Reino de España Kingdom of Spain
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Plus Ultra"  (Latin) "Further Beyond"
Anthem: ""Marcha Real"  (Spanish) "Royal March"
Location of  Spain  (dark green) – on the European continent  (light green & dark grey) – in the European Union  (light green)  —  [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Madrid 40°26′N, 3°42′W
Official languages		Spanish[2]
Recognised regional languages		Aranese, Basque, Catalan/Valencian and Galician
Ethnic groups		89% Spanish, 11% minority groups
Demonym		Spanish, Spaniard
Government		Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy
-	Monarch	King Juan Carlos I
-	President of    the Government	José L. Rodríguez Zapatero
Formation		15th century
-	Unification	1469
-	Dynastic union	1516
-	de facto	1716
-	de jure	1812
EU accession		January 1, 1986
Area
-	Total	504,030 km² (51st) 195,364 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1. The current Coat of arms of Spain was approved by law in 1981 when the present established replaced the interim version which in turn replaced the official arms of Francoist A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group Plus ultra ( Latin for further beyond, further yet, more beyond or yet beyond) is the national motto of Spain adopted Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's es '''La Marcha Real''' ("The Royal March " is the National anthem of Spain. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Spain has 46063000 inhabitants according to 2008 census Its population density at 91 Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory A regional language is a Language spoken in an area of a Nation state, whether it be a small area a federal State or Province, or Aranese (aranés is a standardized form of the Pyrenean Gascon variety of the Occitan language spoken in the Aran Valley, in northwestern Catalonia Basque ( native name: euskara) is the Language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is Early life Juan Carlos was born in Rome, where his grandfather Alfonso XIII of Spain lived in exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic The Prime Minister of Spain, (officially the President of the Government, Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno) is the Spanish Head of government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current The Catholic Monarchs (los Reyes Católicos is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon Charles V (24 February 1500 &ndash 21 September 1558 was The Nueva Planta decrees (Decretos de Nueva Planta were a number of Decrees signed between 1707 and 1716 by Philip V &mdashthe first Bourbon king of The Spanish Constitution of 1812 was promulgated by the Cádiz Cortes, the national legislative assembly ( Cortes Generales "General Courts" The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in A Member State of the European Union is any one of the twenty-seven sovereign Nation states that have acceded the European Union (EU since its De facto New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions we list here Surface areas between 100000 km² and 1000000 km² This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" 04
Population
-	2007 estimate	45,200,737[1] (28th)
-	Density	90 people/km² (106th) 231/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007[2] estimate
-	Total	$1. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 310 trillion (11th)
-	Per capita	$33,700 (2007) (27th)
GDP (nominal)		2007[3] estimate
-	Total	$1. There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita 439 trillion (8th)
-	Per capita	$31,471 (2007) (26th)
Gini (2005)		32[4]
HDI (2005)		0. PLEASE NO RANDOM FIGURES THERE ARE NO FIGURES BASED ON NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product Per capita at Nominal values, the The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion most prominently used as a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP 949 (high) (13th)
Currency		Euro (€) ³ (EUR)
Time zone		CET4 (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD		.es, .cat5
Calling code		+34
1	Also serves as the Royal anthem. This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Program 's Human Development Report 2007 A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e The euro sign (€ is the Currency sign used for the Euro, the official currency of the European Union (EU ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established Central European Time ( CET) is one of the names of the Time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. Daylight saving time ( DST Central European Summer Time ( CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 Time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E A royal anthem is a patriotic song much like a National anthem but specifically praising or praying for a Monarch or royal dynasty
2	In some autonomous communities, Aranese (Occitan), Basque, Catalan/Valencian, and Galician are co-official languages. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. Aranese (aranés is a standardized form of the Pyrenean Gascon variety of the Occitan language spoken in the Aran Valley, in northwestern Catalonia Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan Basque ( native name: euskara) is the Language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official
3	Prior to 1999 (by law, 2002) : Spanish Peseta. The peseta ( ISO 4217 code ESP standard abbreviation Pta Pts or Ptas
4	Except in the Canary Islands, which are in the WET time zone (UTC, UTC+1 in summer). The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish Western European Time ( WET, UTC+0, and commonly known as Greenwich Mean Time in the United Kingdom) is the Time zone
5	The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Also, the .cat domain is used in Catalan-speaking territories.

Spain (Spanish: España (help·info), IPA: [es'paɲa]) or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España),^[5] is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The term Southern Europe can have four definitions geographical political climatic phytogeographic The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra The Spanish mainland is bordered to the south and east almost entirely by the Mediterranean Sea (except for a tiny land boundary with Gibraltar); to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal. Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra ( Catalan: Principat d'Andorra) is a small Landlocked country in western Cantabrian Sea redirects here Not to be confused with Biscay Bay Newfoundland and Labrador or Biscayne Bay. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish The plazas de soberanía ("places of sovereignty" formerly referred as "África Septentrional Española" (Spanish North Africa or simply "África North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which Melilla is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African coast Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa With an area of 504,030 km², Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe (behind France) and with an average altitude of 650 m, the second highest country in Europe (behind Switzerland). Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation

Spain is a constitutional monarchy organised as a parliamentary democracy and has been a member of the European Union since 1986. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in It is a developed country with the eighth largest economy in the world and fifth largest in the EU, based on nominal GDP. The term developed country, or advanced country, is used to categorize countries with developed Economies in which the tertiary and quaternary sectors ^[6]

History

Main article: History of Spain

Summary

Spain is a key site when it comes to studying both the arrival of the first hominids recorded in Europe and the prehistoric stage of this continent. The History of Spain spans the period from Prehistoric Iberia, through the rise and fall of the first global empire, to Spain's current position A hominid is any member of the biological family Hominidae (the "great apes" including the extinct and extant Humans Chimpanzees Under the Roman Empire, Hispania flourished and became one of the empire's most important regions. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar During the early Middle Age it came under Germanic rule. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic Later, nearly the entire peninsula came under Muslim rulers. Through a long process Christian kingdoms in the north gradually rolled back Muslim rule which was finally extinguished in 1492 as well as expelling or killing the Jews or forcing many to convert. The Reconquista (a Spanish and Portuguese word for "Reconquest" Arabic: الاسترداد, "Recapturing" was a period That year Columbus reached the Americas, the beginnings of a global empire. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America A global empire involves the extension of a state's sovereignty over territories all around the World. Spain became the strongest kingdom in Europe in the 16th and first half of the 17th centuries but continued wars and other problems eventually led to a diminished status. List of Spanish wars 218 BC - 17 BC Roman Conquest of Hispania 711 - 718 Umayyad In the middle decades of the 20th century it came under a dictatorship, under which it went through many years of stagnation and then a spectacular economic revival. Democracy was recovered in 1978 under the form of a constitutional monarchy. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is In 1986 it joined the European Union and has experienced an economic and cultural renaissance.

Prehistory and pre-Roman peoples in the Iberian Peninsula

Main article: Prehistoric Iberia

Archeological research at Atapuerca indicates that the Iberian Peninsula was peopled more than a million years ago. The Prehistory of the Iberian peninsula begins with the arrival of the first Hominins c ^[7] Modern humans in the form of Cro-Magnons began arriving in the Iberian Peninsula through the Pyrenees some 35,000 years ago. Cro-Magnon ( French) is one of the main types of Homo sapiens of the European Upper Paleolithic, living approximately 40000 to 10000 years The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés The best known artifacts of these prehistoric human settlements are the famous paintings in the Altamira cave of Cantabria in northern Spain, which were created about 15,000 BCE. Furthermore, archeological evidence in places like Los Millares in Almería and in El Argar in Murcia suggests that developed cultures existed in the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula during the late Neolithic and the Bronze Age. Los Millares is the name of a Chalcolithic occupation site 17km north of Almería, in the municipality of Santa Fe de Mondújar, Andalusia El Argar is the Type site of an Early Bronze Age culture called the Argaric culture, which flourished from the town of Antas, Almería Murcia ( is the capital city of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, located at the river Segura in south-eastern Spain. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for

The two main historical peoples of the peninsula were the Iberians and the Celts, the former inhabiting the Mediterranean side from the northeast to the southwest, the latter inhabiting the Atlantic side, in the north and northwest part of the peninsula. The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources (among others Hecataeus of Miletus, Avienus, Herodot and Strabo Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts In the inner part of the peninsula, where both groups were in contact, a mixed, distinctive, culture was present, known as Celtiberian. The Celtiberians (or Celt-Iberians were a Celtic people of Hallstatt culture In addition, Basques occupied the western area of the Pyrenees mountains. The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France. Other ethnic groups existed along the southern coastal areas of present day Andalusia. Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area Among these southern groups there grew the earliest urban culture in the Iberian Peninsula, that of the semi-mythical southern city of Tartessos (perhaps pre-1100 BC) near the location of present-day Cádiz. Tartessos (also Tartessus) was a harbor city and its surrounding culture on the south coast of the Cádiz ( Spanish:) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the province of the same name, a province which is one of eight The flourishing trade in gold and silver between the people of Tartessos and Phoenicians and Greeks is documented in the history of Strabo and in the biblical book of king Solomon. Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. Between about 500 BC and 300 BC, the seafaring Phoenicians and Greeks founded trading colonies all along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Carthaginians briefly took control of much of the Mediterranean coast in the course of the Punic Wars, until they were eventually defeated and replaced by the Romans. Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage between 264 and 146 BC and were probably the largest wars yet of the ancient ^[8]

Roman Empire and Germanic invasions

Roman theater in Mérida. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the

Main article: Hispania

During the Second Punic War, an expanding Roman Empire captured Carthaginian trading colonies along the Mediterranean coast (from roughly 210 BC to 205 BC), leading to eventual Roman control of nearly the entire Iberian Peninsula - a control which lasted over 500 years, bound together by law, language, and the Roman road. Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar The Second Punic War (referred to as "The War Against Hannibal" by the Romans lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news ^[9] The base Celt and Iberian population remained in various stages of Romanisation,^[10] and local leaders were admitted into the Roman aristocratic class. Romanization may also refer to linguistics see Romanization. Romanization was a gradual process of Cultural assimilation, in which ^[8]

