Spain - information about the country, sights, history. Brief information about spain Important information about spain

Journey through Latin America - Spain

The name of the country comes from the Phoenician "i-spanim" - "coast of rabbits" or "coast of hyraxes".

The capital of Spain is Madrid.

The area of Spain is 504,782 km².

The population of Spain is 46,162 thousand people.

Location of Spain. Spain is a southern European country. It occupies five-sixths of the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The Pyrenees are inaccessible and isolate Spain from other European countries, except for Portugal, located on the western part of the peninsula. Spain is washed by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It borders on land with Portugal in the west, with France (along the crest of the Pyrenees) and the tiny state of Andorra in the northeast, with Gibraltar in the south.

Administrative divisions of Spain. It consists of 17 autonomous regions: Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Basque Country, Valencia, Galicia, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Catalonia, Castile-Lamancha, Castile and Leon, Madrid, Murcia, Navarre, Rioja, Extremadura, which unite 50 provinces, as well as 2 cities (Ceuta and Melilla), located on the northern coast of Africa and are independent administrative units.

The form of government in Spain is a constitutional monarchy.

The head of state of Spain is the King.

The highest legislative body of Spain - the General Cortes (Parliament), consisting of two chambers, are elected for 4 years.

The highest executive body of Spain is the Government.

The major cities of Spain are Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Bilbao, Malaga.

The official language of Spain is Spanish, the use of Catalan, Galician, Basque, Aran and some other minority languages is legal.

Religion of Spain. 99% are Catholics.

The ethnic composition of Spain. 72.8% - Spaniards, 16.4% - Catalans, 8.2% - Galicians, 2.3% - Basques.

The Spanish currency is Euro = 100 cents.

Climate of Spain. Most of Spain has a subtropical Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. However, it varies significantly from the northwest to the southeast of the country and depending on the height above sea level. In addition to a large number of mountain ranges and plateaus, which make up 90% of the total area of the territory, the climate is greatly influenced by the proximity to Africa. The average annual temperature throughout the country fluctuates around + 20°C. In southern Spain, the average daily temperature is + 26 ° C for almost 200 days a year. Most precipitation falls in the north and northwest of the country, while the central and southeastern regions are drier. That is why Spain is conditionally divided into "dry" (annual precipitation up to 500 mm) and "wet" (up to 900 mm per year). Spain is the highest country in Europe after Switzerland. The most powerful mountain system is the Pyrenees, the main peak of which is Aneto Peak (3404 m).

Flora of Spain. Apart from the flora of the Canary Islands, about 8,000 plant species grow in Spain, many of which are found only in this territory. From the once vast forests, only a small part in the north of the country remains. In "wet" Spain grow beech, elm, oak, chestnut, ash, linden, poplar. Higher in the mountains, the forests turn into water meadows. The richest vegetation on the North Atlantic slopes of the Cantabrian Mountains and the Galician massif - that is why these areas are called "green" Spain. Evergreen shrubs and grasses grow on the plain of the Ebro River at the foot of the mountains, and semi-desert vegetation is also found with a predominance of wormwood and salt marshes. In "dry" Spain dominated by Mediterranean vegetation, evergreen shrubs and semi-shrubs - maquis, gariga and tomillars. In the extreme south, thickets of the undersized hamerops palm are common - the only wild palm in Europe.

Fauna of Spain. The fauna of Spain is also very rich and varied. In the north, the Central European fauna - a lot of deer, roe deer, wild boars. In the mountainous regions, the red deer and the Pyrenean ibex have been preserved. Reindeer sport hunting is allowed. Sometimes in the Cantabrian mountains and the mountains of Leon you can see a brown bear. Of the predators, there are a small number of wolves, foxes, and at the mouth of the Guadalquivir - Spanish lynxes. Near Gibraltar, macaques live - the only representative of this species of monkeys in Europe. Spain rightfully occupies a leading position in Europe in terms of the number of bird species found here. Among them are hawks, eagles, griffins, falcons. There are a lot of colonies of waterfowl - geese, ducks, herons, flamingos, white storks.
Spain also has a large number of species of reptiles - lizards, snakes, chameleons, and in the semi-deserts in the south of the country - tarantulas and scorpions.

In the mouths of rivers and in the coastal waters of the Atlantic, there are many fish - mainly sardines, in smaller quantities - herring, cod, anchovies and various types of shellfish. The Mediterranean Sea is home to tuna, salmon, anchovies, crayfish and lobsters.

Rivers and lakes of Spain. The largest rivers in Spain are Tajo, Duero, Ebro, Segura, Guadalquivir, Guadiana. The lakes are small and located mainly in the mountains.

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What is good and attractive fabulous Spain?

The State of Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula. The territory of Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities. The capital is Madrid.

Spain is a country of contrasts, adventures and unforgettable holidays

According to one version, the name of the country comes from the Phoenician expression "i-spanim" - "shore of hyraxes."

The area of Spain occupies 80% of the territory of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as the Canary and Balearic Islands, the total area of Spain is 504,782 km² (together with small sovereign territories on the African coast, the cities of Ceuta and Melilla), Spain is located in Europe, being the fourth largest country after Russia , Ukraine and France. The average height of the surface of Spain is 650 meters above sea level.

Spain is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe.

The country of Spain shares land borders with:

Portugal in the west of the Iberian Peninsula;
British possession of Gibraltar in the south of the Iberian Peninsula;
Morocco in North Africa (semi-enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñon de Vélez de la Gomera);
France and Andorra in the north.

Spain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and west, as well as the Mediterranean Sea in the south and east.

Spain's national holiday, Spain Day, is celebrated annually on October 12th. In 1492, Christopher Columbus, leading a Spanish expedition, went to the lands of the New World. The arrival of the first Spaniards in America is associated with the concept of "Hispanidad" - the community of Hispanic peoples.

The country of Spain considers this day a kind of birthday of the community of peoples of the Spanish language, the day of Spanish civilization. Spain Day has a dual character. The discovery of Columbus happened on the day of the Holy Virgin Pilar, whose image is strongly associated with the legend of the emergence of Christianity in Spain. Therefore, the noisy Fiesta del Pilar also takes place on this day. How the holiday is celebrated: Various musical, theatrical and dance events are thundering everywhere, street performances, processions of giant puppets, contests and competitions are held.

The unique atmosphere filled with fireworks, bright outfits and incendiary rhythms attracts thousands of tourists these days.

Of the fifteen mainland autonomies of Spain, four go to the Mediterranean Sea, where resort areas have been developing for several decades. Spain is a great choice for living and relaxing!

What is good about Spain?

The fact that it has the best climate in Europe, where the day is rare when the sun does not shine, filling the atmosphere with energy, light and warmth.

The fact that it offers exquisite and healthy cuisine, excellent wines, clean beaches, most of which have been awarded the blue flag of ecological cleanliness, warm clear sea, rich nature, beautiful and diverse architecture, a huge amount of entertainment for every taste and for every age.

But the most important wealth of Spain is its people, always friendly and ready to help anyone, even a stranger. That's why it's so nice to relax here, that's why you want to live here!
Spain has managed to merge together the most diverse traditions and form a great and beautiful culture.

Spain is the birthplace of Cervantes and Lorca, Gaudí and Dali. Almost the entire country is one huge open-air historical museum, surrounded by endless beautiful beaches and resort areas, many of which are considered the best in Europe.

In addition, there is a secret relationship between the Spanish and Russian souls: when you come here, you will feel comfortable.

Tourists traveling in Spain by car meet from time to time black silhouette figures of bulls installed near the roads. No one wonders why they are "grazing" here, because the answer is obvious. The fighting bull is a symbol of Spain, replicated in hundreds of thousands of souvenirs that people take with them in memory of the country.

