Spain

Kingdom of Spain Reino de España  (Spanish) 4 other names Catalan: Regne d'Espanya Basque: Espainiako Erresuma Galician: Reino de España Occitan: Reiaume d'Espanha
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Plus ultra  (Latin) (English: "Further Beyond")
Anthem: Marcha Real  (Spanish) (English: "Royal March")
Location of  Spain  (dark green) – on the European continent  (green & dark grey) – in the European Union  (green)
Capital and largest city	Madrid 40°26′N 3°42′W
Official language	Castilian Spanish (also in national language)
Nationality (2020)	84.8% Spaniards 15.2% Others
Religion (2022)	57.6% Catholicism 37.7% No religion 2.9% Others 1.8% Unanswered
Demonym(s)	Spanish Spaniard
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch	Felipe VI
• Prime Minister	Pedro Sánchez
Legislature	Cortes Generales
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Congress of Deputies
Formation
• De facto	20 January 1479
• De jure	9 June 1715
• First constitution	19 March 1812
• Francoist Spain	1 April 1939–1978
• Current democracy	29 December 1978
• EEC accession	1 January 1986
Area
• Total	505,990 km2 (195,360 sq mi) (51st)
• Water (%)	0.89 (2015)
Population
• 2024 census	48,692,804 (30th)
• Density	97/km2 (251.2/sq mi) (120th)
GDP (PPP)	2021 estimate
• Total	$1.942 trillion (15th)
• Per capita	$41,736 (32nd)
GDP (nominal)	2021 estimate
• Total	$1.450 trillion (13th)
• Per capita	$31,178 (26th)
Gini (2019)	33.0 medium · 103rd
HDI (2019)	0.904 very high · 25th
Currency	Euro (€) (EUR)
Time zone	UTC⁠±0 to +1 (WET and CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 to +2 (WEST and CEST)
	Note: most of Spain observes CET/CEST, except the Canary Islands which observe WET/WEST.
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+34
ISO 3166 code	ES
Internet TLD	.es

Spain is a country in Europe that controls much of the Iberian Peninsula and nearby islands. The people of Spain are called Spaniards, and in 2026, the population of Spain was about 49.8 million. The capital and most populous city is Madrid. Spain borders Portugal in the west, Andorra and France with the Pyrenees in the north, Gibraltar in the south, and Morocco with its overseas territories of Ceuta, Melilla, and the Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera.

They primarily speak Spanish. Other languages, official and regional, in Spain are Catalan, Basque, Asturian, Galician, Leonese, Aragonese, Occitan, and Portuguese. Around 54.6% identify as Catholic. Another 3.6% identified with another religion, while 11.8% were agnostic, 16.5% indifferent, and 11.5% atheist. The ruling King of Spain is Felipe VI. The current Prime Minister is Pedro Sánchez. Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities, which can decide upon some affairs themselves.

Spain has an estimated 506,000 square kilometers of land. It is smaller than France, but is bigger than Germany. The geography of Spain is divided mountain ranges in the North and South, and long river valleys. Its highest peak is Mount Teide, 3,715 meters (12,188 feet). The Ebro is the longest river entirely within Spain at about 957 kilometers (595 miles). Lake Sanabria is Spain's largest natural lake. Spain is also famous for the Tabernas Desert, the only true desert on the European continent.

History of Spain

Main article: History of Spain

Early history

Lady of Elche made by the Iberians

People have lived in Spain since the Stone Age. Later, the Roman Empire controlled Spain for about five hundred years; then as the Roman Empire broke up, groups of Germanic people including Visigoths moved in and took control.

Muslim rule

In 711, many parts of the Iberian Peninsula became under the control of the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate. They called the land Al-Andalus; it was the farthest western point of Islamic civilization. In 756, the Umayyads were defeated by the Abbasid in the east. The Umayyads ruled the Caliphate of Córdoba, which fell apart in the early 11th century. Muslim rulers sometimes fought each other when they were not fighting the Christians. Muslim Spain was focused on learning. The greatest library system outside Baghdad.

At first the Muslims ruled most of Spain but the reconquista slowly forced them out over seven centuries.

Kingdom of León

The Kingdom of León, the most important in the early Spanish Middle Ages, was started in 910. This Kingdom developed the first democratic parliament (Cortes de Llión) in Europe in 1188. After 1301, León had the same King as the Kingdom of Castile in personal union. The various kingdoms remained independent territories until 1833, when Spain was divided into regions and provinces.

In 1492, the Christians took the last part of Spain that still belonged to the Moors, Granada. Boabdil, the last Moorish King of Granada, surrendered to King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile on 2 January 1492. Ferdinand and Isabella then ruled all of Spain.

Before this, there were a number of Christian countries in what is now called Spain. Two of these countries, Castile and Aragon, came together when Ferdinand II of Aragon married the queen Isabella of Castile. The King ruled as much as the Queen.

Inside of the Mezquita in Córdoba, a Muslim mosque which became a Christian cathedral

In the same year, 1492, they sent Christopher Columbus to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus found the islands of the Caribbean Sea.

When other Europeans explored, like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, they found out that there were two continents there - North America and South America. Spanish conquistadores took over very large parts of those two continents. This empire did not make Spain a rich country, for most of the money had to be spent in wars in Italy and elsewhere. Some of these wars were fought against other European countries who were trying to take over parts of the Americas.

