Jos Martnez Ruiz (Azorn), the Disaster and its cultura

l repercussions inspired a deeper, more radical literary shift that affected bot
h form and content. These writers, along with Ramn del Valle-Incln, Antonio Machad
o, Ramiro de Maeztu, and ngel Ganivet, came to be known as the 'Generation of 98'
.
Miguel de Unamuno, Jos Ortega y Gasset and Federico Garca Lorca
The Generation of 1914 or Novecentismo. The next supposed "generation" of Spanis
h writers following those of '98 already calls into question the value of such t
erminology. By the year 1914 the year of the outbreak of the First World War and o
f the publication of the first major work of the generation's leading voice, Jos
Ortega y Gasset a number of slightly younger writers had established their own pla
ce within the Spanish cultural field.
Leading voices include the poet Juan Ramn Jimnez, the academics and essayists Ramn
Menndez Pidal, Gregorio Maran, Manuel Azaa, Maria Zambrano, Eugeni d'Ors, and Ortega
y Gasset, and the novelists Gabriel Mir, Ramn Prez de Ayala, and Ramn Gmez de la Ser
na. While still driven by the national and existential questions that obsessed t
he writers of '98, they approached these topics with a greater sense of distance
and objectivity. Salvador de Madariaga, another prominent intellectual and writ
er, was one of the founders of the College of Europe and the composer of the con
stitutive manifest of the Liberal International.
The Generation of 1927, where poets Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guilln, Federico Garca Lo
rca, Vicente Aleixandre, Dmaso Alonso. All were scholars of their national litera
ry heritage, again evidence of the impact of the calls of regeneracionistas and
the Generation of 1898 for Spanish intelligence to turn at least partially inwar
ds.
The two main writers in the second half of the 20th century were the Nobel Prize
in Literature laureate Camilo Jos Cela and Miguel Delibes. Spain is one of the c
ountries with the most number of laureates with the Nobel Prize in Literature, a
nd with Latin American laureates they made the Spanish language literature one o
f the most laureates of all. The Spanish writers are: Jos Echegaray, Jacinto Bena
vente, Juan Ramn Jimnez, Vicente Aleixandre and Camilo Jos Cela. The Portuguese wri
ter Jos Saramago, also awarded with the prize, lived for many years in Spain and
spoke both Portuguese and Spanish. He was also well known by his Iberist ideas.
See also: Catalan literature, Basque literature, Galician-language literature an
d Latin American literature
Art
Main article: Spanish art
Las Meninas (1656), Diego Velzquez, Museo del Prado.
Artists from Spain have been highly influential in the development of various Eu
ropean artistic movements. Due to historical, geographical and generational dive
rsity, Spanish art has known a great number of influences. The Moorish heritage
in Spain, especially in Andalusia, is still evident today and European influence
s include Italy, Germany and France, especially during the Baroque and Neoclassi
cal periods.
During the Golden Age we find painters such as El Greco, Jos de Ribera and Franci
sco Zurbarn. Also inside Baroque period Diego Velzquez created some of the most fa
mous Spanish portraits, like Las Meninas or Las Hilanderas.
Francisco Goya painted during a historical period that includes the Spanish Inde
pendence War, the fights between liberals and absolutists, and the raise of stat
e-nations.
Joaqun Sorolla is a well-known impressionist painter and there are many important
Spanish painters belonging to the modernism art movement, including Pablo Picas
so, Salvador Dal, Juan Gris and Joan Mir.

Cinema
Main article: Cinema of Spain
Pedro Almodvar and Penlope Cruz in Oviedo (Princess of Asturias Awards).
Spanish cinema has achieved major international success including Oscars for rec
ent films such as Pan's Labyrinth and Volver.[172] In the long history of Spanis
h cinema, the great filmmaker Luis Buuel was the first to achieve world recogniti
on, followed by Pedro Almodvar in the 1980s. Spanish cinema has also seen interna
tional success over the years with films by directors like Segundo de Chomn, Flor
in Rey, Luis Garca Berlanga, Carlos Saura, Julio Medem, Isabel Coixet, Alejandro A
menbar, Icar Bollan and brothers David Trueba and Fernando Trueba.
Actresses as Sara Montiel or Penlope Cruz are among those who have become Hollywo
od stars.
Architecture
Main article: Spanish architecture
The Sagrada Famlia by Antoni Gaud, Barcelona
Due to its historical and geographical diversity, Spanish architecture has drawn
from a host of influences. An important provincial city founded by the Romans a
nd with an extensive Roman era infrastructure, Crdoba became the cultural capital
, including fine Arabic style architecture, during the time of the Islamic Umayy
ad dynasty.[173] Later Arab style architecture continued to be developed under s
uccessive Islamic dynasties, ending with the Nasrid, which built its famed palac
e complex in Granada.
Simultaneously, the Christian kingdoms gradually emerged and developed their own
styles; developing a pre-Romanesque style when for a while isolated from contem
porary mainstream European architectural influences during the earlier Middle Ag
es, they later integrated the Romanesque and Gothic streams. There was then an e
xtraordinary flowering of the Gothic style that resulted in numerous instances b
eing built throughout the entire territory. The Mudjar style, from the 12th to 17
th centuries, was developed by introducing Arab style motifs, patterns and eleme
nts into European architecture.
The arrival of Modernism in the academic arena produced much of the architecture
of the 20th century. An influential style centred in Barcelona, known as modern
isme, produced a number of important architects, of which Gaud is one. The Intern
ational style was led by groups like GATEPAC. Spain is currently experiencing a
revolution in contemporary architecture and Spanish architects like Rafael Moneo
, Santiago Calatrava, Ricardo Bofill as well as many others have gained worldwid
e renown.
Music and dance
Main article: Music of Spain
Flamenco is an Andalusian artistic form that evolved from the Seguidilla
Spanish music is often considered abroad to be synonymous with flamenco, a West
Andalusian musical genre, which, contrary to popular belief, is not widespread o
utside that region. Various regional styles of folk music abound in Aragon, Cata
lonia, Valencia, Castile, the Basque Country, Galicia and Asturias. Pop, rock, h
ip hop and heavy metal are also popular.
In the field of classical music, Spain has produced a number of noted composers
such as Isaac Albniz, Manuel de Falla and Enrique Granados and singers and perfor
mers such as Plcido Domingo, Jos Carreras, Montserrat Caball, Alicia de Larrocha, A
lfredo Kraus, Pablo Casals, Ricardo Vies, Jos Iturbi, Pablo de Sarasate, Jordi Sav
all and Teresa Berganza. In Spain there are over forty professional orchestras,
including the Orquestra Simfnica de Barcelona, Orquesta Nacional de Espaa and the
Orquesta Sinfnica de Madrid. Major opera houses include the Teatro Real, the Gran
Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Arriaga and the El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofa.