The views of Spain and the regions of Spain are very diverse. The center of the country is located at a distance of 300 kilometers from the sea. The relief is dominated by systems of mountain ranges and high plateaus.

Features of Spain: Plateaus and mountains make up about 90 percent of its territory. Almost half of the country's surface is occupied by the vast, highest in Europe high - with an average height of 660 meters - the Meseta plateau.

In the north, Meseta is bordered by the powerful Cantabrian Mountains, which stretch along the coast of the Bay of Biscay for 600 kilometers, isolating the hinterland from the influence of the sea. In their central part is the Picos de Europa massif (from Spanish - Peaks of Europe) with heights up to 2648 m.

The Cantabrian Mountains are an orographic and tectonic continuation of Spain's most powerful mountain system, the Pyrenees.
The Pyrenees are several parallel ranges stretching from west to east for 450 kilometers. This is one of the most inaccessible mountainous countries in Europe.

From the northeast, the system of the Iberian Mountains adjoins the Meseta, the maximum height (Mon Cayo peak) is 2313 meters.

Between the eastern Pyrenees and the Iberian mountains stretch the low Catalan mountains, the southern slopes of which break off in ledges to the Mediterranean Sea.

The entire southeast of the Iberian Peninsula is occupied by the Cordillera Betica, which is a system of massifs and ridges. Its crystalline axis is the mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

Most of the territory of Spain is located at an altitude of about 700 meters above sea level. It is the second highest country in Europe after Switzerland.

The only large lowland - Andalusian - occupies the south of Spain. In the northeast of Spain, in the valley of Spain's main fishing river, the Ebro, lies the Aragonese Plain. Smaller lowlands stretch along the Mediterranean Sea. One of the main rivers of Spain (and the only navigable one in the lower reaches) flows through the Andalusian lowland - the Guadalquivir. The rest of the rivers, including the largest ones: Tajo and Duero, the lower reaches of which are located on the territory of neighboring Portugal, the Ebro, Guadiana, are distinguished by sharp seasonal level fluctuations and rapids.

Significant areas of the country suffer from lack of water. Related to this is the problem of erosion - millions of tons of topsoil are blown out every year.

The capital of Spain Madrid is located in the geographical center of the country and is the "highest" capital in Europe.

On the coast, the views of Spain are very beautiful, there are more than two thousand beaches, and the waters of Spain are very warm. Coast of Spain: Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, Costa del Assar, Costa de Almeria, Costa Blanca, Mar Menor, Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz, Rias Bahas, Rias Altas , Costa Cantabrica, Canary and Balearic Islands.

It is pleasant to live in Spain, because the State of Spain is one of the warmest in Western Europe. The average number of sunny days is 260-285. The average annual temperature on the Mediterranean coast is 20 degrees Celsius. In winter, the temperature drops below zero, usually only in the central and northern regions of the country. In summer, the temperature rises to 40 degrees and above (from the central part to the southern coast). On the northern coast, the temperature is not so high - about 25 degrees Celsius.

The size of Spain is 504,782 km², in this regard, Spain is characterized by very deep internal climatic differences, and it can only conditionally be attributed entirely to the Mediterranean climatic region. Due to the size of Spain, these differences appear in different parts of Spain, both in temperature and in annual amounts and rainfall patterns.

In the far northwest, Spain's climate is mild and humid with little temperature variation throughout the year and high rainfall. Constant winds from the Atlantic bring a lot of moisture, mainly in winter, when foggy and cloudy weather prevails with drizzling rain, almost without frost and snow. The average temperature of the coldest month is the same as in the northwest of France.

Summers are hot and humid, with average temperatures rarely below 16 degrees Celsius. Annual rainfall exceeds 1070 mm, and in some places reaches 2000 mm.

Completely different conditions in the interior of the country - on the plateau of Old and New Castile and the Aragonese plain. In these areas, the influence of the plateau-mountain-hollow relief, considerable height, and local continental air is felt. They are characterized by relatively low rainfall (no more than 500 mm per year) and sharp seasonal temperature fluctuations.

In Old Castile and the Plain of Aragon there are rather cold winters, with frosts and strong, harsh winds; summers are hot and rather dry, although the maximum precipitation falls on this season of the year.

In Nueva Castile, the climate is slightly milder, with warmer winters but also low rainfall. Agriculture in all these areas needs artificial irrigation.

The Spanish news keeps reporting that the Spanish economy is in crisis. Companies in Spain and firms in Spain cannot provide enough jobs and therefore 25% of the population is unemployed. At the same time, according to the International Monetary Fund, the country of Spain in 2015 is the fourteenth economic power in the world, according to nominal GDP.

Traditionally, the Kingdom of Spain is an agricultural country, in addition it is one of the largest producers in Western Europe; since the mid-1950s, the industrial growth of the Spanish economy has been rapid and quickly gained more weight than agriculture in the Spanish economy.

Spain's banks prepared development plans that began in 1964, helped to expand the economy, but in the late 1970s, Spain's industry entered a period of economic recession due to rising oil prices, and increased imports associated with the establishment of democracy and the opening of borders.

At the same time, the income received from tourism has increased significantly.

In the early 1960s, a stabilization plan was adopted, which later became known as the "Spanish economic miracle". In 1960-1974, economic performance grew at an average rate of 6.6% per year, which was higher than that of any other country in the world (with the exception of Japan). The most important role was played by the discovery of Spain as a world resort center.

The money from the population for purchases in Spain was greatly reduced, and in 1959-1974 more than 3 million Spaniards left the country in search of work in order to send the money they earned back to their homeland. In 1973, Spain's industry took another hit due to the energy crisis, due to Spain's dependence on other countries, unemployment rose to 21% in 1975. But in the 1980s, business in Spain began to boom again.

Although growth rates were below the level of the 1960s, they nevertheless remained the highest in Western Europe. However, in this case, the growth in production was accompanied by inflation and high unemployment (up to 22% of the able-bodied population).

In the 1990s, the country took a leading position in the EU (although it is still a recipient, that is, it receives subsidies to support agriculture and some areas from pan-European funds).

Sights of Spain. Top 10. (video):

In 2004, Spanish exports amounted to over 135 billion euros, imports - about 190 billion euros. The main partners in foreign trade are the EU countries, the USA, Latin America.

Modern Spain is one of the largest centers of international tourism (62 million people in 1997, 95% of tourists are from EU countries; the main tourist centers are Madrid and Barcelona), as well as resorts - Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol. In 2004, 53.6 million foreign tourists visited Spain (2nd place in the world). The industry's revenues in 2004 were about 35 billion euros. More than 65% of tourists are from EU countries.

1.3 million people are employed in this area. The popularity of tourism is due to the fact that a trip to Spain for holidays is very cheap compared to other countries.

Spain's form of government is a parliamentary monarchy. The monarch is only a tribute to tradition and does not have any significant powers.

The head of state is the King of Spain.

Philip VI is currently King of Spain. Leticia - Queen of Spain.

The legislative body is the bicameral Parliament of Spain - the Cortes Generales (Congress of Deputies and the Senate). It consists of the Senate (259 seats - some deputies are elected by direct universal suffrage, others are appointed by provincial legislatures; all senators are elected for a 4-year term) and the Congress of Deputies (350 seats - elected by party lists for a 4-year term). The executive power is headed by the Prime Minister of Spain - the leader of the party that won the majority of votes in the elections to the Spanish Parliament.

