Spain-Facts

General Facts:

Population:                  46,661,950 (2009 estimate)

Language:                   Castilian Spanish (official) 74%; Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, and Basque 2% (official regionally)

GDP:                           $1.556 trillion (2008 estimate)

Currency:                    Euro

Capital:                        Madrid

Time:                           UTC +1; UTC +2 in summer

Religion:                      Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%    

History

Spain is another destination spot for study abroad students, international interns as well as tourists in general. Spain’s rich history and modern present makes it a very attractive country for travelers from around the world.

Spain's ancestors include hunters who migrated to Spain from Africa; various parts of Europe such as Greece, and Italy; Morocco; and the Middle East. Depictions of hunting and life in the form of cave drawings can be found in Altamira, which were created around 12,000 BC. Some of the oldest pieces of human bone in the world were found in Spain during the 1994 archeological excavation projects.

Around 1000 BC, a society influenced by Phoenician and Greek traders formed in western Andalucia.  The Greek began settlements around 600 BC on the northern Mediterranean coast.  Romans settled in Spain and most of the country, and except for the Basques in the north, adopted Roman culture by 50 AD.  Thanks to this, Spain became stable and prosperous.

During this Pax Romana period, many Jews came to Spain along with Christians from Northern Africa.  The peaceful period began its demise with invasions from Germanic tribes in the 3rd century AD and the Huns a century later.  The Visigoths made the Iberian Peninsula their home in the 6th century, adopting Toledo as their capitol.

In 587 AD, Roman Christianity was declared the official religion by King Reccared.  But in 711, Muslims invaded Spain, and had taken the Iberian Peninsula up to the Pyrenees.  Muslims dominated Spain for almost 400 years, and continued some influence in the region for another 400.  

Muslim centers in Spain were headquartered first in Cordoba in 756, then moving on to Seville in 1040 and finally Granada until 1492.  Under this Al-Andalus rule, Judaism and Islam flourished, while Christianity fizzed due to pressure to convert.  But in 1492, Granada was captured and Roman Catholicism was re-established as the official religion of Spain, while most Jews and Muslims were expelled.

Spain became very wealthy and powerful thanks to the era of exploration and colonization.  Explorers Cortes and Pizarro led the conquests of Mexico and Peru in the early 1500s. What is amazing to notice is that all of these countries, Spain, Mexico, and Peru are hot spots for international travel. Study Abroad in Spain, Intern Abroad in Mexico, and Volunteer Abroad in Peru are equally rewarding experiences. After failing an attempt to invade England in 1588, Spain lost the race to colonize North America to the English, and thus began Spain's status as a second-rate power in Europe. Spain lost Belgium Luxembourg, Milan, Sardinia, and Naples in the War of the Spanish succession from 1704 to 1714.

Spain remained neutral during World War I, and the dictator Gen. Miguel Primo de Rivera took over in 1923.  King Alfonso XIII ousted the dictator, but even he was forced to leave in 1931 after considerable backlash from the Republican movement.  Spain was declared a Republic, and with it saw a constitution that separated church from state.

The Spanish Civil war began in 1936, and lasted three years.  The mutiny against the Spanish government, led by army officer Francisco Franco Bahamonde, was helped along by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.  After a loss of a million people, the war ended on March 28, 1938, when Franco captured Madrid.  He became head of state and prime minister.

In 1947, the Spanish approved a law declaring Spain a monarchy once more while Franco remained head of state.  Prince Juan Carlos Alfonso Victor Maria de Borbon was crowned king in 1975, two days after Franco's provisional government ended with his death.

Spain joined NATO in 1982, and the EU in 1986 along with its neighbor Portugal. Portugal and Spain have a very close history together. Not only they have been competing against each other on the European continent, but in South America as well. Brazil, is the biggest country in South America and has been mostly influenced by Portugal, when most of South America has been more influenced by Spain. Brazil is also a great destination for international voluntary programs  as well as international internships. Jose Maria Aznar was elected Prime Minister in 1996 and easily re-elected in 2000. Aznar was criticized for his support of the U.S. involvement in the War in Iraq, as 90 percent of Spaniards opposed the war.

Terrorists killed 191 and injured 1,400 on March 11, 2004 in a Madrid train station. Evidence pointed to al-Qaeda as the masterminds of the attack. Days later, Prime Minister Aznar was defeated at the polls by Socialist Party candidate Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Many Spaniards pointed to Aznar's support of the Iraq War as the reason for the terrorist attack in Madrid.

Zapatero pulled Spain's 1,300 troops from Iraq in May 2004, after a dozen suspects were arrested in connection to the terrorist attack in April.  Spain legalized gay marriage in 2005, joining Belgium, the Netherlands, and Canada.  After parliament was dissolved in 2008, new elections were held and Zapatero was re-elected.

Demographics           

The typical Spaniard is an ethnic composite of Mediterranean and Nordic peoples. Specifically, the Spanish population consists of four major ethnic groups, which includes the Basques, Catalans, Castilians, and Galicians. 

Many immigrants have come to Spain recently, including those from Latin America, Eastern Europe, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Geography

Spain takes up the majority of the Iberian Peninsula along with its western neighbor Portugal.  At the very southern tip of Spain, Morocco is only 10 miles (16 km) away across the Strait of Gibraltar.  To the north, Spain shares about half of its border with France and the tiny country Andorra.

The Balearic Islands sit off the coast in the Mediterranean, including the popular tourist destination island Majorca. Sixty miles to the west of Africa are Spain's Canary Islands.

The Pyrenees Mountains form the border in between Spain, France, and Andorra.  In the mainland, the terrain consists of high plateaus and mountains including the Sierra Nevada.  Major rivers of Spain include the Tagus, Ebro, Duero, Guadiana, and Guadalquivir. You can visit all of these destinations by studying abroad in Spain and traveling the country while there.

Climate

Spain's climate is generally temperate, but can be quite diverse in some parts.  Summer can get quite hot in the midland, reaching 30 degrees Celsius in July, but tends to be more moderate and cool along the coast.  Winters are colder in midland Spain, while the coasts remain cool.  Summertime in the southern Andalucia region can be sweltering, reaching 35 degrees Celsius in Seville.

Other climates include Continental Mediterranean inland, Oceanic in the north, Semiarid in the southeast, and Mediterranean in the south and spread up the eastern coast.  And despite the popular rhyme, the rain in Spain does not stay mainly in the plain; plenty of rain falls in the northern mountains.

While visiting Spain, you can expect April through November to be generally warm and pleasant.  Summertime, though, brings plenty of heat.  Snow does fall in the northern mountainous region as early as October. So weather will only be another benefactor  and attraction for you to travel to Spain!