The Romans improved existing cities, such as Lisbon (Olissis bona or 'good for Ulysses') and Tarragona (Tarraco), and established Zaragoza (Caesaraugusta), Mérida (Augusta Emerita), Valencia (Valentia), León ("Legio Septima"), Badajoz ("Pax Augusta"), and Palencia (Παλλαντία, "Pallas Ateneia"). Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. Tarragona (tərəˈɣonə in Catalan) is a city located in the south of Catalonia and east of Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. Zaragoza, also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza province and of the autonomous community and former Mérida is the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. Valencia ( Valencian: València, Valencia Spanish phonology --> is the capital of the Spanish autonomous History León was founded in the 1st century BC by the Roman legion Legio VI ''Victrix''. Badajoz - (IPA, formerly written Badajos in English the capital of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community Other use Palencia Guatemala. Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of ^[11] The peninsula's economy expanded under Roman tutelage. Hispania served as a granary for the Roman market, and its harbors exported gold, wool, olive oil, and wine. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species Olive oil is a fruit oil obtained from the olive ( Olea europaea; family Oleaceae along with Lilacs Jasmine and ash trees Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice Agricultural production increased with the introduction of irrigation projects, some of which remain in use. Emperors Trajan, Theodosius I, and the philosopher Seneca were born in Hispania. Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who Flavius Theodosius (January 11 347 – January 17 395 also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great ( Greek: Θεοδόσιος Α΄ Lucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca, or Seneca the Younger; Σένεκας in Ancient Greek literature (c ^[12] Christianity was introduced into Hispania in the first century CE and it became popular in the cities in the second century CE. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings ^[8] Most of Spain's present languages and religion, and the basis of its laws, originate from this period. ^[9]

The first Germanic tribes to invade Hispania arrived in the 5th century, as the Roman Empire decayed. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The Decline of the Roman Empire, leading to the Fall of the Roman Empire, or the Fall of Rome, was the end of the Western Roman Empire. ^[9] The Visigoths, Suebi, Vandals and Alans arrived in Spain by crossing the Pyrenees mountain range. The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East The Suebi or Suevi (from Proto-Germanic * swēbaz based on the Proto-Germanic root * swē- meaning "one's own" The Alans or Alani (occasionally but more rarely termed Alauni or Halani) were an Iranian nomadic group among the Sarmatian people ^[13] The Romanized Visigoths entered Hispania in 415. Romanization may also refer to linguistics see Romanization. Romanization was a gradual process of Cultural assimilation, in which After the conversion of their monarchy to Roman Catholicism, the Visigothic Kingdom eventually encompassed a great part of the Iberian Peninsula after conquering the disordered Suebic territories in the northwest and Byzantine territories in the southeast. ^[8]

Muslim Iberia

Main article: Al-Andalus

In the 8th century, nearly all of the Iberian Peninsula was conquered (711-718) by mainly Berber Muslims (see Moors) from North Africa. Al-Andalus (الأندلس was the Arabic name given to those parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslims or The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra The Umayyad conquest of Hispania ( 711 – 718) began as an army of the Umayyad Caliphate consisting largely of Berbers inhabitants Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent These conquests were part of the expansion of the Umayyad Islamic Empire. ^[14] Only a number of areas in the mountains to the north of the Iberian Peninsula managed to cling to their independence, occupying the areas roughly corresponding to modern Asturias, Navarre and Aragon. The Principality of Asturias ( Spanish: Principado de Asturias, Asturian: Principáu d'Asturies or Asturies) is an Aragon ( Spanish: "Aragón") is an autonomous community of Spain.

Interior of the Mezquita in Córdoba, a Muslim mosque until the Reconquest, after which it became a Christian cathedral. The Mezquita (Spanish for " Mosque " of Cordoba is a Roman Catholic Cathedral and former mosque situated in the Andalusian city of Córdoba ||-||-||} Córdoba ( Cordova in English is a City in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger

Under Islam, Christians and Jews were recognised as "peoples of the book", and were free to practice their religion, but faced a number of mandatory discriminations and penalties as dhimmis. Islam in Spain has had a fundamental presence in the culture and history of the nation This article is about the theological concept in Islam. For the novel by Geraldine Brooks see People of the Book (novel. A dhimmi ( ذمي, collectively أهل الذمة, ahl al-dhimma, the people of the dhimma or pact of protection Ottoman Turkish ^[15][16][17] Conversion to Islam proceeded at a steadily increasing pace. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Following the mass conversions in the 10th and 11th centuries it is believed that Muslims came to outnumber Christians in the remaining Muslim controlled areas. ^[18]

The Muslim community in the Iberian peninsula was itself diverse and beset by social tensions. The Berber people of North Africa, who had provided the bulk of the invading armies, clashed with the Arab leadership from the Middle East. Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. The Great Berber Revolt of 740-43 AD (122-25 AH in the Muslim calendar) took place during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik and The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. ^[19] Over time, large Moorish populations became established, especially in the Guadalquivir River valley, the coastal plain of Valencia, and (towards the end of this period) in the mountainous region of Granada. The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent The Guadalquivir is the fifth longest River in Spain (after the Tagus, Ebro, Duero and Guadiana) and the longest in The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous region of Andalusia, Spain. ^[18]

Córdoba, the capital of the caliphate, was the largest, richest and most sophisticated city of medieval western Europe. ||-||-||} Córdoba ( Cordova in English is a City in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history ^[20] Mediterranean trade and cultural exchange flourished. Muslims imported a rich intellectual tradition from the Middle East and North Africa. Muslim and Jewish scholars played a great part in reviving and expanding classical Greek learning in Western Europe. The Culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years with its beginnings in the Mycenaean and Minoan Civilizations, continuing most notably into Classical Greece The Romanized cultures of the Iberian peninsula interacted with Muslim and Jewish cultures in complex ways, thus giving the region a distinctive culture. Romanization may also refer to linguistics see Romanization. Romanization was a gradual process of Cultural assimilation, in which ^[18] Outside the cities, where the vast majority lived, the land ownership system from Roman times remained largely intact as Muslim leaders rarely dispossessed landowners, and the introduction of new crops and techniques led to a remarkable expansion of agriculture.

However, by the 11th century, Muslim holdings had fractured into rival Taifa kingdoms, allowing the small Christian states the opportunity to greatly enlarge their territories and consolidate their positions. A taifa (from طائفة ṭā'ifa, plural طوائف ṭawā'if) in the history of Iberia was an independent Muslim -ruled principality ^[18] The arrival of the North African Muslim ruling sects of the Almoravids and the Almohads restored unity upon Muslim holdings, with a stricter, less tolerant application of Islam, but ultimately, after some successes in invading the north, proved unable to resist the increasing military strength of the Christian states. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The Almoravids, was a Berber dynasty from the Sahara that spread over a wide area of North-Western Africa and the Iberian peninsula during The Almohad Dynasty (From Arabic الموحدون al-Muwahhidun, i For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. ^[8]

Fall of Muslim rule and unification

Main article: Reconquista

See also: Medieval demography

Equal partners: King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, the Catholic Monarchs. The Reconquista (a Spanish and Portuguese word for "Reconquest" Arabic: الاسترداد, "Recapturing" was a period Medieval Demography is the study of human Demography in Europe during the Middle Ages. Tanto monta monta tanto Isabel como Fernando, "They amount to the same" was the Motto of a prenutial agreement made by the Spanish monarchs Isabella I of Castile Ferdinand II of Aragon the Catholic (Fernando II de Aragón y V de Castilla "el Católico" Ferran II d'Aragó "el Catòlic" Ferrando II d'Aragón The Catholic Monarchs (los Reyes Católicos is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon

The term Reconquista ("Reconquest") is used to describe the centuries-long period of expansion of Spain's Christian kingdoms; the Reconquista is viewed as beginning after the battle of Covadonga in 722. Covadonga - ( Asturian: Cuadonga) from Latin Cova Dominica, "Cavern of the Lady" Arabic: صخرة بلاي Ṣakhraḧ Bilāy The Christian army victory over the Muslim forces lead to the creation of the Christian Kingdom of Asturias. The Kingdom of Asturias was the first Christian political entity to be established in the Iberian peninsula after the collapse of the Visigothic Muslim armies had also moved north of the Pyrenees, but they were defeated at the Battle of Poitiers in France. The Battle of Tours (October 10 732 also called the Battle of Poitiers and in معركة بلاط الشهداء (ma‘arakat Balâṭ ash-Shuhadâ’ Battle of Court Subsequently, they retreated to more secure positions south of the Pyrenees with a frontier marked by the Ebro and Duero rivers in Spain. The Ebro ( Ebre) is Spain 's most voluminous river Its source is in Fontibre ( Cantabria) The Douro or Duero ( Latin: Durius, Spanish: Duero, Portuguese: Douro, pron. As early as 739 Muslim forces were driven from Galicia, which was to host one of medieval Europe's holiest sites, Santiago de Compostela. Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. Santiago de Compostela (also Saint James of Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia and a UNESCO World A little later Frankish forces established Christian counties south of the Pyrenees; these areas were to grow into kingdoms, in the north-east and the western part of the Pyrenees. The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group These territories included Navarre, Aragon and Catalonia. ^[21]

The breakup of Al-Andalus into the competing Taifa kingdoms helped the expanding Christian kingdoms. The capture of the central city of Toledo in 1085 largely completed the reconquest of the northern half of Spain. Toledo Spain locationpng|thumb|right|200px|Location of Toledo in Spain ^[22] After a Muslim resurgence in the 12th century,^[23] the great Moorish strongholds in the south fell to Christian Spain in the 13th century—Córdoba in 1236 and Seville in 1248—leaving only the Muslim enclave of Granada as a tributary state in the south. ||-||-||} Córdoba ( Cordova in English is a City in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. Seville ( Spanish: Sevilla, see also different names) is the artistic cultural and financial capital of southern Spain. Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous region of Andalusia, Spain. A tribute (from Latin tribulum, contribution is wealth one party gives to another as a sign of respect or as was often case in historical contexts of submission ^[24] Marinid invasions from north Africa in the 13th and 14th centuries failed to re-establish Muslim rule. The Anglicised name used for this article derives from the Arabic Banu Marin (also Benī Merīn, which is the source of the Spanish name Also in the 13th century, the kingdom of Aragon, still ruled by the Catalan count of Barcelona, expanded its reach across the Mediterranean to Sicily. Aragon ( Spanish: "Aragón") is an autonomous community of Spain. The Crown of Aragon was a permanent union of multiple titles and states in the hands of the King of Aragon. Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. ^[25] Around this time the universities of Palencia (1212/1263) and Salamanca (1218/1254) were established; among the earliest in Europe. The University of Palencia was founded by Alfonso VIII at the request of Bishop Tello Téllez de Meneses and was the first university of Spain. The University of Salamanca (Universidad de Salamanca located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid, is the oldest university in Spain (the older The Black Death of 1348 and 1349 devastated Spain. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia ^[26]