The constitutional oversight body is the Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional),
The highest court is the Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo),
The highest courts of the autonomous communities are the highest courts of justice (Tribunal Superior de Justicia),
Courts of Appeal - Provincial Audiences (Audiencias Provinciales),
District courts - courts of first instance and investigation (Juzgados de primera instancia e instruccion),
The lowest level of the judiciary are justices of the peace (juzgados de paz),
Court of Impeachment - National Audience (Audiencia Nacional),
The supreme audit body is the Court of Accounts (Tribunal de Cuentas),
The governing body of the courts is the General Council of the Judiciary (Consejo General del Poder Judicial).

In total, more than 500 political parties and public organizations are officially registered in Spain.

Spain Party Policy:

People's Party of Spain
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, PSOE,
communist party,
Regionalists.
The major regional parties include the Catalan Convergence and Union bloc, the Catalan Esquerra Republique party, the BNP, and the Canary Coalition.

Spanish foreign policy

Spanish Foreign Policy: The Preamble to the Spanish Constitution proclaims the willingness to "cooperate in strengthening peaceful relations and cooperation with all countries of the world." Currently, Spain's foreign policy is mainly based on three directions: Europe (especially the EU), the Ibero-American direction, the countries of the Mediterranean Sea.

Domestic policy of Spain: The laws of Spain cannot contradict the current Constitution of Spain and the EU. The inhabitants of Spain are equal before the law; no discrimination based on origin, race, sex, religion, social status or any other grounds specified in EU law is allowed.

Corruption and unemployment are the two main problems in Spain. At the start of the 21st century, Spain fell into a whirlpool of crisis tests and entered a period of severe, protracted financial, economic and social upheavals. The country is facing fundamental problems not only of an opportunistic but also of a structural nature. This circumstance significantly complicates and slows down the process of overcoming the crisis, as well as entering the trajectory of recovery growth.

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The economic recession, in turn, gave rise to many new problems, including political ones.

Spain is rightfully considered an open-air museum. The vastness of this country carefully preserves cultural and historical monuments that are world famous.

Museums of Spain: The most famous museum in Spain - the Prado Museum - is located in Madrid. Its vast exposition cannot be seen in one day. The museum was founded by Isabella of Braganza, wife of King Ferdinand VII. The Prado has its own branch, located in Cason del Buen Retiro, which houses unique collections of Spanish paintings and sculptures of the 19th century, as well as works by English and French painters.

The museum itself presents large expositions of Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Flemish and German art. Prado owes its name to the Prado de San Jeronimo alley, where it is located, laid back in the Enlightenment. Currently, the funds of the Prado Museum are 6,000 paintings, over 400 sculptures, as well as numerous treasures, including royal and religious collections. During several centuries of its existence, the Prado was patronized by many kings.

Initially, Philip bought Bosch's paintings for El Escorial, the hereditary castle of the Spanish kings. And only in the XIX century the paintings were transferred to the Prado Museum. Now here you can see such masterpieces of the Dutch master as the "Garden of Delights" and "Hay Cart". Currently, in the museum you can enjoy not only paintings and sculptures, but also theatrical performances designed to "revive" the famous canvases. The first such staging was dedicated to the paintings of Velasquez and enjoyed great success with the public.

Spain gave: The Dali Theater Museum is a museum of the surrealist artist Salvador Dali, located in the city of Figueres, in Catalonia. The official opening of the museum took place on September 28, 1974. The center of the museum complex is the building of the old city theater, where in 1918, at the age of 14, Dali first exhibited his works at a collective exhibition together with Josep Bonaterra Gras and Josep Monturiol Puig.

The culture of Spain is diverse. There are many more unique museums and galleries in Spain: the Picasso Museum and the National Art Museum of Catalonia, located in Barcelona, the National Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid, the El Greco Museum in Toledo, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art in Cuenca.

The art of Spain is the fine art of world-famous Spanish artists. The Moorish heritage, especially in Andalusia, is evident today in cities such as Cordoba, Seville and Granada.

The most famous Spanish artists :

Salvador Dali - Spanish painter, graphic artist, sculptor, director, writer. One of the most famous representatives of surrealism.
Pablo Picasso - Spanish painter, sculptor, graphic artist, ceramist and designer. Founder of Cubism.
Francisco de Zurbaran - Spanish artist, representative of the Seville school of painting.
Juan Gris - Spanish painter and sculptor, one of the founders of cubism.

In Spain, children enter primary school at the age of 6 and study there for 6 years. At the age of 12 they are transferred to a secondary school where they study for 4 years. After high school, you can continue your studies at Bachillerato High School if you plan to enroll in Universities in Spain, or enroll in an FP vocational education course.

Today, Islam is spreading intensively in Spain due to the influx of immigrants from Morocco, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. More than a million Muslims live in Spain today, the vast majority of whom are immigrants and their descendants. It is estimated that between 20,000 and 50,000 Spaniards converted to Islam, and most of them live in Andalusia. The first mosque in Spain since the Moors were expelled from Spain in 1492 was built in 1982.

Bullfight in Spain, or in another way bullfight

This is a Spanish term for one of the most common forms of tauromachy. It is a spectacle for which thousands of people come to Spain every year. It's part of the Spanish culture. This is a huge number of world-famous subjects in art.

Bullfighting originated in ancient times. By the eighteenth century, she got exactly the look we see now. Bullfighting is carried out according to strict canons and rules. The most common form is the Spanish foot bullfight.

Flamenco

Spain flamenco is the general term for the southern Spanish (Andalusian) folk music - song (cante) and dance (baile). There are two stylistically and musically distinct classes of flamenco: the oldest cante hondo / jondo (hondo lit. deep, that is, a serious, dramatic style), it is also cante grande (large, high style); and the more modern cante chico (chico is literally small, that is, a lightweight, simple style).

Within both classes of flamenco, there are more than 50 subclasses (genres), the exact boundary between which is sometimes difficult to draw.

What time is it in Spain? Time in Spain now has a standard time zone: UTC/GMT +1 hour.

Daylight saving time in Spain starts on Sunday, March 30, 2014 at 02:00 local standard time.

Daylight saving time in Spain ends - Sunday, 26 October 2014, 03:00 - local daylight saving time.
It is not difficult to guess that tourist Spain lives by the clock adopted in Western European countries. Accordingly, Spain Moscow has different times and the difference is plus two hours. The time difference with Moscow in the Canary Islands is plus 3 hours.

Medieval Spain until December 31, 1900 enjoyed solar time. On July 22, 1900, in San Sebastian, the President of the Council of Ministers of Spain, Francisco Silvera, proposed to the regent of Spain, Maria Cristina, a decree to standardize time in the country; setting Spain's Greenwich Mean Time (UTC±00:00) as the standard time for the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands from January 1, 1901. The law was passed by Maria Christina of Austria on July 26, 1900.

Franco Spain: In 1940, Francisco Franco changed the country's time zone by moving the time forward one hour from 23:00 GMT on March 16 to 00:00 March 17 CET.

This translation took place during the Second World War, in order to synchronize with the times in the European countries occupied at that time by Nazi Germany. Some Western European countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, France remained on "German time" after the war in addition to Spain.

The borders of Spain are huge, so different parts of Spain live at different times.

In Galicia, the westernmost region of the continental part, the difference between official local time and mean solar time during the summer period is at least two and a half hours.

Political moves have been made to change the time to the same time in Portugal (UTC±00:00), since this country and Galicia are at approximately the same longitude. So, for example, in Vigo in the summer, astronomical noon occurs at about 14:40, and sunset at about 22:15 local time, while in Menorca sunset occurs at about 21:20.

The inhabitants of Spain have ancient legends that are passed down from generation to generation. Different cities keep their legends of Spain.

One of the legends of Spain was born in the small town of Teruel. Like the unhappy love of Tahir and Zuhra, Romeo and Juliet, Constance and Dartagnan, the Spanish lovers Isabel and Diego also failed to unite their destinies. Isabel Segura was a girl from a rich and noble family, Diego was a poor young man.