Thousands of music fans also travel to Spain each year for internationally recog
nised summer music festivals Snar which often features the top up and coming pop
and techno acts, and Benicssim which tends to feature alternative rock and dance
acts.[174] Both festivals mark Spain as an international music presence and refl
ect the tastes of young people in the country.
The most popular traditional musical instrument, the guitar, originated in Spain
.[175] Typical of the north are the traditional bag pipers or gaiteros, mainly i
n Asturias and Galicia.
Cuisine
Main article: Spanish cuisine
Paella, a traditional Valencian dish[176]
Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety of dishes which stem from difference
s in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood availab
le from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep Me
diterranean roots. Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences has l
ed to a unique cuisine. In particular, three main divisions are easily identifie
d:
Mediterranean Spain
all such coastal regions, from Catalonia to Andalusia
heavy
use of seafood, such as pescato frito (fried fish); several cold soups like gazpa
cho; and many rice-based dishes like paella from Valencia[176] and arrs negre (bl
ack rice) from Catalonia.[177]
Inner Spain Castile
hot, thick soups such as the bread and garlic-based Castilia
n soup, along with substantious stews such as cocido madrileo. Food is traditiona
lly conserved by salting, like Spanish ham, or immersed in olive oil, like Manch
ego cheese.
Atlantic Spain the whole Northern coast, including Asturian, Basque, Cantabrian
and Galician cuisine
vegetable and fish-based stews like caldo gallego and marmi
tako. Also, the lightly cured lacn ham. The best known cuisine of the northern co
untries often rely on ocean seafood, like the Basque-style cod, albacore or anch
ovy or the Galician octopus-based polbo feira and shellfish dishes.
Sport
Main article: Sport in Spain
1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona
While varieties of football had been played in Spain as far back as Roman times,
sport in Spain has been dominated by English style association football since t
he early 20th century. Real Madrid C.F. and FC Barcelona are two of the most suc
cessful football clubs in the world. The country's national football team won th
e UEFA European Football Championship in 1964, 2008 and 2012 and the FIFA World
Cup in 2010, and is the first team to ever win three back-to-back international
tournaments.
Basketball, tennis, cycling, handball, futsal, motorcycling and, lately, Formula
One are also important due to the presence of Spanish champions in all these di
sciplines. Today, Spain is a major world sports powerhouse, especially since the
1992 Summer Olympics that were hosted in Barcelona, which stimulated a great de
al of interest in sports in the country. The tourism industry has led to an impr
ovement in sports infrastructure, especially for water sports, golf and skiing.
Rafael Nadal is the leading Spanish tennis player and has won several Grand Slam
titles including the Wimbledon 2010 men's singles. In north Spain, the game of
pelota is very popular. Alberto Contador is the leading Spanish cyclist and has
won several Grand Tour titles including two Tour de France titles.
Public holidays and festivals

Main articles: Public holidays in Spain, Fiestas of International Tourist Intere

st of Spain and Fiestas of National Tourist Interest of Spain
San Fermn festival, Pamplona
Public holidays celebrated in Spain include a mix of religious (Roman Catholic),
national and regional observances. Each municipality is allowed to declare a ma
ximum of 14 public holidays per year; up to nine of these are chosen by the nati
onal government and at least two are chosen locally.[178] Spain's National Day (
Fiesta Nacional de Espaa) is 12 October, the anniversary of the Discovery of Amer
ica and commemorate Our Lady of the Pillar feast, patroness of Aragon and throug
hout Spain.
There are many festivals and festivities in Spain. Some of them are known worldw
ide, and every year millions of people from all over the world go to Spain to ex
perience one of these festivals. One of the most famous is San Fermn, in Pamplona
. While its most famous event is the encierro, or the running of the bulls, whic
h happens at 8:00 am from 7 to 14 July, the week-long celebration involves many
other traditional and folkloric events. Its events were central to the plot of T
he Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, which brought it to the general attentio
n of English-speaking people. As a result, it has become one of the most interna
tionally renowned fiestas in Spain, with over 1,000,000 people attending every y
ear.
Other festivals include the carnivals in the Canary Islands, the Falles in Valen
cia or the Holy Week in Andalusia and Castile and Len.