In 1469, the crowns of the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon were united (even though both kingdoms kept a high degree of political and economical independence) by the marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand. The Crown of Castile, as a historic entity is usually considered to have begun in 1230 with the third and definitive union of the two kingdoms of León and Castile The Crown of Aragon was a permanent union of multiple titles and states in the hands of the King of Aragon. The Catholic Monarchs (los Reyes Católicos is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II of Aragon the Catholic (Fernando II de Aragón y V de Castilla "el Católico" Ferran II d'Aragó "el Catòlic" Ferrando II d'Aragón In 1478 began the final stage of the conquest of Canary Islands and in 1492, these united kingdoms captured Granada, ending the last remnant of a 781-year presence of Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula. The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish Conquest (710–756 See also Umayyad conquest of Hispania 710 - The Berber General Tariq ibn Ziyad takes Tangier. ^[27] The year 1492 also marked the arrival in the New World of Christopher Columbus, during a voyage funded by Isabella. The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer That same year, Spain's Jews were ordered to convert into the Catholicism or face expulsion from Spanish territories during the Spanish Inquisition. Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural Conversos ( Spanish and Portuguese for "a convert" from Latin conversus, "converted turned around" and its feminine form As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion) was an edict issued on 31 March, 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of The Spanish Inquisition started and was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile to maintain ^[28][29]

As Renaissance New Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand centralized royal power at the expense of local nobility, and the word España - whose root is the ancient name "Hispania" - began to be used to designate the whole of the two kingdoms. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere New Monarchs were the rulers of European nations during the 15th century who unified their nations creating a stable and centralized government ^[29] With their wide-ranging political, legal, religious and military reforms, Spain emerged as the first world power.

Imperial Spain

Main articles: Habsburg Spain and Enlightenment Spain

The unification of the kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, León, and Navarre laid the basis for modern Spain and the Spanish Empire. Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries (1516-1700 when this country was ruled by the Habsburg dynasty (also associated to The Age of Enlightenment (in Spanish Ilustración) came to Spain in the eighteenth century with the French Bourbon dynasty, after the decay Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. The Spanish Empire (Imperio Español was one of the largest Empires in history and one of the first Global empires In the 15th and 16th centuries ^[30] Spain became Europe's leading power throughout the 16th century and most of the 17th century, a position reinforced by trade and wealth from colonial possessions. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar Spain reached its apogee during the reigns of the first two Spanish Habsburgs, Charles I (1516–1556) and Philip II (1556–1598). Charles V (24 February 1500 &ndash 21 September 1558 was Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 Included in this period are the Italian Wars, the Dutch revolt, clashes with the Ottomans, the Anglo-Spanish war and war with France. The Dutch Revolt, Eighty Years' War or the Revolt of the Netherlands (1568—1648 was the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces in the Low Countries The Anglo–Spanish War (1585–1604 was an intermittent conflict between the kingdoms of Spain and England, which was never formally declared Early Modern France is the Early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century (or from the French Renaissance ^[31]

The galleon became synonymous with the riches of the Spanish Empire. A galleon was a large multi-decked Sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries The Spanish Empire (Imperio Español was one of the largest Empires in history and one of the first Global empires In the 15th and 16th centuries

The Spanish Empire expanded to include most part of South and Central America, Mexico, southern and western portions of today's United States, the Philippines, Guam and the Mariana Islands in Eastern Asia, the Iberian peninsula (including the Portuguese Empire (from 1580), southern Italy, Sicily, cities in Northern Africa, as well as parts of modern Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Guam ( Chamorro: cha Guåhån) officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated The Mariana Islands (also the Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called Ladrones Islands, from Spanish Islas de los Ladrones meaning The Malay Archipelago is a name given to the Archipelago located between mainland Southeastern Asia ( Indochina) and Australia. The Portuguese Empire was the earliest and longest lived of the modern European colonial empires spanning almost six centuries from the capture of Ceuta Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands It was the first empire about which it was said that the sun did not set. This article is about the history the use of this phrase For more general information see Empire, Imperialism and articles on the various historical entities This was an age of discovery, with daring explorations by sea and by land, the opening up of new trade routes across oceans, conquests and the beginnings of European colonialism. The Age of Discovery or Age of Exploration was a period from the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans explored See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism Along with the arrival of precious metals, spices, luxuries, and new agricultural plants, Spanish explorers and others brought back knowledge, playing a leading part in transforming the European understanding of the world. This list of explorers is sorted by surname See also the links below. ^[32]

Of note was the cultural efflorescence now known as the Spanish Golden Age and the intellectual movement known as the School of Salamanca. This article is about the Spanish Golden Age of the 15th-17th centuries The School of Salamanca is the Renaissance of thought in diverse intellectual areas by Spanish theologians, rooted in the intellectual and pedagogical

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Spain was confronted by unrelenting challenges from all sides. Barbary pirates under the aegis of the rapidly growing Ottoman empire, disrupted life in many coastal areas through their slave raids and renewed the threat of an Islamic invasion. The Barbary pirates, also sometimes called Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim Pirates and Privateers that operated from North Africa, from The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another The initial Arab Muslim conquests (632–732 (فتح Fatah, literally opening, also referred to as the Islamic conquests or Arab ^[33] This at a time when Spain was often at war with France in Italy and elsewhere. Later the Protestant Reformation schism from the Catholic Church dragged the kingdom ever more deeply into the mire of religiously charged wars. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time The result was a country forced into ever expanding military efforts across Europe and in the Mediterranean. ^[34]

By the middle decades of a war and plague ridden 17th century Europe, the effects of the strain began to show. War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units The Great Plague of Seville (1647–1652 was a massive outbreak of disease in Spain that killed up to a quarter of Seville 's population The Spanish Habsburgs had enmeshed the country in the continent wide religious-political conflicts. These conflicts drained it of resources and undermined the European economy generally. Spain managed to hold on to most of the scattered Habsburg empire, and help the imperial forces of the Holy Roman Empire reverse a large part of the advances made by Protestant forces, but it was finally forced to recognise the independence of Portugal - with its empire - and the Netherlands, and eventually began to surrender territories to France after the immensely destructive, Europe-wide Thirty Years War. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands For the Mauritanian Thirty Years' War see Char Bouba war. For the band see The 30 Years War. ^[35]

During the latter half of the 17th century, Spain went into a gradual decline, however it maintained and enlarged its vast overseas empire, which remained intact until the 19th century.

The decline culminated in a controversy over succession to the throne which consumed the first years of the 18th century. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system The War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714), a wide ranging international conflict combined with a civil war, cost Spain its European possessions and its position as one of the leading powers on the Continent. In the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714 several European powers combined to stop French succession to the Spanish throne and what would likely have been a resulting ^[36]

During this war, a new dynasty—the French Bourbons—was installed. The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. Long united only by the Crown, a true Spanish state was established when the first Bourbon king Philip V of Spain united Castile and Aragon into a single state, abolishing many of the regional privileges (fueros). Philip V of Spain ( December 19, 1683 - July 9, 1746) born Philippe de France, Fils de France and duc d'Anjou Fuero ( Spanish) is a Spanish legal term and conceptThe word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market tribunal ^[37]

The 18th century saw a gradual recovery and an increase in prosperity through much of the empire. The new Bourbon monarchy drew on the French system of modernising the administration and the economy. The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. Enlightenment ideas began to gain ground among some of the kingdom's elite and monarchy. The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century Towards the end of the century trade finally began growing strongly. Military assistance for the rebellious British colonies in the American War of Independence improved Spain's international standing. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" ^[38]

Napoleonic rule and its consequences

Main article: Mid-nineteenth century Spain

"The Second of May, 1808: The Charge of the Mamelukes", by Francisco Goya, 1814. Spain in the mid-nineteenth century was a country in turmoil Occupied by Napoleon from 1808 to 1814 a massively destructive " war of independence " ensued The Second of May 1808, also known as The Charge of the Mamelukes, is a painting by the Spanish master Francisco de Goya.

In 1793, Spain went to war against the new French Republic, which had overthrown and executed its Bourbon king, Louis XVI. The First Republic in France, officially the French Republic (République française was proclaimed on 21 September 1792 during the French Revolution. Louis XVI ( 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) Louis-Auguste de France, ruled as King of France and Navarre The war polarised the country in an apparent reaction against the gallicised elites. Francization or Gallicization (and informally Frenchification) is a process of Cultural assimilation that gives a French character to a Defeated in the field, Spain made peace with France in 1795 and effectively became a client state of that country; the following year, it declared war against Britain and Portugal. Client state is one of several terms used to describe the subordination of one state to a more powerful state in international affairs A disastrous economic situation, along with other factors, led to the abdication of the Spanish king in favour of Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte. Abdication (from the Latin abdicatio, disowning renouncing from ab, away from and dicare, to declare to proclaim as not belonging to one Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte King of Naples and Sicily, King of Spain (during a time) and the Indies (never de facto and never de iure

This new foreign monarch was regarded with scorn. On May 2, 1808, the people of Madrid began a nationalist uprising against the French army, marking the beginning of what is known to the Spanish as the War of Independence, and to the English as the Peninsular War. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1808 ( MDCCCVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation On May 2 1808 ( Dos de Mayo) the people of Madrid rebelled against the occupation of the city by French troops provoking a brutal repression The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence pitted an alliance of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal against France Napoleon was forced to intervene personally, defeating several badly-coordinated Spanish armies and forcing a British Army to retreat to Corunna. However, further military action by Spanish guerrillas and Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese army, combined with Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, led to the ousting of the French from Spain in 1814, and the return of King Ferdinand VII. Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, KP, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS ( c The French invasion of Russia in 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. Early life In his youth he occupied the painful position of an heir apparent who was jealously excluded from all share in government by his parents and the royal favorite

The French invasion proved disastrous for Spain's economy, and left a deeply divided country that was prone to political instability for more than a century. An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all or large parts of the Armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory The power struggles of the early 19th century led to the loss of all of Spain's colonies in Latin America, with the exception of Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Spanish-American War

Main article: Spanish–American War

Amid the instability and economic crisis that afflicted Spain in the 19th century there arose nationalist movements in the Philippines and Cuba. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Wars of independence ensued in those colonies and eventually the United States became involved. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Despite the commitment and ability shown by some military units, they were so mismanaged by the highest levels of command that the Spanish-American war of 1898 was soon over. "El Desastre" (The Disaster), as the war became known in Spain, helped give impetus to the Generation of 98 who were already conducting much critical analysis concerning the country. The Generation of '98 (also called Generation of 1898 or in Spanish, Generación del 98 or Generación de 1898 was a group of Novelists It also weakened the stability that had been established during Alfonso XII's reign.