The Isabel family made incredible efforts to separate the young, but nothing worked. Then the girl's father set a condition: "Get rich and get Isabel as a wife." Diego returned rich five years later, but it was too late. His lover is married to someone else. From grief, the young man died, and Isabel's heart could not stand it.

The townspeople, in the chapel of Saints Cosmas and Damian, revered as miracle workers, put up a sculpture of lovers holding hands. This touching story is remembered by the people of Spain, and every year on February 14, on Valentine's Day, they put on a performance dedicated to this love.

The next legend of Spain is about a cruel beauty, whose name scares small children. What did she do? The legend begins quite harmlessly, in the spirit of such stories. Many years ago, Maria lived in a small village - a girl of extraordinary beauty. She herself was sure that there was no one more beautiful than her in this world.

She drove all suitors away from herself, believing that they were not worthy of her. Once upon a time, a rich handsome Ranchero came to the village. He was brave, sang beautifully, rode a horse well. Maria, using her charms, decided to lure him into her networks. They soon got married. They had two children. But Mary believed that only she had the right to the love and admiration of her husband.

When Ranchero, returning from a trip, poured out all his love to the children, Maria was furious. And, as sad as it is to say, she took the children, tied them up and threw them into the river. Realizing what she had done, Maria sobbed. Since then, she has been called La Llorona - a weeping woman, her moans are heard at night by the river. Mothers forbid their children to go out late at night, lest La Llorona steal them.

And another legend of Spain. It says that in ancient times, a girl, deceived by her fiancé, ran to church for consolation. After all, the groom before the crucifixion swore his love to her. When she turned to God, asking him to confirm his oath, the hand of the Savior rose and remained in that position.

Based on the legends of Spain, Lope de Vega and Grillparzer wrote their works. After reading them, you can learn many more Spanish legends.

It is difficult to find an architectural structure that would attract tourists more than the castles of Spain, shrouded in many legends, which have witnessed various wars, victories and losses, triumph and sorrow. Here, literally every centimeter is saturated with history, and sometimes, it seems, you can hear the clash of swords, the cries of the vanquished and the triumph of the winners. Castles are also very romantic. Not yet to fight! There must be a love story here, whether it be a princess or just a beautiful lady and some, if not a prince, then at least a brave knight.

It is difficult for a castle lover to find a country better than northern Spain. Ancient Spain has left 10,312 castles intact to this day. The first castle in Olite was built by King Sancho VI the Strong and became a royal residence.

Now it is called the Old Palace and not only kings, but also any mortals can accommodate there - since the hotels of Spain have received this castle at their disposal. Now it is one of the hotels of the Parador Nacional chain.

Montserrat Monastery Spain. The fantastically beautiful Montserrat mountain range is located 50 km from Barcelona, among the rocks of which a Benedictine monastery is hidden - a spiritual symbol and the religious center of Catalonia, where thousands of pilgrims from all over the world flock every year. The monastery, built in IX, received the same name Montserrat, which means "cut" or "jagged mountains". Now 80 monks of the Benedictine order live on the territory of the monastery.

Palaces of Spain. Alcazar in Segovia - the palace and fortress of the Spanish kings in the historical part of the city of Segovia (Province of Castile and León, Spain). It is located on a rock located at the confluence of the Eresma and Clamores rivers, near the mountains of Guadarrama (part of the Central Cordillera). This position on the cliff makes it one of the most beautiful and recognizable palaces in Spain.

Alcazar was originally built as a fortress, but managed to visit the royal palace, the state prison, the royal artillery academy.
The fortresses of Spain today are not only tourist attractions, museums and exhibitions in Spain.

These are also hotels in perfectly preserved fortifications of the Middle Ages - full of beauty and charm of previous eras, equipped with all the amenities of the current era.

Well, those who want to admire the Moorish heart of Spanish Granada should definitely visit the magnificent Alhambra, which has been the residence of both Muslim and Christian rulers in its long life.

Spain's production is the fifth largest in the European Union (EU) (based on nominal GDP) and the twelfth in the world. In terms of purchasing power parity, it is also one of the largest in the world.

According to the classification of the International Economic Forum, which analyzes the specific positions of countries in 14 sectors of production, Spain is in the top five in almost all sectors of the average technological level, especially standing out as a manufacturer of automotive parts and accessories (tenth place in the world), industrial machinery and equipment (15th place ), audiovisual means (17th place), products of organic and inorganic chemistry (fifteenth place), metal products (thirteenth place) and footwear (third place).

But in terms of competitiveness in the field of information and communication technologies and the production of electronic components, it is only in the third ten countries. Among the 100 most famous brands in the world, Made in Spain does not have a single one, although there are industry leaders: Freyshenet (sparkling wines), Chupa Chups, Telefonica (telecommunications), Repsol (energy), Pronovias (wedding dresses) and Lladro "(porcelain figurines), as well as those included in the top three Zara, in the top five - "Sol Mella" (hotel business). Possession of a global brand is considered an important competitive advantage and one of the signs of a high level of economic development.

Agriculture occupies a special place in the structure of the economy and influence on the development of Spain. It employs 2.3% of the working-age population of Spain. A small group of landowners own large tracts of land in the south of the country. Key indicators: Spain is the third largest producer of wine in the world, the fourth - citrus, and also provides ¼ of the world's production of olives and olive oil.

Spain is also a major producer of wheat (20 percent of the cultivated area), rice (the highest yield in the world), almonds, tobacco and vegetables (60 percent of the cultivated area).

It owns the largest fishing fleet in Europe. For the extraction and processing of seafood and fish, Spain is in the top ten. Animal husbandry is developing successfully: goats and sheep are bred in arid regions, and in the north - cattle.

The wines of Spain are among the most famous wines in the world. Traditionally, Spanish wines are considered to be more tart and strong than Italian and French ones. Many of Spain's wines do have strong flavor profiles, especially Spanish reds, which form the backbone of Spain's wine range outside of the country. At the same time, excellent white and rosé wines are also produced in Spain.

Clothes from Spain and bags from Spain are also very popular as they offer you not only fashion, but also a way of life: all the most progressive trends are simple, comfortable and reliable.

Mercury is mined (1st place in the world), pyrites (2nd place in the world), iron ore, lead, zinc, uranium, coal. Ferrous metallurgy smelts steel and cast iron. The north of Spain has concentrated most of the ferrous metallurgy enterprises (in the ports of Gijón, Aviles and Bilbao), near the country's largest coal basins - Asturias and Leono-Valencia, which account for 9/10 of all coal and anthracite reserves.

The natural resources of Spain in the mountainous regions contain a lot of minerals. Spain is in first place in Western Europe in the extraction of high-quality metal-containing raw materials, while there are no large deposits of most energy sources and it has to import 97% of oil from domestic consumption and 30% of coke. Fresh water reserves in the country per capita is about 2400 cubic meters.

The economic development of Spain is hampered by traditional problems, which are the traditionally low percentage of official employment and, as a result, a high level of official unemployment, which, even in years of rapid economic growth, does not fall below 8-10%, which would be a catastrophic indicator for most other countries, but is perceived as the norm in Spain. Although at the same time, the high level of official unemployment partially softens the presence of a large shadow sector of the economy, in which many illegal immigrants are employed.

Also striking is the longstanding geographic disparity between the more developed northeastern region and the rest of the country.

In addition, a characteristic feature of Spain is the extremely low resistance of the economy to various kinds of crisis phenomena, as well as a pronounced dependence on various kinds of “soap bubbles” (real estate, recreating, external loans). The economic development of Spain was strongly affected by the crises of 1993 and 2008-2012, exposing a number of traditional weaknesses of Spain, partly due to cultural reasons - the reduced competitiveness of the economy associated with the country's entry into the eurozone, as well as low labor productivity compared to the countries of northeastern Europe and Asia.