Meanwhile, at home, the Muslim manuscripts had been either burnt or taken to other countries. Jews had also been expelled from Spain. Some Jews remained but they had to become Christians. Among the few old things kept and respected in Spain were in music: harmony and stringed instruments. The buildings that had been built by the Moors were kept, and many Muslim religious buildings (mosques) were turned into churches. Some Jewish religious buildings were also turned into churches. Many Arab words became part of the Spanish Language

16th and 17th century

The grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella was Charles. When his grandfather died he inherited Castille and Aragon. He also inherited many territories at the death of his other grandfather, Maximilian I of Austria. Charles received from Maximilian the Austria state and the territories of Burgundy. He was named Charles I in Spain, but he was elected as the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and was called Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. This made the empire bigger than ever. However, it was not a single country, but a personal union of many independent countries with a single King. At first many Spaniards did not want Charles as their king, so they fought against him. However, he won.

Charles did not like the Protestant Reformation, and fought against it.

18th century

In the 18th century some of the parts of that large empire became their own countries, or were taken over by new countries, such as the United States of America.

19th century

Spain (and other European countries) was invaded by Napoleon of France. Britain sent troops to defend the peninsula, since it was so weak. Most of the Spanish Empire became independent in the following decades.

20th century

There was not much peace in Spain during the first part of the 20th century. Some Spaniards tried to set up a government chosen by the people (a democracy), and they made Alfonso XIII leave the country. However, in 1936, two different groups of Spaniards went to war over whether the government should be a democracy, in the Spanish Civil War (although those on the side of the Republic were largely socialist or anarchist), or take orders from one person. In 1939, those who wanted democracy were defeated, and a nationalist dictator named Francisco Franco took over the government.

Francisco Franco died on 20 November 1975. He had decided that Spain should have a monarchy again, and he chose Juan Carlos, the son of Juan of Bourbon who had been forced to leave the country, to be king and Adolfo Suárez to become its first Prime Minister. But the king and Suárez did not rule as a dictator; instead, they chose to set up a democracy.

On 23 February 1981 a group of people who had supported the now dead General Franco tried to take control of the democratic Spanish Parliament by force, they entered the building and fired guns in the air. It was seen live on Spanish television and there was widespread fear that this might be the start of another civil war. However, Juan Carlos I, quickly appeared on television and broadcast to the nation that they should remain calm. The people responsible for the attempt to take over the country were arrested.

Now Spain is a modern democratic country, and does business with many countries around the world. It is the eighth largest economy in the world and is an important part of the European Union.

21st century

On 2 June 2014, Juan Carlos I announced that he would abdicate in favour of his son, Felipe VI. The date of abdication and handover to Felipe occurred on 19 June 2014. He and his wife kept their titles.

Religion

Ancient religions in Spain were mostly pagan. Today, however, at least 55 percent of Spain is Roman Catholic. Spanish mystic Teresa of Ávila is an important figure within Catholicism. 27 percent of Spaniards are irreligious. 2 percent are from other religions, this include Baha'i Buddhists, Jain, Muslim,Unitarian Universalism and Zoroastrianism.

Geography of Spain

Teide National Park, Tenerife

The middle of Spain is a high, dry, flat land called La Meseta. In La Meseta it can be very hot in the summer and cold or very cold in the winter. Spain also has many mountain ranges. The Mount Teide (Tenerife, Canary Islands), the highest mountain of Spain and the islands of the Atlantic (it is the third largest volcano in the world from its base). In the north there is a range of mountains called Los Picos de Europa (The European Peaks). Here it is very cold in winter with a lot of snow but with gentle warm summers and wet winters.

In the south-east of the country is a range of mountains called La Sierra Nevada (The Snowy Mountains). This range of mountains contains the highest mountain in mainland Spain, Mulacen, at 2952 metres. La Sierra Nevada is very popular in winter for winter sports, especially skiing. Snow remains on its peaks throughout the year. The south coast, has a warm and temperate climate, not very hot or very cold. Since Spain is in the south of Europe, it is very sunny. Many people from Northern Europe take their vacations in Spain, enjoying its beaches and cities.

Spain has a border with Portugal in the west and borders with France and Andorra in the North. In the south, it borders Gibraltar, a British territory. The Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla are in North Africa and border onto Morocco.

Regions

Spain is divided into Autonomous Communities, which means that they have their own regional governments. They are Andalucía (capital city Seville), Aragon (capital city Zaragoza), Asturias (capital city Oviedo), Balearic Islands (capital city Palma de Mallorca), Basque Country (capital city Vitoria), Canary Islands (capital cities Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas), Cantabria (capital city Santander), Castilla-La Mancha (capital city Toledo), Castile and Leon (capital city Valladolid), Catalonia (capital city Barcelona), Extremadura (capital city Merida), Galicia (capital city Santiago de Compostela), La Rioja (capital city Logrono), Madrid Community (capital city Madrid), Murcia Community (capital city Murcia), Navarra (capital city Pamplona) and the Valencia Community (capital city Valencia).

Spain, Tapas

• 
  Palo Santo Cafe, Aranda de Duero, Spain, Jamón serrano
• 
  Jamón serrano served at Palo Santo Cafe, Aranda de Duero
• 
  Anchovies in Spanish olive oil
• 
  Spanish tortilla

City areas

In Spain, many people live in cities or close to cities. The ten biggest city areas are:

Pos.	City area	Region	Prov.	population (city + area)
1	Madrid	Madrid	Madrid	5,263,000
2	Barcelona	Catalonia	Barcelona	4,251,000
3	Valencia	Valencian Community	Valencia	1,499,000
4	Sevilla	Andalucia	Seville	1,262,000
5	Bilbao	Basque Country	Biscay	947,000
6	Málaga	Andalusia	Málaga	844,000
7	Oviedo–Gijón	Asturias	Asturias	844,000
8	Alicante–Elche	Valencian Community	Alicante	793,000
9	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria	Canarias	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria	640,000
10	Zaragoza	Aragon	Zaragoza	639,000

Languages

Languages of Spain

While Spanish is the most spoken language in the country, other languages like Catalan, Basque or Galician are also spoken in a few territories.

References