20th century

The 20th century brought little peace; Spain played a minor part in the scramble for Africa, with the colonisation of Western Sahara, Spanish Morocco and Equatorial Guinea. The Scramble for Africa, also known as the Race for Africa, was the proliferation of conflicting European claims to African territory during the New Western Sahara ( Arabic: الصحراء الغربية; transliterated: as-Ṣaḥrā' al-Gharbīyah; Sahara Occidental is a territory Spanish protectorate of Morocco (حماية إسبانيا في المغرب (Protectorado español de Marruecos was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the The Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( República de Guinea Ecuatorial,) is a country in Central Africa. The heavy losses suffered during the Rif war in Morocco helped to undermine the monarchy. The Rif War of 1920, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain (later assisted by France) and the Moroccan Rif A period of authoritarian rule under General Miguel Primo de Rivera (1923-1931) ended with the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic. Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja 2 Marqués de Estella ( Jerez de la Frontera, January 8, 1870 - Paris, The Second Spanish Republic was the system of government in Spain between April 14 1931, when King Alfonso XIII left the country The Republic offered political autonomy to the Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia and gave voting rights to women. The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain. Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.

"Guernica" by Pablo Picasso, 1937. Guernica is a monumental Painting by Pablo Picasso, depicting the Nazi German Bombing of Guernica, Spain by twenty-eight Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso (October 25 1881 &ndash April 8 1973

The bitterly fought Spanish Civil War (1936-39) ensued. The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of Three years later the Nationalist forces, led by General Francisco Franco, emerged victorious with the support of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Kingdom of Italy ( Italian: Regno d'Italia) was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom The Republican side was supported by the Soviet Union and Mexico, but it was not supported by the Western powers due to the British-led policy of Non-Intervention. Non-intervention is the norm in International relations that one State cannot interfere in the internal politics of another state based upon the principles The Spanish Civil War has been called the first battle of the Second World War; under Franco, Spain was neutral in the Second World War though sympathetic to the Axis. The European Civil War is a period includes World War I, World War II and Inter-war period referring to the many major European regime changes World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including While officially Non-belligerent during the Second World War, General Franco's Spanish State gave considerable material economic, and military The Axis powers also known as the Axis alliance Axis nations Axis countries or sometimes just the Axis were those Countries ^[39]

The only legal party under Franco's regime was the Falange española tradicionalista y de las JONS, formed in 1937; the party emphasised anti-Communism, Catholicism and nationalism. This article is about the Spanish political party For the Lebanese Phalange see the Kataeb Party. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation Nonetheless, since Franco's anti-democratic ideology was opposed to the idea of political parties, the new party was renamed officially a National Movement (Movimiento Nacional) in 1949. The Movimiento Nacional (National Movement was the name given to the Fascist inspired mechanism during Francoist rule in Spain, which purported

After World War II, Spain was politically and economically isolated, and was kept out of the United Nations until 1955, when due to the Cold War it became strategically important for the U. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security S. to foment a military presence on the Iberian peninsula, next to the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar, in order to protect southern Europe. The Strait of Gibraltar ( Arabic: مضيق جبل طارق Spanish: Estrecho de Gibraltar) is the Strait that connects the Atlantic In the 1960s, Spain registered an unprecedented economic growth in what was called the Spanish miracle, which rapidly resumed the long interrupted transition towards a modern industrial economy with a thriving tourism sector and a high degree of human development. The Spanish miracle (el milagro español was the name given to a broadly based economic boom in Spain between 1959 and 1973.

Upon the death of General Franco in November 1975, Prince Juan Carlos assumed the position of king and head of state. Early life Juan Carlos was born in Rome, where his grandfather Alfonso XIII of Spain lived in exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state With the approval of the new Spanish Constitution of 1978 and the arrival of democracy, the State devolved autonomy to the regions and created an internal organization based on autonomous communities. The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a State to government at subnational level An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. In the Basque Country, moderate Basque nationalism coexisted with a radical nationalism supportive of the terrorist group ETA. Basque nationalism is a movement with roots in the Carlism and the loss by the laws of 1839 and 1876 of the Ancien Régime relationship between the Basque provinces eu '''Euskadi Ta Askatasuna''' or ETA ( Basque for "Basque Homeland and Freedom" ˈɛːta is an illegal armed Basque nationalist Separatist

On February 23, 1981, rebel elements among the security forces seized the Cortes and tried to impose a military-backed government. Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 23-F is the name given to a failed Coup d'état in Spain that started on February 23, 1981 and ended the next day on February 24, However, the great majority of the military forces remained loyal to King Juan Carlos, who used his personal authority and addressed the usurpers via national TV as commander in chief to put down the bloodless coup attempt.

In 1982, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) came to power, which represented the return to power of a leftist party after 43 years. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials PSOE ( P artido S ocialista O brero E spañol is In 1986, Spain joined the European Community (which was to become the European Union). The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992 The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The PSOE was replaced in government by the Partido Popular (PP) after the latter won the 1996 General Elections; at that point the PSOE had served almost 14 consecutive years in office. The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain.

The Government of Spain has been involved in a long-running campaign against the terrorist organization ETA ("Basque Homeland and Freedom"), founded in 1959 in opposition to Franco and dedicated to promoting Basque independence through violent means. eu '''Euskadi Ta Askatasuna''' or ETA ( Basque for "Basque Homeland and Freedom" ˈɛːta is an illegal armed Basque nationalist Separatist Violence is the exertion of force so as to injure or abuse The word is used broadly to describe the destructive action of natural phenomena like Storms and Earthquakes They consider themselves a guerrilla organization while they are listed as a terrorist organization by both the European Union and the United States on their respective watchlists. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion The current nationalist-led Basque Autonomous government does not endorse ETA's nationalist violence, which has caused over 800 deaths in the past 40 years.

21st century

On January 1, 2002, Spain terminated its historic peseta currency and replaced it with the euro, which has become its national currency shared with 15 other countries from the Eurozone. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e Euro Enlargement of the This culminated the first phase of a period of economic growth,^[40] which has kept the Spanish economy growing well over the EU average, but concerns are growing that the extraordinary property boom and high foreign trade deficits of recent years may bring this to an end. ^[41]

On March 11, 2004, a series of bombs exploded in commuter trains in Madrid, Spain. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The bombings were claimed by al Qaeda^[42], whereas after a five months trial in 2007 it was concluded that the bombings were perpetrated by a local Islamist militant group inspired by al-Qaeda, but without direct links to that organisation^[43]. Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The The bombings killed 191 people and wounded more than 1800, and it has been claimed that the intention of the perpetrators was to influence the outcome of the Spanish general election, held three days later on March 14. Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. At stake were all 350 seats in the lower house of the Cortes Generales, the Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. ^[44] Although initial suspicions of responsibility for the bombings focused on the Basque group ETA, evidence soon emerged indicating possible Islamist involvement. Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only Because of the proximity of the election, the issue of responsibility quickly became a source of political controversy, with the main competing parties PP and PSOE crossing accusations over the handling of the aftermath. ^[45] A couple of days later, at the March 14 elections, PSOE, led by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, obtained a relative majority, enough to form the new cabinet with Rodríguez Zapatero as the new Presidente del Gobierno or prime minister of Spain, thus succeeding the former PP administration. Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials PSOE ( P artido S ocialista O brero E spañol is José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain. ^[46]

Politics

Spanish Government

King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Queen Sofía of Spain. Early life Juan Carlos was born in Rome, where his grandfather Alfonso XIII of Spain lived in exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic Sofía Queen of Spain (Su Majestad la Reina Sofía de España born Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark on November 2, 1938) is the Queen

Main article: Politics of Spain

Spain is a constitutional monarchy, with a hereditary monarch and a bicameral parliament, the Cortes Generales. Politics of Spain takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Constitutional monarchy, whereby the Monarch is the A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral The Cortes Generales ( Spanish for General Courts or Cortes Españolas, Spanish Courts) is the Legislature of Spain. The executive branch consists of a Council of Ministers presided over by the President of Government (comparable to a prime minister), proposed by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly following legislative elections. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. President of the Government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero First Vice President Minister This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation.

The legislative branch is made up of the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) with 350 members, elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms, and a Senate (Senado) with 259 seats of which 208 are directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures to also serve four-year terms. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain 's Legislative branch. The Spanish Senate ( Senado de España in Spanish) is the upper house of Spain 's Parliament, the Cortes Generales.

• Chief of State
  • King Juan Carlos I, since November 22, 1975
• Head of Government
  • President of the Government: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, elected 14 March 2004. Early life Juan Carlos was born in Rome, where his grandfather Alfonso XIII of Spain lived in exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Prime Minister of Spain, (officially the President of the Government, Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno) is the Spanish Head of government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
    • First Vice President and Minister of Presidency: María Teresa Fernández de la Vega. The Vice President of the Government of Spain, Vicepresidente del Gobierno in Spanish, is the second in command to the Prime Minister of Spain María Teresa Fernández de la Vega Sanz, Doctor of Law (born June 15, 1949) is a Spanish Socialist Workers' Party politician
    • Second Vice President and Minister of Economy and Finance: Pedro Solbes. List of Second Vice Presidents of Spain 1st Legislature (1977 - 1979 ( 1977 - 1978) Enrique Fuentes Quintana The Minister of Economy and Finance ( Spanish: Ministro de Economía y Hacienda is the political post given to the Second Vice President of the Spanish Pedro Solbes Mira (b August 31, 1942 in Pinoso) is a Spanish economist
• Cabinet
  • Council of Ministers (Spanish Consejo de Ministros) designated by the president. President of the Government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero First Vice President Minister

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current

The Spanish nation is organizationally composed in the form of called Estado de las Autonomías ("State of Autonomies"); it is one of the most decentralized countries in Europe, along with Switzerland, Germany and Belgium;^{[47][48][49][50]} for example, all Autonomous Communities have their own elected parliaments, governments, public administrations, budgets, and resources; therefore, health and education systems among others are managed regionally, besides, the Basque Country and Navarre also manage their own public finances based on foral provisions. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. __FORCETOC__ Decentralization or Decentralisation (see Spelling differences) is the process of dispersing Decision-making governance closer to the people Fuero ( Spanish) is a Spanish legal term and conceptThe word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market tribunal In Catalonia and the Basque Country, a full fledged autonomous police corps replaces some of the State police functions (see Mossos d'Esquadra and Ertzaintza). Mossos d'Esquadra (lit English: "Squad Lads" is the Police force of Catalonia, one of the Autonomous communities of Spain, along Ertzaintza is the Police force of the Basque Country, one of the Autonomous communities of Spain.

