Overview of Spain for travelers

A land of romance and exotic tastes, Spain is a place to take in large gulps. If you are planning a trip, here is an overview of the country.

The official name of the country is Spain. It covers an area of about 194,000 square miles. This includes both the mainland and the Balearic and Canary. This sum makes room mileage Spain one of the largest in Europe, about the size of the states combined Arizona and Utah.

The capital of Spain is Madrid, where about 5.5 million inhabitants. Other major cities are Barcelona, at 4.9 persons, with 1.3 million of Malaga, Seville and Valencia, with 1.8 million with just over two million inhabitants. The area of Spain varies from flat to mountainous. Temperatures range from hot and cold in winter and summer, especially in cities like Madrid, have no access to air rib.

Until 1975> Spain was a dictatorship ruled by General Francisco Franco functional. After his death in 1975, Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and the Bourbon king and head of state was appointed. He then moved to liberalize the country and have an independent head of state, who is now an elected official.

Spain has long been in a constant state of near civil war for much of the recent 100 ° Basque parties seeking independence from the domination of the king and the federal government. This hasmanifested in the form of attacks and the like. Barcelona is considered a Basque town, which leads to a great rivalry between the city and Madrid. If you've visited once, a football match between the two, do it! Violence is rare, but the insults are quite unique.

The people of Spain are known as Spanish or Spanish. The total population is slightly more than € 44,000,000 and an increase of one percent per year. Ethnic divisions are concentrated geographically, but alsoBasque, Catalan and Galician. The religious tendency of the country is predominantly Catholic.

The official language of Spain is Spanish. That said, Catalan-Valencian, Galician and Basque languages are a common minority. Education is more than 16 years and literacy rate in the required 98 percent.

Spain is a unique country. While much of Europe seems to mesh cultures, Spain is clearly apart quickly.