Geography
Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula, the nearest European
landmass to Africa: it is separated from Morocco by the Straits of Gibraltar
and has both an Atlantic and a Mediterranean coastline. Portugal is on
Spain's western side and is divided from France by the Pyrenees mountains.
The Canary Islands in the Atlantic and the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean,
are Spanish.
Spain is mountainous; some of the land is semi-desert and the country has a long coastline which borders the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Its largest rivers are the Ebro, Duero, Guadalquivir, Guadiana and Tagus. The climate is varied, with snow in the mountains and extremes of heat and cold in the central region. Drought is a particular problem in many areas.
Madrid is the capital city. Other important cities are Barcelona, Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada and Valencia.
Environment
The variety of the landscape is reflected in its flora: trees
include pines, cork-oak trees and beech trees; flowering plants include
orchids, gentians, lavender and rosemary.
Spain's native animals are relatively small: deer, ibex, tortoises, bats, snakes (including a venomous viper) and other small creatures though a small number of bears, wolves and lynxes remain. The native birds are vultures, eagles, kites, bustards, storks, flamingoes. Many other species stop off on their migration route from Europe to Africa.
Like all countries, Spain has environmental problems including deforestation, soil erosion and sea pollution. The huge success of the tourist industry has brought particular difficulties. Five national parks and hundreds of protected areas and reserves have been established over the years.
Architecture
Spain's colonizers have left their architectural mark on the
country. The Roman Aqueduct in Segovia is one of the key buildings in
Spain's architectural heritage.
Moorish architecture can be seen at the Alhambra palace outside Granada. Moorish influence continued, even in religious buildings, for example, in Toledo while the mosque at Cordoba, famous for its red and white Moorish arches became the city's cathedral.
Spain has many well preserved examples of religious architecture which are on the World Heritage list: monasteries, churches and cathedrals.
Today modern buildings stand alongside the old. One of the best known examples of early twentieth century Spanish architecture is Antonio Gaudi's Temple de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. This building is still unfinished, but Barcelona contains many other examples of buildings in his characteristic style.
Population
Spain's population is 40,077,100 (estimated 2002). The population
is very homogeneous: Gypsies are an ethnic minority.
Languages
The majority of the people speak Castilian Spanish, about seventeen
per cent speak Catalan and around severn per cent speak Galacian. The
Basque population speak their own language, Euskara.
Spain's exploration, colonization and empire are reflected in the number of people in the world who speak Spanish - over eight hundred million worldwide.
Religion
Most Spaniards are Roman Catholics. During the conquest of Muslim
Spain Catholicism was firmly established in the country by the Inquisition
which came into being in the 1480s. Jews who refused to convert were expelled
from Spain and Muslims treated similarly. Even those Muslims who did convert
(called Moriscos) were expelled in the early 1600s.
Foods
Spanish cuisine is full of typically Mediterranean ingredients
such as olive oil and tomatoes. Many traditional Spanish dishes are served
in tapas bars which are a feature of Spanish life. Traditional dishes
include tortillas, (potato omelets), paella, gazpacho (cold soup), sausages,
meats such as lamb and pork, cheeses, sardines, octopus, squid and fruit.
The Arab influence can still be seen in the use of fruits and almonds
in savoury dishes and in some of the spices and sweet dishes.
Wine is plentiful and Spain is well known for Sangria. More coffee is drunk than tea and chocolate is another favourite drink. It was, of course, the Spanish who brought chocolate to Europe from Mexico.