See also: List of Spanish monarchs and Monarchs of Spain family tree

Spanish Constitution

Main article: Spanish Constitution of 1978

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 is the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. This is a list of Spanish Monarchs &mdashthat is rulers of the country of Spain in the modern sense of the word This is a collection of the family trees of the kingdom of Spain. The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the Dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state.

The constitutional history of Spain dates back to the constitution of 1812. After the death of Francisco Franco in 1975, a general election in 1977 convened the Constituent Cortes (the Spanish Parliament, in its capacity as a constitutional assembly) for the purpose of drafting and approving the constitution of 1978. Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid The Spanish general election of 1977 took place on June 15. It was the first election since the death of Francisco Franco. Constituent Cortes (Cortes constituyentes is the description of the Cortes ( Spanish Parliament) when convened as a constituent assembly.

As a result, Spain is now composed of 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities with varying degrees of autonomy thanks to its Constitution, which nevertheless explicitly states the indivisible unity of the Spanish nation as well as that Spain has today no official religion but all are free to practice and believe as they wish. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. ^[51]

Foreign relations of Spain

Main article: Foreign relations of Spain

After the return of democracy following the death of Franco in 1975, Spain's foreign policy priorities were to break out of the diplomatic isolation of the Franco years and expand diplomatic relations, enter the European Community, and define security relations with the West. After the return of Democracy following the death of General Franco in 1975 Spain 's Foreign policy priorities were to break out of the diplomatic isolation Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid Foreign Policy is a bimonthly American Magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting Negotiations between representatives of groups or states The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in

As a member of NATO since 1982, Spain has established itself as a major participant in multilateral international security activities. The North Atlantic Treaty Spain's EU membership represents an important part of its foreign policy. Even on many international issues beyond western Europe, Spain prefers to coordinate its efforts with its EU partners through the European political cooperation mechanisms. Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe '

With the normalization of diplomatic relations with North Korea in 2001, Spain completed the process of universalizing its diplomatic relations. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia,

Spain has maintained its special identification with Latin America. Its policy emphasizes the concept of an Iberoamerican community, essentially the renewal of the historically liberal concept of hispanoamericanismo (or hispanism as it is often referred to in English), which has sought to link the Iberian peninsula with Latin America through language, commerce, history and culture. Ibero-America is a term which started to be used in the second half of the 19th century to refer collectively to the countries in the Americas which were formerly colonies Spain has been an effective example of transition from dictatorship to democracy, as shown in the many trips that Spain's King and Prime Ministers have made to the region. Politics of Spain takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Constitutional monarchy, whereby the Monarch is the

Territorial disputes

Territory claimed by Spain

There is a territorial dispute with the United Kingdom over Gibraltar, a 6 square km Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom in the southernmost part of the Iberian Peninsula which was conquered by Britain from Spain in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession, along with the Spanish island of Minorca (which had also been invaded but was reconquered in 1782 and finally ceded back to Spain in 1802 by the Treaty of Amiens). Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories that are under the Sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but which do not form part of the United Kingdom The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra In the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714 several European powers combined to stop French succession to the Spanish throne and what would likely have been a resulting Minorca ( Catalan and Spanish: Menorca; from Latin Balearis Minor, later Minorica "minor island" is one of the The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended the hostilities between France and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars.

The legal situation was regularized in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht, in which Spain ceded the territory in perpetuity to the British Crown. The Treaty of Utrecht that established the Peace of Utrecht, rather than a single document comprised a series of individual peace treaties signed in the Dutch ^[52]

Spain has called for the return of Gibraltar. Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar The overwhelming majority of Gibraltarians strongly oppose this, along with any proposal of shared sovereignty. The Gibraltarians (colloquially Llanitos) are a Southern European Nation and Cultural group native to Gibraltar, ^[53] UN resolutions call on the United Kingdom and Spain, both EU members, to reach an agreement over the status of Gibraltar. ^[54]

Spanish territories claimed by other countries

Morocco claims the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla and some isles plazas de soberanía off the northern coast of Africa. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which Melilla is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African coast The plazas de soberanía ("places of sovereignty" formerly referred as "África Septentrional Española" (Spanish North Africa or simply "África Portugal does not recognise Spain's sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza / Olivença. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Olivenza ( Spanish) or Olivença ( Portuguese) is a town and seat of a municipality on a disputed section Olivença can be The Portuguese name of the town of Olivenza, administered as part of the province of Badajoz ( Spain)

Administrative divisions

Galicia

Navarre

Madrid

La Rioja

Aragon

Catalonia

Valencia

Castilla
La Mancha

Extremadura

Portugal

Castilla
y León

Asturias

Cantabria

Basque Country

Murcia

Andalusia

Ceuta

Melilla

France

Balearic
Islands

Canary
Islands

Mediterranean Sea

Bay of Biscay

Atlantic
Ocean

Andorra

Atlantic
Ocean

Main articles: Autonomous communities of Spain and Provinces of Spain

Spain is politically organized into 17 Autonomous Communities (comunidades autónomas) and 2 autonomous cities (ciudades autónomas) - Ceuta and Melilla. Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. La Rioja is a province and autonomous community of northern Spain. Aragon ( Spanish: "Aragón") is an autonomous community of Spain. Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to Castile-La Mancha ( Spanish "Castilla-La Mancha" is an autonomous community of Spain. Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Castile and León (Castilla y León known formally as the Community of Castile and León is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. The Principality of Asturias ( Spanish: Principado de Asturias, Asturian: Principáu d'Asturies or Asturies) is an Cantabria is a Spanish province and Autonomous community with Santander as its capital city The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain. The Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia (Spanish Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia) is one of Spain 's seventeen autonomous communities Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which Melilla is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African coast This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish Cantabrian Sea redirects here Not to be confused with Biscay Bay Newfoundland and Labrador or Biscayne Bay. Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra ( Catalan: Principat d'Andorra) is a small Landlocked country in western An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. In addition to its autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty Provinces. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which Melilla is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African coast

Administratively Spain also comprises fifty provinces. A province is a territorial unit almost always an Administrative division. Seven autonomous communities are composed of only one province: Asturias, Balearic Islands, Cantabria, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, and Navarre. The Principality of Asturias ( Spanish: Principado de Asturias, Asturian: Principáu d'Asturies or Asturies) is an The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean Cantabria is a Spanish province and Autonomous community with Santander as its capital city La Rioja is a province and autonomous community of northern Spain. The Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia (Spanish Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia) is one of Spain 's seventeen autonomous communities

Historically, some provinces are also divided into comarcas (roughly equivalent to a US "county" or an English district). A comarca (meaning Shire or County, Spanish and Portuguese plural comarcas, Catalan plural The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government The lowest administrative division of Spain is the municipality (municipio). This is a list of Municipalities of Spain by Province: A Municipalities of A Coruña Municipalities

See also: Comarcas of Spain and List of municipalities of Spain

Geography

Main article: Geography of Spain

At 194,884 mi² (504,782 km²), Spain is the world's 51st-largest country. In Spain traditionally and historically some Autonomous communities are also divided into comarcas (singular comarca) This is a list of Municipalities of Spain by Province: A Municipalities of A Coruña Municipalities Spain is located in southwestern Europe and comprises about 84 percent of the Iberian Peninsula. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. It is some 47,000 km² smaller than France and 81,000 km² larger than the U.S. state of California. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.

On the west, Spain borders Portugal, on the south, it borders Gibraltar (a British overseas territory) and Morocco, through its cities in North Africa (Ceuta and Melilla). Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories that are under the Sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but which do not form part of the United Kingdom Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which Melilla is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African coast On the northeast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, it borders France and the tiny principality of Andorra. The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A principality (or princedom) is a monarchical feudatory or Sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of Prince Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra ( Catalan: Principat d'Andorra) is a small Landlocked country in western Spain also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and a number of uninhabited islands on the Mediterranean side of the strait of Gibraltar, known as Plazas de soberanía, such as the Chafarine islands, the isle of Alborán, the "rocks" (peñones) of Vélez and Alhucemas, and the tiny Isla Perejil. The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish The Strait of Gibraltar ( Arabic: مضيق جبل طارق Spanish: Estrecho de Gibraltar) is the Strait that connects the Atlantic The plazas de soberanía ("places of sovereignty" formerly referred as "África Septentrional Española" (Spanish North Africa or simply "África Islas Chafarinas (Chafarinas Islands are a group of three small Islets located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Morocco with an aggregate area The Isla de Alborán is a small Island in the Alborán Sea, part of the western Mediterranean, about 50 kilometres north of the Moroccan coast and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera is one of the Spanish occupied territories in North Africa off the Moroccan coast ( Plazas de soberanía) Peñón de Alhucemas, or "Lavender Rock" is one of the Spanish Plazas de soberanía just off the Moroccan coast Along the Pyrenees in Catalonia, a small exclave town called Llívia is surrounded by France. The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. Llívia is a town of Cerdanya, province of Gerona, Catalonia, Spain, that forms a Spanish Exclave surrounded by This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