We offer you to see how the statistics of wine imports in the world looks like

Spanish statistics report that the decrease in the purchasing power of the population (9.9%) and the increase in the cost of acquiring new equipment and maintaining existing equipment (9.7%) are mainly to blame for the decline in production. The declining profitability of the industry also affected the income of intermediary organizations (the amount of money they earned decreased by 13.1%). Spain has never experienced such big production problems before.

The national cuisine of Spain has developed on the basis of the diversity of culinary traditions of its regions, due to its geographical location, climate and cultural characteristics. Spanish food is tasty, easy to prepare and mostly cheap. The most important thing is fresh products and a little skill.

The recipes of Spain are as varied as the country itself, each region is rich in something of its own, but the main ingredients are the same almost everywhere: rice, cereals, fish, seafood and, of course, vegetables. The national dish of Spain is olla podrida, a thick soup, stew with vegetables.

Gazpacho
spanish pea soup
Walnut Mushroom Soup Puree (Welsh Recipe)
Braised Cod Biscay
Jamon with melon
Spanish tortilla with sausage and many others.

Spanish Cuisine Recipes: There are many cookbooks and even more sites on the internet dedicated to Spanish cuisine recipes. Most of the sites offer step-by-step recipes with photos, so any hostess can cook gazpacho, paella or any other Spanish dish herself.

The national cuisine of Spain is a combination of a huge number of different culinary schools, Moorish and ancient Roman with elements of African and French cuisines.
Traditional Spanish dishes are light, rich in protein and vitamins. In Spain, food is a cult, you should eat slowly, tastefully, washing it all down with excellent local wine.

Spanish dishes recipes:

Gazpacho is a cold tomato soup. It was invented by the poor peasants - satisfying, cheap and fast.
Mix all ingredients:

Blanch the tomatoes, rinse with cold water, peel and put into a blender.
Peel cucumber, onion, garlic and peppers - there too.
Soak bread in water, add to vegetables. Instead of bread, you can sprinkle breadcrumbs or just crushed ordinary crackers.
Salt and pepper to taste, add olive oil and juice from half a lemon.

Whisk everything and a refreshing soup is ready.

Poor man's potatoes.

This is a classic Spanish dish, served with sausages or grilled chicken.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Grease an ovenproof dish with oil, and lay out the layers of potatoes, peppers and onions, sprinkling each level with seasonings, garlic and parsley. Put a bay leaf in front of the last layer of potatoes.
Sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with olive oil. Then heat on the stove until the oil boils.
Add wine and water so that the liquid reaches the middle of the potatoes and wait until it boils. Then put in the oven for 1 hour until the potatoes are soft and golden brown.

Spanish cuisine photo:

Spanish wines are some of the most famous wines in the world. It is believed that Spanish wine is more tart and strong than, for example, French or Italian.

The wine of Spain is divided into several categories:

Table wines (Vinos de Mesa)
Table wines proper (Vinos de Mesa)

Table wines with the right to designate "wine of the land" (Vinos de las Tierras) (local wines)

Quality wines produced in certain regions (Vinos de Calidad Producidos en Regiones Determinadas, VCPRD)
Quality wines with geographical indications (Vinos de Calidad con Indicaciones Geográficas)
Wines with appellations of origin (Vinos con Denominaciones de Origen, DO)

Wines with recognized designations of origin (Vinos con Denominaciones de Origen Calificadas, DOCa).
The abbreviation in Catalan differs from Spanish: DOQ (Denominacions d'Origen Qualificades)
Vinos de Pagos

Spain's white wines are made primarily from the Viura variety. The best Spanish white wines are those from Catalonia - Penedes and Ampurdan.

Red Spain or Spanish red wines are a different story. Quality red wines from Spain have a good saturation, a little bit of oak flavor and a wonderful aroma, as they mature in oak barrels. The most famous Spanish wine is produced in Rioja, it is based on the Tempranillo grape.

Spain's dry wines are very popular. And wines from such regions as Catalonia, Jumilla, Ribera del Duero, Navarre, Rueda, Aragon are considered the most delicious. It is very easy to buy Spanish wine if you are in the country, go to any supermarket and select the desired region among the shelves. If you are a true connoisseur and want to buy Spanish wines as a gift or for a special occasion, then go to a wine store and they will help you find the perfect combination of price and quality.

And Galis. Reino de España, cat. Regne d "Espanya, Basque Espainiako Erresuma, ox. Reialme d" Espanha) is a state in southwestern Europe with its capital in the city of Madrid. Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula. According to one version, the name of the country comes from the Phoenician expression "i-spanim" - "coast of rabbits". It occupies 4/5 of the territory of the Iberian Peninsula, the Canary and Balearic Islands with a total area of 504,782 km² (together with small sovereign territories on the African coast, the cities of Ceuta and Melilla), being the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France. The average height of the surface of Spain is 650 meters above sea level. The country is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe.

Physical and geographical characteristics

Relief

The relief of Spain is very diverse. The center of the country is located at a distance of 300 kilometers from the sea. The relief is dominated by systems of mountain ranges and high plateaus.

Plateaus and mountains make up about 90 percent of its territory. Almost half of the country's surface is occupied by the vast, the largest high in Europe - with an average height of 660 meters - Meseta plateau. It is distinguished by the alternation of plateaus, fold-block ridges and mountain basins. The Central Cordillera divides Meseta into two parts: northern and southern.

The Pyrenees are several parallel ranges stretching from west to east for 450 kilometers. This is one of the most inaccessible mountainous countries in Europe. Although on average they are not very high (a little over 2500 meters), they have only a few conveniently located passes. All passes are at an altitude of 1500-2000 m. Therefore, only four railways go from Spain to France: two of them bypass the Pyrenees along the coast from the northwest and southeast, and two more railways cross the Pyrenees in the Aerbe-Oloron- Saintes Marie and Ripoll - Prades, through a system of tunnels. The widest and highest part of the mountains is the central one. Here is their main peak - Aneto Peak, reaching 3405 meters.

From the northeast, the system of the Iberian mountains adjoins Meseta, the maximum height (Mon Cayo peak) is 2313 meters.

Between the eastern Pyrenees and the Iberian mountains stretch the low Catalan Mountains, the southern slopes of which break off in ledges to the Mediterranean Sea. The Catalan Mountains (average heights are 900-1200 meters, the peak is Mount Caro, 1447 meters) follow for 400 kilometers almost parallel to the Mediterranean coast and actually separate the Aragonese plateau from it. The areas of coastal plains developed in Murcia, Valencia and Catalonia north of Cape Palos to the border with France are highly fertile.

The entire southeast of the Iberian Peninsula is occupied by the Cordillera Betica, which is a system of massifs and ridges. The mountains of the Sierra Nevada serve as its crystalline axis. In height, they are second only to the Alps in Europe. Their summit, Mount Mulasen, at 3,478 meters, is the highest point in peninsular Spain. However, the highest mountain peak in Spain is located on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands) - this is Teide volcano, whose height reaches 3718 meters.

Most of the territory of Spain is located at an altitude of about 700 meters above sea level. It is the second highest country in Europe after Switzerland.

The only large lowland - Andalusian - is located in the south of the country. In the northeast of Spain in the valley of the river. The Ebro stretches the Aragonese plain. Smaller lowlands stretch along the Mediterranean Sea. One of the main rivers of Spain (and the only navigable one in the lower reaches) flows through the Andalusian lowland - Guadalquivir. The rest of the rivers, including the largest ones: Tajo and Duero, the lower reaches of which are located on the territory of neighboring Portugal, Ebro, Guadiana, are distinguished by sharp seasonal level fluctuations and rapids.

