SpainThe Sunny Country

General information:• Country’s name: Spain (España).• Capital: Madrid (3.2 million)• National flag: It has got three horizontal

stripes: red, yellow and red. The yellow stripe being twice the size of each red stripe.

• Coat of arms: It symbolizes the country, the old Kingdoms of Spain, the Royal Crown, the constitutional monarchy and the Pilars of Hercules.

• Population: 46 millions.

Clic in the flag to see in high resolution.

Location:• Spain is a country of Europe. It’s situated

in the southwest of the continent.• It’s about 504.000 km^2• On the west, Spain borders Portugal; on

the south, It borders Morocco. On the northeast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, It borders France and the principality of Andorra.

Clic here to see in Google Maps.

Clic in the map to see in high resolution

Location:

• Spain also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Althantic Ocean and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla.

Clic here to see in Google Maps.

Clic the map to see in high resolution

Administrative divisions:• The territorial organization of Spain is

based on autonomous communities. These are divided in provinces and these in municipalities.

• There are 17 autonomous communities.• Our village, La Torre de Esteban Hambrán,

is in the province of Toledo, in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha. It’s about 1,800 citizens.

Clic the map to see in high resolution

Autonomous Communities Provinces

Language:• Spanish is spoken all over the country and

so is the only language with official status nationwide.

• But there are three regional languages that have been declared co-official:

1.- Basque in the Basque Country and Navarre.

2.- Catalan in Catalonia, Valencian and Balearic Island.

3.- Galician in Galicia.

Religion:• There is no an official religion in Spain.

The country is a secular state.• In Schools, students have religion as an

optional subject.• The 73% of Spaniards self-identify as

Catholic.• The 20% as Atheist or non-religious.• The 7% practice other religions.

Climate:• We can find three main climatic zones.1.- The Mediterranean climate, characterized

by dry and warm summers. It is the dominant in the peninsula.

2.- The semiarid climate, located in south-eastern quarter of the country, especially in the region of Murcia an in the Ebro valley.

3.- The Oceanic climate. Winter and summer temperatures are inflluenced by the ocean, and have no several drought.

Clic the map to see in high resolution

Currency:• Since 2002 Spain is in Euro area.• The old currency was the “peseta”.• It was in use between 1869 and 2002.

Historic events:• Year 711. Moorish Muslim armies from

North Africa invaded the iberian peninsula.

• In 1492. The catholic kings, Isabel I and Fernando II, end the reconquest of Spain.

• That year Cristopher Columbus discovered the New World (America).

• In 1807 Napoleon occupied Spanish fortresses and the 2nd of May of 1808 begin the War of Independence.

Historic events:• Between 1936 and 1939 were the

Spanish Civil War. In 1939 Fascist forces win the war and his leader, General Francisco Franco emerged victorious with the support of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

• With Franco’s death in November 1975, Juan Carlos assumed the position of King os Spain and the democracy arrives.

• In 1978 It was approved the new Spanish Constitution.

Nobel Prize Winners:• Santiago Ramón y Cajal. 1906, in medicine, for his

work on the structure of the nervous system.• Severo Ochoa. 1959, in medicine, for his work on the

synthesis of RNA.• Vicente Aleixandre. 1977, in literature. He was part of

the Generation of ‘27.• Juan Ramón Jiménez. 1956, in literature, for his

contribution to the modern poetry.• Camilo José Cela. 1989, in literature, for a rich and

intense prose.• José de Echegaray. 1904, in literature, making him the

first Spaniards to win the prize.• Jacinto Benavente. 1922, in literature.

The End