Mainland Spain is dominated by high plateaus and mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada. In Geology and Earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting The Sierra Nevada, meaning "snowy range" in Spanish, is a Mountain range in the region of Andalusia in Spain. Running from these heights are several major rivers such as the Tagus, the Ebro, the Duero, the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir. The Tagus ( Latin Tagus, Spanish Tajo, Portuguese Tejo, pron. The Ebro ( Ebre) is Spain 's most voluminous river Its source is in Fontibre ( Cantabria) The Douro or Duero ( Latin: Durius, Spanish: Duero, Portuguese: Douro, pron. Guadiana (Wadi Ana Anas Guadiana Guadiana pron. gwɐdi'ɐnɐ or Odiana) is one of the major Rivers of Spain and Portugal The Guadalquivir is the fifth longest River in Spain (after the Tagus, Ebro, Duero and Guadiana) and the longest in Alluvial plains are found along the coast, the largest of which is that of the Guadalquivir in Andalusia. An alluvial plain is a relatively flat Landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more Rivers coming from highland regions Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area

Climate

Spanish climatic areas

Due to Spain's geographical situation and orographic conditions, the climate is extremely diverse; it can be roughly divided into three areas:

• A Continental Mediterranean climate in the inland areas of the Peninsula (largest city, Madrid). Orography is the average height of land measured in geopotential meters, over a certain domain Spain is located in southwestern Europe and comprises about 84 percent of the Iberian Peninsula. Continental Mediterranean climate is a variant of Mediterranean climate in the interior of the Iberian peninsula (the Meseta and the Ebro valley Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain.
• A Mediterranean climate region extends from the Andalusian plain along the southern and eastern coasts up to the Pyrenees, on the seaward side of the mountain ranges that run near the coast (largest city, Barcelona). A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the Climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia
• An Oceanic climate in Galicia and the coastal strip near the Bay of Biscay (largest city, Bilbao). An oceanic climate (also called marine west coast climate and maritime climate) is the Climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes Cantabrian Sea redirects here Not to be confused with Biscay Bay Newfoundland and Labrador or Biscayne Bay. Bilbao, (also Bilbo) in the North of Spain, is the largest city in the Basque Country and the capital of the province of Biscay (Basque This area is often called Green Spain. Green Spain (direct translation into English of the Spanish España Verde) is the name given to the Spanish northern maritime façade exposed to the

Military of Spain

Main article: Spanish Armed Forces

The armed forces of Spain are known as the Spanish Armed Forces (Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas Españolas). The Armed forces of Spain are known as the Spanish Armed Forces ( Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas Españolas) For the military meaning see Armed forces. For the Soviet sports society see Armed Forces (sports society Armed Forces Their Commander-in-Chief is the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I. A commander-in-chief is the Commander of a nation's Military forces or significant element of those forces Early life Juan Carlos was born in Rome, where his grandfather Alfonso XIII of Spain lived in exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic

The Spanish Armed Forces are divided into four branches:

• Army (Ejército de Tierra)
• Navy (Armada)
• Air Force (Ejército del Aire)
• Guardia Civil (Military police) which serves for the most part as a rural and general purpose police force. The Armed forces of Spain are known as the Spanish Armed Forces ( Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas Españolas) The Spanish Army ( Ejército de Tierra in Spanish; literally "Land Army" is one of oldest active armies in the world and a branch of the Spanish The Spanish Air Force ( Spanish: Ejército del Aire; literally "Army of the Air" is the Air force of Spain. The Civil Guard ( Guardia Civil) is the Spanish Gendarmerie. It has both military and civilian functions

Economy

Main article: Economy of Spain

According to the World Bank, Spain's economy is the eighth largest worldwide and the fifth largest in Europe. Transition to a modern economy What is now the 8th largest economy in the world has evolved from the regulated economy of Francoism as the latter started to fade out in The World Bank is an internationally supported Bank that provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries for development programs (e As of 2007, absolute GDP was valued at $1. 362 trillion according to the CIA Factbook, (see List of countries by GDP (nominal)). The World Factbook ( ISSN; also known as the CIA World Factbook) is an annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency of the PLEASE NO RANDOM FIGURES THERE ARE NO FIGURES BASED ON NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE The per capita PPP is estimated at $33,700 (2007), ahead of G7 countries like Italy and placing Spain at a similar per capita basis as France or Japan (both with an 2007 estimated at $33,800). The Spanish economy grew 3. 8% in 2007 outpacing all G7 members and all the big EU economies for the 3rd consecutive year.

The centre-right government of former prime minister José María Aznar worked successfully to gain admission to the group of countries launching the euro in 1999. (born 25 February 1953 served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004 Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e Unemployment stood at 7. Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. 6% in October 2006, a rate that compares favorably to many other European countries, and which is a marked improvement over rates that exceeded 20% in the early 1990s. Perennial weak points of Spain's economy include high inflation,^[55] a large underground economy,^[56] and an education system which OECD reports place among the poorest for developed countries, together with the United States and UK. ^[57] Nevertheless, it is expected that the Spanish economy will continue growing above the EU average based on the strengthening of industry, the growth of the global economy and increasing trade with Latin America and Asia.

The Spanish economy is credited for having avoided the virtual zero growth rate of some of its largest partners in the EU. ^[58] In fact, the country's economy has created more than half of all the new jobs in the European Union over the five years ending 2005. ^[59] The Spanish economy has thus been regarded lately as one of the most dynamic within the EU, attracting significant amounts of foreign investment. ^[60] During the last four decades the Spanish tourism industry has grown to become the second biggest in the world,^[61] worth approximately 40 billion Euros (approx. 5% of GDP) in 2006^[62] More recently, the Spanish economy has benefited greatly from the global real estate boom, with construction representing 16% of GDP and 12% of employment. A real estate bubble or property bubble (or housing bubble for residential markets is a type of Economic bubble that occurs periodically in local or global ^[61] According to calculations by the German newspaper Die Welt, Spain is on pace to overtake countries like Germany in per capita income by 2011. Die Welt ( English: The World) is a German national daily newspaper published by the Axel Springer AG company ^[63] However, the downside of the real estate boom has been a corresponding rise in the levels of personal debt; as prospective homeowners struggle to meet asking prices, the average level of household debt has tripled in less than a decade. Among lower income groups, the median ratio of indebtedness to income was 125% in 2005. ^[64]

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Spain

Geographical distribution of the Spanish population in 2007. Spain has 46063000 inhabitants according to 2008 census Its population density at 91

In 2007 Spain officially reached 45. 2 million people^[65][66] registered at the Padrón municipal, an official record analogous to the British Register office. In England and Wales The Register Office is primarily the local office for the registration of births deaths and marriages (BD&M and for the conducting of civil marriages Spain's population density, at 89. 6/km² (231/sq. mile), is lower than that of most Western European countries and its distribution along the country is very unequal. With the exception of the region surrounding the capital, Madrid, the most populated areas lie around the coast. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain.

The population of Spain doubled during the twentieth century, due to the spectacular demographic boom by the 1960s and early 1970s. The pattern of growth was extremely uneven due to large-scale internal migration from the rural interior to the industrial cities during the 60s and 70s. No fewer than eleven of Spain's fifty provinces saw an absolute decline in population over the century. Then, after the birth rate plunged in the 80s and Spain's population became stalled, a new population increase started based initially in the return of many Spanish who emigrated to other European countries during the 70s and, more recently, it has been boosted by the large figures of foreign immigrants, mostly from Latin America (38. This page consists of two tables Table 1 is sourced from the CIA World Factbook''' Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term 75%), Eastern Europe (16. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. 33%), North Africa (14. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan 99%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (4. Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries 08%). ^[67] In 2005, Spain instituted a 3-month amnesty program through which certain hitherto undocumented aliens were granted legal residency. Also some important pockets of population coming from other countries in the European Union are found (20. 77% of the foreign residents), specially along the Mediterranean costas and Balearic islands, where many choose to live their retirement or even telework. Telecommuting, e-commuting, e-work, telework, working at home (WAH, or working from home (WFH is a work arrangement in These are mostly English, French, German, and Dutch from fellow EU countries and, from outside the EU, Norwegian.

Immigration in Spain

Main article: Immigration to Spain

According to the Spanish government there were 4. The population of Spain doubled during the twentieth century due to the spectacular demographic boom in the 1960s and early 1970s 5 million foreign residents in Spain in 2007; independent estimates put the figure at 4. 8 million people, or 11% of the total population (Red Cross, World Disasters Report 2006). According to residence permit data for 2005, about 500,000 were Moroccan, another 500,000 were Ecuadorian, more than 200,000 were Romanian, and 260,000 were Colombian. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Other important foreign communities are British (8. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located 09%), French (8. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. 03%), Argentine (6. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. 10%), German (5. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. 58%) and Bolivian (2. The Republic of Bolivia (República de Bolivia) named after Simón Bolívar, is a Landlocked country in central South America. 63%). In 2005, a regularisation programme increased the legal immigrant population by 700,000 people. Since 2000, Spain has experienced high population growth as a result of immigration flows, despite a birth rate that is only half the replacement level. Population growth is the change in Population over time and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals in a population using "per unit time" for This sudden and ongoing inflow of immigrants, particularly those arriving clandestinely by sea, has caused noticeable social tension. ^{[68][69][70][71][72]}

Based on 2004 figures,^[73] within the EU Spain has the second highest immigration rate in percentage terms (after Cyprus), but by a great margin the highest in actual numbers of immigrants. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía

There are a number of reasons to explain the high level of immigration, including Spain's cultural ties with Latin America, its geographical position, the porosity of its borders, the large size of its underground economy and the strength of the agricultural and construction sectors which demand more low cost labour than can be offered by the national workforce. Another statistically significant factor is the large number of residents of the EU origin typically retiring to Spain's Mediterranean coast. In fact, Spain has been Europe's largest absorber of migrants for the past six years, with its immigrant population increasing fourfold as 2. 8 million people have arrived. According to the Financial Times, Spain is the most favoured destination for West Europeans considering a move from their own country and seeking jobs elsewhere in the EU. [3] (see Immigration to Spain). The population of Spain doubled during the twentieth century due to the spectacular demographic boom in the 1960s and early 1970s

Minority groups

Spain has a number of descendants of populations from former colonies (especially Equatorial Guinea) and immigrants from several Sub-Saharan and Caribbean countries have been recently settling in Spain. The Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( República de Guinea Ecuatorial,) is a country in Central Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting There are also sizeable numbers of Asian immigrants, most of whom are of Chinese, Filipino, Middle Eastern, Pakistani and Indian origins; the population of Spaniards of Latin American descent is sizeable as well and a fast growing segment. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Filipinos or the Filipino people are the citizens of the Philippines. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Other growing groups are Britons (761,000 in 2006), Germans and other immigrants from western and Eastern Europe. British people, or Britons, are the native inhabitants of Great Britain and their descendants or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as ^[74]