Large areas of the country suffer from lack of water. Related to this is the problem of erosion - millions of tons of topsoil are blown out every year.

Climate

Spain is one of the warmest countries in Western Europe. The average number of sunny days is 260-285. The average annual temperature on the Mediterranean coast is 20 degrees Celsius. In winter, the temperature drops below zero, usually only in the central and northern regions of the country. In summer, the temperature rises to 40 degrees and above (from the central part to the southern coast). On the northern coast, the temperature is not so high - about 25 degrees Celsius.

Spain is characterized by very deep internal climatic differences, and it can only conditionally be attributed entirely to the Mediterranean climatic region. These differences are manifested both in temperature and in annual amounts and precipitation patterns.

On the extreme northwest the climate is mild and humid with little temperature variation throughout the year and high rainfall. Constant winds from the Atlantic bring a lot of moisture, mainly in winter, when foggy and cloudy weather prevails with drizzling rain, almost without frost and snow. The average temperature of the coldest month is the same as in northwestern France. Summers are hot and humid, with average temperatures rarely below 16 degrees Celsius. Annual rainfall exceeds 1070 mm, and in some places reaches 2000 mm.

Completely different conditions internal parts countries - on the plateau of Old and New Castile and the Aragonese plain. In these areas, the influence of the plateau-mountain-hollow relief, considerable height, and local continental air is felt. They are characterized by relatively low rainfall (no more than 500 mm per year) and sharp seasonal temperature fluctuations. In Old Castile and the Plain of Aragon there are rather cold winters, with frosts and strong, harsh winds; summers are hot and rather dry, although the maximum precipitation falls on this season of the year. In Nueva Castile, the climate is slightly milder, with warmer winters but also low rainfall. Agriculture in all these areas needs artificial irrigation.

The soil

In the north-west of Spain, brown forest soil is developed on the coastal plains and windward slopes of the mountains. The interior of the country - Old and New Castile, the Iberian mountains and the Aragonese plateau - are characterized by brown soil; in the driest treeless areas, there are thin gray-brown calcareous soils with areas of solonchaks in relief depressions. Serozems are developed in the arid landscapes of Murcia. They are non-gypsum-bearing and not saline; when irrigated, they give high yields of fruit and other crops. Heavy clay barros soil stands out on flat ancient alluvial plains, especially favorable for rice cultivation.

Flora and fauna

A variety of climatic conditions - from humid in the north to arid in the south - determines the heterogeneity of the flora and vegetation of Spain. In the north, similarities with Central Europe appear, and in the south - with Africa. Traces of forest vegetation in Murcia, La Mancha and Granada indicate that in the past a significant part of the territory of Spain was afforested, but now forests and light forests occupy only 30% of the country's area, with only 5% falling on full closed forest stands.

Evergreen oak forests grow in the northwest of the country. There are more deciduous oak species in the mountain forests, along with beech, ash, birch and chestnut, which is typical of Central Europe. In the hinterland of Spain, in places, small tracts of dry evergreen forests are preserved, dominated by oak, interspersed with pine forests and shrubs. In the most arid areas of New Castile, the Aragonese plateau and Murcia, there are fragments of semi-deserts (usually on salt marshes).

In areas of southern Spain where there is more rainfall, especially along the coast, typical Mediterranean shrub-grass communities such as garriga and tomillara are present. Garriga is characterized by the participation of local species of gorse and cornflowers, for tomillara - the presence of aromatic labiales (shrub species of thyme, rosemary, etc.), as well as rockrose. A special variety of garriga is made up of scattered thickets of the dwarf fan palm, very characteristic of Andalusia, as well as communities dominated by tall alpha grass, or esparto, a hardy xerophyte that gives strong fiber.

In the fauna of Spain, Central European and African connections are obvious. Among European species, two varieties of the brown bear deserve mention (a large Asturian and a smaller, black suit found in the Pyrenees), a lynx, a wolf, a fox, a forest cat. There are deer, hares, squirrels and moles. The imperial eagle is found in Spain and North Africa, and the blue magpie found in the Iberian Peninsula is also found in East Asia. On both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar, there are genets, Egyptian mongooses and one species of chameleon.

Minerals

Minerals of Spain: The bowels of Spain abound in minerals. Especially significant are the reserves of metal ores, the deposits of which are associated with outcrops of the folded base of the Meseta or with volcanic rocks of mountain structures. Along the northwestern outskirts of the Meseta, within the Gallic massif, in the Caledonian and Proterozoic granite intrusions, there are tin, tungsten, and uranium ores. A strip of lead-zinc-silver deposits stretches along the southern outskirts of Meseta. There is also a large mercury deposit of global importance - Almaden. Iron ores are found in the north and south of Spain. They are confined to the structures of the Mesozoic and Alpine magmatic cycles. These are the well-known deposits of the Bilbao region on the northern slope of the Biscay Mountains and in Almeria on the southern slope of the Cordillera Beta. In the north, in the Carboniferous deposits that fill the foothill depression of the Asturian Mountains, there is the largest coal basin in the country. In addition, there are small deposits of coal on the southern slopes of the mountains and in some other areas. The Cenozoic deposits of intermountain and intramountain depressions contain strata of salts and brown coal. Significant reserves of potash salts are located within the Ebro plain.

It is worth noting, however, that most of the mineral deposits in the country are of very modest size and are rather heavily depleted, like many deposits in other European regions, which makes Spain dependent on mineral imports, mainly from North Africa.

Economy

Airports in Spain are subordinate to the public organization Spanish Airports and Air Navigation (Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (Aena)), which in turn is subordinate to the Ministry of Development (Ministerio de Fomento de España). Under the Catalan Autonomy Act of 2006, three Catalan airports were placed under the control of the Generalitat de Catalunya, which manages them jointly with the NGO Aerocat. Madrid Airport (Barajas) with 50.8 million passengers in 2008 is one of the busiest airports in the world. Barcelona Airport (El Prat) served 30 million passengers in 2008. Less busy airports are in Gran Canaria, Malaga, Valencia, Seville, Mallorca, Alicante and Bilbao.

Spanish airlines are: Air Europa, Air Nostrum, Air Pullmantur, Binter Canarias, Iberia LAE, Iberworld, Islas Airways, Spanair, Vueling Airlines.

Spain aims to have one million electric vehicles by 2014 as part of the government's plan to save energy and improve the environment.

Light industry

food industry

In the food industry, winemaking stands out (in terms of the production of grape wines, Spain in Europe is second only to France and Italy), the production of vegetable oil (1.7 million tons in 1996; Spain is the world leader in the production of olive oil (about 0.5 million tons per year). ), fruit and vegetable and canned fish. Spain is among the top ten world manufacturers of cars, ships, forging and pressing equipment and gas compressors, machine tools, petroleum products and chemical products. Half of industrial production is concentrated in the northeast (Catalonia), the north of the country (Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country) and in Greater Madrid.

Agriculture

The leading branch of agriculture is crop production (it gives St. 1/2 of the cost of production). They grow wheat (about 20% of the cultivated area), barley, corn (in the central and southern regions of the country), rice (on the irrigated lands of the Mediterranean coast; its yield in Spain is one of the highest in the world), potatoes and sugar beets, legumes, tomatoes, onions, peppers, eggplants and other vegetables (vegetables occupy 60% of the cultivated area), olives - (the leading place in the cultivation of olives in the world) - (Andalusia, Castile-la-Mancha, Extremadura), citrus fruits and tobacco. Viticulture - on the Mediterranean coast and in the regions of Castile-la-Mancha, Extremadura. In the very south of the country, almonds are grown (the leading export place in Western Europe), dates and sugar cane (in Europe they grow only in Spain), figs, pomegranates, cotton.

fishing

Spain is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of catching fish and seafood (1.1 million tons in 1996) and their processing, and is a major exporter of fresh fish and canned fish.