Jewish emigration to Spain is primarily the result of three events: after the 19th century, some Jews established themselves in Spain as a result of migration from what was formerly Spanish Morocco, the flight of Jews escaping from Nazi repression, and immigration from Argentina. Spanish protectorate of Morocco (حماية إسبانيا في المغرب (Protectorado español de Marruecos was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term Spanish law allows Sephardi Jews to claim Spanish citizenship. Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural The term right of return refers to the principle in International law that members of an Ethnic or National group have a right to Immigration

The arrival of the Gitanos (Gypsies), a Roma people group, began in the 16th century. The Romani people in Spain are generally known as Gitanos. Spanish Roma tend to speak Caló which is basically Andalusian Spanish with a large The Romani people (singular Rom, plural Roma as a Noun; also known as Romanies or Roma people) are an ethnic group with origins

Most populous urban regions

1. Madrid 5,943,041
2. Barcelona 5,327,872
3. Valencia 1,623,724
4. Seville 1,317,098
5. Málaga 1,074,074
6. Bilbao 946,829

See also: List of cities in Spain

Identities

Peoples

Main articles: Spanish people and Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain

The Spanish Constitution of 1978, in its second article, recognises historic entities ("nationalities", a carefully chosen word in order to avoid the more politically charged "nations") and regions, within the context of the Spanish nation. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. The Urban Region of Barcelona is an area with a high population density in Catalonia, Spain. Valencia ( Valencian: València, Valencia Spanish phonology --> is the capital of the Spanish autonomous Seville ( Spanish: Sevilla, see also different names) is the artistic cultural and financial capital of southern Spain. Bilbao, (also Bilbo) in the North of Spain, is the largest city in the Basque Country and the capital of the province of Biscay (Basque This is a list of Municipalities of Spain by Province: A Municipalities of A Coruña Municipalities Historically, the modern country of Spain was formed by the accretion of several independent Iberian realms ( Asturias, León, Galicia The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. For some people, Spain's identity consists more of an overlap of different regional identities than of a sole Spanish identity. Indeed, some of the regional identities may even conflict with the Spanish one. Distinct ethnic groups within Spain include the Basques, Catalans, and Galicians. The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France. The Catalans are the people from Catalonia, an Autonomous community of Spain, including people originating in that region but living elsewhere The Galicians ( Galician: Galegos) are an Ethnic group or Nationality whose homeland is Galicia, which is a historical region ^[75]

It is this last feature of "shared identity" between the more local level or Autonomous Community and the Spanish level which makes the identity question in Spain complex and far from univocal.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Spain

The languages of Spain (simplified)

Spanish (74%),[76] official, spoken in all the territory      Catalan (17%), co-official, except in La Franja and Carxe      Basque (2%), co-official, in Basque Country and Navarre      Galician (7%), co-official, except in Asturias and Castile and Leon

Asturian, unofficial, but adopted as co-official in some municipalities of Asturias[77]      Extremaduran, unofficial      Aragonese, unofficial      Aranese, co-official (dialect of Occitan)

. The Languages of Spain are the languages spoken or once spoken in Spain. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Basque ( native name: euskara) is the Language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain Astur-Leonese is a Dialect continuum included in the West Iberian branch of the Romance languages. Extremaduran ( estremeñu) is a Romance Language, spoken by several thousands of people in Spain, most of them in the Autonomous community Aranese (aranés is a standardized form of the Pyrenean Gascon variety of the Occitan language spoken in the Aran Valley, in northwestern Catalonia Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan

Spanish (español or castellano), also known as Castilian, is the only language with official status nationwide. Other languages have been declared co-official, along with Spanish, in (some of) their constituent communities where they are spoken:

• Aranese (aranés) (a variant of Occitan), in Catalonia;
• Basque (euskera) in the Basque Country and Navarre;
• Catalan (català) in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and in the Valencian Community, known in the latter officially as Valencian;
• Galician (galego) in Galicia. Aranese (aranés is a standardized form of the Pyrenean Gascon variety of the Occitan language spoken in the Aran Valley, in northwestern Catalonia Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. Basque ( native name: euskara) is the Language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to Valencian ( valencià) is the historical traditional and official name used in the Valencian Community of Spain to refer to the region's native language Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.

Spain's legacy: a map of the Hispanophone world.

There are also some other surviving Romance minority languages such as Astur-Leonese (which includes Asturian, Leonese, Extremaduran and Cantabrian) and Aragonese. The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all A minority language is a Language spoken by a Minority of the Population of a country Astur-Leonese is a Dialect continuum included in the West Iberian branch of the Romance languages. Asturian (Asturian Asturianu or Bable) is a Romance language of the West Iberian group, Astur-Leonese Subgroup, spoken in the The Leonese language ( Llingua Llïonesa in Leonese was developed from Vulgar Latin with contributions from the pre-Roman languages which were spoken in the territory Extremaduran ( estremeñu) is a Romance Language, spoken by several thousands of people in Spain, most of them in the Autonomous community Cantabrian language or Mountain language is the name received the language used in the West of Cantabria and some zones of the Valley of Pas and the Asturian (asturianu) is "protected" in Asturias^[78] and Aragonese is vaguely recognized in Aragon. The Principality of Asturias ( Spanish: Principado de Asturias, Asturian: Principáu d'Asturies or Asturies) is an Aragon ( Spanish: "Aragón") is an autonomous community of Spain. But unlike Aranese, Basque, Catalan/Valencian and Galician, they do not have any official status. This might be due to their very small number of speakers, a less significant written tradition (in comparison to Catalan or Galician) and lower self-awareness of their speakers which traditionally meant lack of strong popular demand for their recognition in the regions in which they are spoken. ^[79] In the North African Spanish city of Melilla, Tarifit is spoken by an important part of the population. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Melilla is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African coast Rifi redirects here for the location of the same name in Greece, see Rifi Greece Tarifit is a Northern Berber language

In the tourist areas of the Mediterranean coast and the islands, English and German are widely spoken by tourists, foreign residents, and tourism workers.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Spain

Although Chapter 2 of the Constitution states that no religion shall have a state character, Roman Catholicism is the main religion in the country. About 76% of Spaniards identify themselves as Catholics, about 2% identify with another religious faith, and about 19% identify themselves as non-religious. A study conducted in October 2006 by the Spanish Centre of Sociological Investigations^[80] shows that of the 76% of Spaniards who identify themselves as Catholics or with another religious faith, 54% hardly ever or never go to church, 15% go to church a few times per year, 10% a few times per month and 19% attend church every Sunday or multiple times per week. About 22% of the entire Spanish population attends religious services at least once per month.

A view of the Barcelona Cathedral. The Cathedral of Santa Eulalia (also called La Seu) is the Gothic Cathedral seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain

Evidence of the secular nature of contemporary Spain can be seen in the widespread support for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Spain — over 66% of Spaniards support gay marriage according to a 2004 study by the Centre of Sociological Investigations. Same-sex marriage in Spain was legalized in 2005 In 2004 the nation's newly elected Socialist government led by President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero ^[81] Indeed, in June 2005 a bill was passed by 187 votes to 147 to allow gay marriage, making Spain the third country in the European Union to allow same-sex couples to marry after Belgium and the Netherlands. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands

Protestant denominations are also present, all of them with less than 50,000 members. Evangelism has been better received among Gypsies than among the general population; pastors have integrated flamenco music in their liturgy. Evangelism is the Christian practice of proselytisation. The intention of most evangelism is to effect Eternal salvation to those who do not follow the The Romani people (singular Rom, plural Roma as a Noun; also known as Romanies or Roma people) are an ethnic group with origins Flamenco is a Spanish term that refers both to a musical genre known for its intricate rapid passages and a dance genre characterized by its audible footwork Taken together, all self-described "Evangelicals" slightly surpass Jehovah's Witnesses (105,000) in number. Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination While not Protestants, about 35,000 residents of Spain are members of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon

The recent waves of immigration have led to an increasing number of Muslims, who have about 1 million members. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Muslims had not lived in Spain for centuries; however, colonial expansion in Northern and Western Africa gave some number of residents in the Spanish Morocco and the Western Sahara full citizenship. Listing of Muslims by country Important note Population counts by religious affiliation like most demographic characteristics of a Population Spanish protectorate of Morocco (حماية إسبانيا في المغرب (Protectorado español de Marruecos was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Western Sahara ( Arabic: الصحراء الغربية; transliterated: as-Ṣaḥrā' al-Gharbīyah; Sahara Occidental is a territory Presently, Islam is the second largest religion in Spain, accounting for approximately 2. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. 5% of the total population.

Along with these waves of immigration, a significant number of Latin American people, who tend to be strong Catholic practitioners, have helped the Catholic Church to recover.

Judaism was practically non-existent until the 19th century, when Jews were again permitted to enter the country. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Currently there are around 62,000 Jews in Spain, most arrivals in the past century and some descendants of Spanish Jews and accounting for less than 1% of the total number of inhabitants. Spain is believed to have been about 8% Jewish on the eve of the Spanish Inquisition. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut The Spanish Inquisition started and was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile to maintain

Further information: History of the Jews in Spain

Culture

The Hemispheric at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, Valencia. Spanish Jews once constituted one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities under Muslim and Christian rule in Spain, before they The Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (Valencian Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (Spanish or City of Arts and Sciences is an ensemble

Main articles: Culture of Spain and UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Spain

Spain is known for its culturally diverse heritage, having been influenced by many nations and peoples throughout its history. The culture of Spain is an Iberian culture marked by the period of Roman influences UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Andalusia Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada Cultural Spanish culture has its origins in the Iberian, Celtiberian, Latin, Visigothic, Roman Catholic, and Islamic cultures. The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources (among others Hecataeus of Miletus, Avienus, Herodot and Strabo The Celtiberians (or Celt-Iberians were a Celtic people of Hallstatt culture The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The definition of a national Spanish culture has been characterized by tension between the centralized state (dominated in recent centuries by Castile) and numerous regions and minority peoples. A former kingdom, Castile (Castilla kasˈt̪iʎa or) gradually merged with its neighbors to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain In addition, the history of the nation and its Mediterranean and Atlantic environment have played strong roles in shaping its culture.