The main part of the fishery is carried out off the coast of the Basque Country and Galicia. The most caught are sardines, hake, mackerel, anchovies and cod. Every year, 20-25% of the total catch is processed into canned food.

Banking sector

Banks in Spain need to recapitalize 59.3 billion euros, according to the results of stress tests posted on the website of the Spanish central bank. The financial crisis in Spain led to an explosion of separatism. The economic crisis in Spain is gradually turning into a political one. On the one hand, regions with their extremely weak banks need help from the government. On the other hand, some territories, in particular Catalonia, believe that without the guiding and guiding hand of Madrid, they would feel much better.

The crisis was not limited to the financial sector. Property prices fell, which in turn increased unemployment. Spanish construction company Martinsa-Fadesa has filed for bankruptcy after failing to refinance a €5.1 billion debt. In the second quarter property prices in Spain fell by 20%. In the Castile-La Mancha region, approximately 69% of all buildings built in the past three years are still unsold. Deutsche Bank expects a 35% fall in property prices in Spain by 2011. Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero has blamed the European Central Bank for aggravating the situation by raising interest rates.

Population

Population dynamics:

city - 6.5 million people;
city - 4.5 million people;
city - 6 million people;
city - 11.3 million people;
city - 6.2 million people;
city - 11.55 million people;
city - 18.6 million people;
city - 24.1 million people;
city - 29.9 million people;
city - 36.3 million people;
city - 45.97 million people

The population of Spain is 46.16 million people (October 2011).

According to genetic studies of the University of Leeds, conducted in 2008, 20% of the modern population of Spain has Jewish roots, and 11% have Arabic and Berber roots.

Story

On the southwestern coast of Iberia, a culture arose in the Bronze Age, from which, at the end of the 2nd millennium, the Tartess civilization was formed, which traded metal with the Phoenicians. After the depletion of the mines, Tartessus falls into decay.

Along the east coast of Spain in the III millennium BC. e. Iberian tribes appeared; some hypotheses link their ancestral home to North Africa. From these tribes comes the ancient name of the peninsula - Iberian. In the middle of the II millennium BC. e. Iberians began to settle in fortified villages on the territory of modern Castile. The Iberians were mainly engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding and hunting, they knew how to make tools from copper and bronze. The Iberians used the Paleo-Spanish script created earlier by the Tartessians. The Iberian language was not related to Tartessian.

There is Roman evidence that Ligures previously lived in Spain, but nothing is known of their existence in the historical period.

In the late Bronze Age, the culture of the fields of funerary urns (the remnant of which in the historical period were probably the Lusitanians) penetrated into Iberia, and at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e. most of Iberia is colonized by Celtic tribes. Part of the Celts, who lived next to the Iberians, fell under their influence and created the Celtiberian culture; the Celts, who lived in the western part, maintained a relatively conservative way of life, were unliterate. The Celts of Iberia became famous as warriors. It was they who invented the double-edged sword, which later became the standard weapon of the Roman army and used against their own inventors.

20th century

XXI Century

In March 2004, 13 explosions rocked the approaches to the Atocha railway station in Madrid, killing 191 and injuring 2,050 people. This attack was organized by an underground Islamist organization that followed the ideology of Al-Qaeda. The explosions took place three days before the parliamentary elections and were the terrorists' response to the participation of the Spanish military in the military operation in Iraq. Most Spaniards blamed the attacks on the government of Prime Minister José María Aznar, who sent Spanish troops to support the US and Britain. The Aznar government made this decision unilaterally, without coordinating it with the parliament (Cortes) and despite the massive protests of civil society, which spoke at demonstrations of thousands of people against the participation of the Spanish army in the war. In addition, mass surveys of the population, conducted by a state agency, indicated that about 80% of the country's population was against Spain's entry into the war. Aznar's People's Party lost the March 14, 2004 elections.

In early 2004, the new socialist government of José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero made a sharp turn in Spanish foreign policy: from support for the US course to solidarity with most of the EU countries. After winning the elections on March 14, 2004, the socialist government withdrew Spanish troops from Iraq, thus fulfilling an important item in the electoral program of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). In the subsequent parliamentary elections held in 2008, the PSOE won again. New parliamentary elections in Spain took place on November 20, 2011.

In 2005, same-sex marriage was legalized in Spain. Thus, Spain became the third state in the world, after Holland and Belgium, to recognize the legal equality of marriage unions, regardless of the sex of the spouses. Currently, same-sex marriage is recognized in many countries, as well as in some US states.

One of the problems of modern Spain is the problem of immigration. Basically, residents of the Maghreb countries and Latin America come to Spain. At the beginning of the new century, there were an estimated 2.5 million Latin Americans in the EU countries, 800,000 of whom were in Spain. However, after the terrorist attacks of 2004, the attitude of the Spaniards towards immigrants has changed significantly.

Political structure

Administrative division

50 provinces, included in 17 autonomous regions. Also within Spain are 2 so-called autonomous cities (ciudades autónomas) in Africa - Ceuta, Melilla and the sovereign territories of Spain.

Andalusia (Spanish) Andalucia)
Aragon (Spanish) Aragon)
Asturias (Spanish) Principado de Asturias)
Balearic Islands (Spanish) Islas Baleares, cat. Illes Balears)
Basque Country (Spanish) Pais Vasco, bask. Euskadi)
Valencia (Spanish) Comunidad Valenciana)
Galicia (Spanish) Galicia, gallis. Galiza)
Canary Islands (Spanish) Islas Canarias)
Cantabria (Spanish) Cantabria)
Castile - La Mancha (Spanish) Castilla-La Mancha)
Castile and Leon (Spanish) Castilla y Leon)
Catalonia (Spanish) Cataluna, cat. Catalunya)
Madrid (as an autonomous region) (Spanish) Madrid)
Murcia (Spanish) Region of Murcia)
Navarre (Spanish) Navarra, bask. Nafarroa)
Rioja (Spanish) La Rioja)
Extremadura (Spanish) Extremadura)

Cities

The largest cities in Spain are:

culture

Spain is rightfully considered an open-air museum. The vastness of this country carefully preserves cultural and historical monuments that are world famous.

The most famous museum in Spain - the Prado Museum - is located in Madrid. Its vast exposition cannot be seen in one day. The museum was founded by Isabella of Braganza, wife of King Ferdinand VII. The Prado has its own branch, located in Cason del Buen Retiro, which houses unique collections of Spanish paintings and sculptures of the 19th century, as well as works by English and French painters. The museum itself presents large expositions of Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Flemish and German art. The Prado owes its name to the Prado de San Jeronimo alley, where it is located, laid back in the Enlightenment. Currently, the funds of the Prado Museum are 6,000 paintings, over 400 sculptures, as well as numerous treasures, including royal and religious collections. During several centuries of its existence, the Prado was patronized by many kings.

It is believed that the very first collection of the Prado Museum was formed under Charles I, known as the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. His heir, King Philip II, became famous not only for his bad temper and despotism, but also for his love of art. It is to him that the museum owes priceless acquisitions of paintings by Flemish masters. Philip was distinguished by a gloomy outlook, it is not surprising that the ruler was a fan of Bosch, an artist known for his bizarre pessimistic fantasy. Initially, Philip bought Bosch's paintings for El Escorial, the hereditary castle of the Spanish kings. And only in the XIX century the paintings were transferred to the Prado Museum. Now here you can see such masterpieces of the Dutch master as the "Garden of Delights" and "Hay Cart". Currently, in the museum you can enjoy not only paintings and sculptures, but also theatrical performances designed to "revive" the famous canvases. The first such staging was dedicated to the paintings of Velasquez and enjoyed great success with the public.

There are many more unique museums and galleries in Spain: the Picasso Museum and the National Art Museum of Catalonialocated in Barcelona, the National Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid, the El Greco Museum in Toledo, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art in Cuenca.

Spanish cuisine

Sport

Football has been the main sport in Spain since the beginning of the 20th century. Basketball, tennis, cycling, handball, motorcycling and, more recently, Formula One are also important due to the presence of Spanish champions in all these disciplines. Today, Spain is the world's leading sports power, the development of sports in the country in particular was spurred by the summer Olympic Games in Barcelona. In 2008, Spain won the European Football Championship, and in 2010 - the victory in the World Football Championship. In 2012, Spain won the European Football Championship over Italy with a score of 4:0.
In general, in the 2000s, the Spanish national teams won the world and European championships in almost all team sports: football, basketball, water polo, field hockey, roller hockey, handball, volleyball and the Davis Cup in tennis.

It is also worth noting that the Real Madrid football club is officially recognized as the best club in the world of the 20th century.

Military establishment

The new doctrine 1/2004 declares terrorism as the main enemy of Spain (both external and internal). It is noted that from now on, Spanish troops will be able to take part in international peacekeeping operations directly approved by the UN or, as was the case in Kosovo, enjoying the obvious support of the world community. In addition, participation in hostilities will require permission from the Spanish Parliament.

In the new military doctrine, the role of the JEMAD Defense General Staff, which is headed by General Felix Sans, has been increased. At the end of October 2004, he made a statement about the need to "balance" the unequal relationship between Spain and the United States, which developed after 1953, when Spain and the United States signed a military agreement on cooperation in the field of defense, according to which the United States received the right to use several large military bases in Spain.

In 2001, Spain abolished conscription and switched to a fully professional army.

There are no laws in Spain banning openly gays and lesbians from serving in the armed forces. On March 4, 2009, Spanish Defense Minister Carme Chacón (the first woman to hold this post) issued a decree repealing a pre-existing law that prohibited transgender people from serving in the armed forces.

Spanish foreign policy

The preamble to the Spanish Constitution proclaims the willingness to "cooperate in strengthening peaceful relations and cooperation with all countries of the world." Currently, Spain's foreign policy is mainly based on three directions: Europe (especially the EU), the Ibero-American direction, the countries of the Mediterranean Sea.

To date, Spain has diplomatic relations with all UN countries. Recently, Spain has relations with Bhutan (since October 2010), South Sudan (since independence from Sudan in July 2011) and the state of Karibati (since September 2011).

On April 12, 1994, the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Spain was signed. Currently, bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Spain have an extensive contractual and legal framework: more than 50 treaties, agreements, protocols and other documents form the basis for interaction in various fields.

Morocco

In the foreign policy of Spain, Morocco occupies one of the key places, for which the Moroccan kingdom is the most important African partner, if only because of its territorial proximity. The main areas of Spanish policy in Morocco are: issues related to the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, the unresolved problem with Western Sahara, problems of illegal migration, issues of stopping drug smuggling, etc.

Relations between Spain and the Maghreb countries began to develop most actively after the Socialist Party came to power in Spain in 1982.

Under the government of the People's Party, headed by Prime Minister H. M. Aznar, who were in power from 1996 to 2004, relations could not be called good and were rather characterized by instability, in particular, the conflict over the island of Perejil (Leila) occupies a bright place in 2002.

The socialists, who came back to power in April 2004, led by José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, were determined to improve relations with their neighbors, and especially with Morocco. Since the meeting between Mohamed VI and Juan Carlos in 2005, relations between the two monarchs have improved markedly. The conflict in Western Sahara, which arose a long time ago, has always had an adverse effect on relations between the two countries. After the aborted quadripartite conference, Morocco in 1975 authorized the "Green March" on Western Sahara with the aim of "cleansing" Western Sahara from Spain. The result was an agreement between Spain, Mauritania and Morocco on the transfer of temporary control over the Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania.

An important component of relations between the two countries are close economic ties. In 1995, the Moroccan government decides to put everything on foreign investors, the most important of which are Spain and France.

Peace missions

The armed forces of Spain, consisting of 3,000 people, took part in 5 peacekeeping missions of the EU, NATO, and the UN. These missions are: International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan; EUFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina; KFOR in Kosovo; FINUL to Lebanon and UN mission to Darfur (Chad).

Various questions

Transport in Spain

The length of motor roads is 328,000 km. Car park - more than 19 million cars. Roads carry out 90% of passenger and 79% of cargo transportation. The length of railways is 14589 km. About 6.5% of all land transport cargo and 6% of passengers are transported.

About 300 ships with a total displacement of 1.511 million tons are involved in maritime transport. From 30 million tons of foreign trade cargo are transported by ships under the Spanish flag annually. 24 seaports control almost 93% of all traffic.

The leading place is occupied by air transport. Of the 42 airports, 34 carry out regular flights. Madrid International Airport handles 56 million passengers every year. The airport in Barcelona serves about 30 million passengers annually.

Education in Spain

Spain has a system of compulsory free secondary education from 6 to 16 years. About 70% study in public schools, 96.5% - in public universities.

The largest universities in the country: Autonomous University of Madrid, Complutense (in Madrid), Barcelona Central and Autonomous, Santiago de Compostea, Polytechnic University of Valencia.

Media in Spain

Spain has a well developed media network. 137 newspapers and about 1000 magazines are published. The most read daily newspapers are Pais, Mundo, Vanguardia, ABC, Periodiko, Marka. Magazines for women "Patrones", Labores del HOGAR, Moda.

The leading radio stations are SER, COPE, Radio Nacional de España (RNE). The international department of Spanish national radio, known as Radio Exterior de España, broadcasts in Spanish and six foreign languages. The Russian Spanish Foreign Broadcasting Service has been operating (with a short break) since the time of Franco, but is less known than similar broadcasters in Russian from the USA, Germany, and France.

The largest TV channels: TVE (covers the entire territory of the country), private studios "Telesinko" and "Antena 3", as well as round-the-clock news Canal 24 Horas, broadcasting around the world. The Autonomous Communities have their own regional television, which also broadcasts in national languages.

Siesta in Spain

Crime in Spain

In recent years, the proportion of immigrants among Spanish offenders has gradually increased. This is due to increased immigration to Spain (including illegal) from African countries, as well as from Latin America. Among the latter, two gangs from the Dominican Republic became especially active: Dominicans Don't Play (“Dominicans do not joke”) and Trinitarios (“Trinitaria” - named after the underground organization “La Trinitaria”, which fought for the independence of the Dominican Republic from Haiti in 1838 ) .

Real estate market in Spain

The average cost per square meter in Spain for the 1st trimester of 2011 is 1777.6 euros (1793.8 euros - new construction; 1764.8 euros - second-hand). The highest prices (in €/m²) : San Sebastian - 3762.3; San Cugat del Valles - 3282.6; Getcho - 3224.3; Barcelona - 3103.5; Pozuelo de Alarcon - 2964.0; Madrid - 2921.0.

The main real estate in Spain is villas, apartments and apartments. At the moment, buying property in Spain has become more profitable, since on August 20, 2011, the Spanish government temporarily changed the tax - VAT on the purchase of new housing from 8% to 4%.

Telecommunications in Spain

In astronomy

The asteroid (804) Spain, discovered on 20 March 1915 by Spanish astronomer José Comas Sola at the Fabra Observatory in Barcelona, is named after Spain. It was the first asteroid discovered from Spanish territory.

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