After Italy, Spain is the country with the second highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world, with a total of 40. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex

Education in Spain

Main article: Education in Spain

State Education in Spain is free and compulsory from the age of 6 to 16. This article describes the framework of Education in Spain. The current education system is called LOGSE ( Ley de Ordenación General del Sistema Educativo) The current education system is called LOGSE (Ley de Ordenación General del Sistema Educativo).

Spanish Academy

Main article: Real Academia Española

The Real Academia Española (Spanish for "Royal Spanish Academy"; RAE) is the institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language. The Real Academia Española (“Royal Spanish Academy” the RAE, is the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language It is based in Madrid, but is affiliated with national language academies in 21 Spanish-speaking nations through the Association of Spanish Language Academies. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. The term Hispanophone ( hispanoparlante, hispanohablante or hispanófono, in Spanish) denotes Spanish-speakers and relation to the Spanish-speaking The Association of Spanish Language Academies (Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española was created in Mexico in 1951 and represents the union of all the separate Its emblem is a fiery crucible, and its motto is Limpia, fija y da esplendor ("It cleans, sets, and gives splendor"). A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group

Spanish art

"Las Meninas" by Diego Velázquez, 1656–1657. Las Meninas ( Spanish for The Maids of Honour) is a 1656 painting by Diego Velázquez (1599–1660 the leading artist of the Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez ( June 6, 1599 &ndash August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter who was the leading

Main article: Spanish art

Spanish art is an important and influential type of art in Europe. Spanish art is an important and influential type of art in Europe Spanish art is the name given to the artistic disciplines and works developed in Spain throughout time, and those by Spanish authors world-wide. Due to historical, geographical and generational diversity, Spanish art has known a great number of influences. The Moorish heritage in Spain, especially in Andalusia, is still evident today in cities like Córdoba, Seville, and Granada. Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area ||-||-||} Córdoba ( Cordova in English is a City in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. Seville ( Spanish: Sevilla, see also different names) is the artistic cultural and financial capital of southern Spain. Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous region of Andalusia, Spain. European influences include Italy, Germany and France, especially during the Baroque and Neoclassical periods. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and

Spanish literature

Main article: Spanish literature

The Cantar de Mio Cid is the oldest preserved Spanish literature known as "cantar de gesta". The term Spanish literature refers to Literature written in the Spanish language, including literature composed in Spanish by writers not necessarily from El Cantar de Mio Cid is the oldest preserved Spanish epic poem ( epopeya) "Gesta" redirects here For the Skipper butterfly Genus, see Gesta (butterfly.

Spanish literature is the name given to the literary works written in Spain throughout time, and those by Spanish authors world-wide. Due to historic, geographic and generational diversity, Spanish literature has known a great number of influences and it is very diverse. Some major movements can be identified within it.

Spanish architecture

Main article: Spanish architecture

A view of the Baroque architecture of the Royal Palace of Madrid. Spanish architecture refers to Architecture carried out in any area in what is now modern-day Spain, and by Spanish architects worldwide Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc

Spanish architecture refers to architecture carried out during any era in what is now modern-day Spain, and by Spanish architects worldwide. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation The term includes buildings within the current geographical limits of Spain before this name was given to those territories (whether they were called Hispania, Al-Andalus, or were formed of several Christian kingdoms). Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar Al-Andalus (الأندلس was the Arabic name given to those parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslims or Due to its historical and geographical diversity, Spanish architecture has drawn from a host of influences.

For example, Córdoba was established as the cultural Capital of its time under the Umayyad dynasty. ||-||-||} Córdoba ( Cordova in English is a City in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. Simultaneously, the Christian kingdoms gradually emerged and developed their own styles, at first mostly isolated from European architectural influences, and later integrated into Romanesque and Gothic streams, they reached an extraordinary peak with numerous samples along the whole territory. Regional characteristics of Romanesque architecture|Romanesque art Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. The Mudéjar style, from the 12th to 17th centuries, was characterised by the blending of cultural European and Arabic influences. Mudéjar is the name given to the Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus, who remained in Christian territory after the Reconquista but were

The arrival of Modernism in the academic arena produced figures such as Gaudí and much of the architecture of the twentieth century. Modernism describes an array of Cultural movements rooted in the changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century The International style was led by groups like GATEPAC. The International style was a major Architectural style of the 1920s and 1930s GATEPAC (Grupo de Artistas y Técnicos Españoles Para la Arquitectura Contemporánea was a group of architects assembled during the Second Spanish Republic. Spain is currently experiencing a revolution in contemporary architecture and Spanish architects like Rafael Moneo, Santiago Calatrava, Ricardo Bofill as well as many others have gained worldwide renown. Contemporary architecture is the architecture being made at the present time José Rafael Moneo Vallés (born May 9, 1937) is a Spanish Architect. Santiago Calatrava Valls (born July 28, 1951) is an internationally recognized and award-winning Valencian Spanish Architect, Ricardo Bofill (born December 5, 1939) is a Spanish Architect born in Catalonia of Jewish descent

Music of Spain

Main article: Music of Spain

Spanish music is often considered abroad to be synonymous with flamenco, an Andalusian musical genre, which, contrary to popular belief, is not widespread outside that region. Spanish music is often considered abroad to be synonymous with Flamenco, an Andalusian musical genre which contrary to popular belief is not widespread outside that region Flamenco is a Spanish term that refers both to a musical genre known for its intricate rapid passages and a dance genre characterized by its audible footwork Various regional styles of folk music abound in Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Castile, the Basque Country, Galicia and Asturias. A former kingdom, Castile (Castilla kasˈt̪iʎa or) gradually merged with its neighbors to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain Pop, rock, hip hop and heavy metal are also popular.

Cinema of Spain

Main article: Cinema of Spain

In recent years, Spanish cinema has achieved high marks of recognition as a result of its creative and technical excellence. The art of motion-picture making within the nation of Spain or by Spanish filmmakers In the long history of Spanish cinema, the great filmmaker Luis Buñuel was the first to achieve universal recognition, followed by Pedro Almodóvar in the 1980s. Luis Buñuel Portolés (22 February 1900 &ndash 29 July 1983 was a Spanish -born Filmmaker and naturalized Mexican who worked mainly in Mexico Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (ˈpeð̞ɾo almoˈð̞oβ̞̞aɾ kaβ̞aˈʝeɾo (born September 24, 1949 in Calzada de Calatrava, Spain) is a Spanish Spanish cinema has also seen international success over the years with films by directors like Segundo de Chomón, Florián Rey, Luis García Berlanga, Carlos Saura, Julio Medem and Alejandro Amenábar. A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. Segundo Víctor Aurelio Chomón y Ruiz ( October 17 1871 in Teruel - May 2 1929) was a pioneering Spanish film director Florián Rey (real name Antonio Martínez del Castillo) born at La Almunia de Doña Godina ( Zaragoza) January 25 1894 - death at Benidorm Luis García Berlanga (born in Valencia, on 12 June 1921) is a Spanish Film director and Screenwriter. Carlos Saura (born 4 January 1932, Atarés, Huesca) is a Spanish film director Julio Médem (born 21 October 1958) is a Spanish Basque Writer and Film director. Alejandro Fernando Amenábar Cantos (born March 31, 1972 in Santiago Chile) is a Spanish Film

A type of Spanish cuisine known as "Tapa de calamares". Squid is a popular food in many parts of the world In many of the languages around the Mediterranean sea, squid are called 'calamari' (singular 'calamaro'

Spanish cuisine

Main article: Spanish cuisine

Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety of dishes which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. Spanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes which stem from differences in geography culture and climate It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep Mediterranean roots. Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences has led to a unique cuisine.

Sports in Spain

Main article: Sport in Spain

Sport in Spain has been dominated by football since the early 20th century. Sport in Spain in the second half of 20th century has been dominated by football. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Basketball, tennis, cycling, handball, motorcycling and, lately, Formula 1 are also important due to presence of Spanish champions in all these disciplines. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles) Cycling is the use of Bicycles or - less commonly - Unicycles Tricycles Quadricycles and other similar wheeled Human powered vehicles Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, or Olympic handball) is a Team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six Motorcycling is the act of riding a Motorcycle. A variety of subcultures Today, Spain is a major world sports power, especially since the 1992 Summer Olympics that were hosted in Barcelona and promoted a great variety of sports in the country. The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Barcelona, Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia The tourism industry has led to an improvement in sports infrastructure, especially for water sports, golf and skiing. Snow skiing is a group of sports utilizing Skis as primary equipment

Public holidays in Spain

Main article: Public holidays in Spain

Public holidays celebrated in Spain include a mix of religious (Roman Catholic), national and regional observances. Public holidays celebrated in Spain include a mix of religious ( Roman Catholic) national and regional observances Each municipality is allowed to declare a maximum of 14 public holidays per year; up to nine of these are chosen by the national government and at least two are chosen locally. Lists of holidays The words holiday or vacation have related meanings in different English-speaking countries and continents but will usually refer to one of

International rankings

• Reporters Without Borders world-wide press freedom index 2007: Rank 33 out of 169 countries. ^[82]
• The Economist Intelligence Units: Rank 10 out of 111 countries (ahead of countries like the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and France)^[83]
• Nation Master's list by economic importance: Rank 9 of 25 countries, only surpassed by G-8 members. The Economist is an English-language weekly news and International affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd and edited in London The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. ^[84]
• Nation Master's list by technological achievement: Rank 18 of 68 countries. ^[85]

Gallery of Images

The Sagrada Família by night, Barcelona	Burgos Cathedral	The Cathedral of Seville	The Alhambra, Granada	Roman Aqueduct of Segovia
The Sanctuary of Santa María Magdalena in Novelda	Monasterio de El Escorial	Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao	Antequera, in Málaga province	The Maspalomas Dunes, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Arán valley, Lleida	The Pyrenees

See also

References

Further reading

• Thomas, Hugh (2003). Hugh Thomas Baron Thomas of Swynnerton (born October 21, 1931 in Windsor) is a British Historian. Rivers of gold: the rise of the Spanish Empire. London: George Weidenfeld & Nicholson. ISBN 978-0297645634.  
• John Hickman and Chris Little, "Seat/Vote Proportionality in Romanian and Spanish Parliamentary Elections", Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans Volume 2, Number 2, November 2000.
• Harold Raley, "The Spirit of Spain", Houston: Halcyon Press 2001. (ISBN 0-9706054-9-8)
• George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia. Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950 who used the Pseudonym George Orwell, was an English writer Homage to Catalonia is political journalist and Novelist George Orwell 's personal account of his experiences and observations in the

External links