Spain
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Alicante |
Almeria |
Antequera |
Balearic Islands |
Barcelona |
Benalmadena |
Cordoba |
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Fuerteventura |
Gerona |
Gomera Island |
Hierro Island |
Ibiza |
Lanzarote Island |
Las Palmas |
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La Palma Isld |
Madrid |
Malaga |
Mallorca |
Marbella |
Palma de Mallorca |
Salamanca |
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Sevilla |
Badajoz |
Tenerife Island |
Toledo, Madrid |
Malorca |
Gran Canaria |
Vigo |
The Kingdom of Spain (Spanish and
Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan:
Regne d'Espanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma;
Occitan: Regne d'Espanha) is the largest of the
two countries that make up the Iberian
peninsula—the other is Portugal—located in
south-western Europe. To the west (and, in
Galicia, south), it borders Portugal. To the
south, it borders Gibraltar and, through its
cities in North Africa (Ceuta and Melilla),
Morocco. To the northeast, along the Pyrenees
mountain range, it borders France and the tiny
principality of Andorra. It 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 "rocks" (peñones) of
Vélez and Alhucemas, and the tiny Isla Perejil
(disputed). In the Northeast along the Pyrenees,
a small exclave town called Llívia in Catalonia
is surrounded by French territory.
Spanish territories claimed by other
countries
Morocco claims the Spanish cities of Ceuta and
Melilla and the uninhabited Vélez, Alhucemas,
Chafarinas, and Perejil islands, all on the
Northern coast of Africa. Morocco points out
that those territories were obtained when
Morocco could not do anything to prevent it and
has never signed treaties ceding them.
Portugal does not recognize Spain's sovereignty
over the territory of Olivenza. Portuguese claim
the Treaty of Vienna (1815), to which Spain was
a signatory, stipulated return of the territory
to Portugal. Spanish allege the Treaty of Vienna
left unaffected the Treaty of Badajoz which gave
the territory to Spain and just encouraged the
parties to reach a diplomatic settlement.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Spain
The Spanish Constitution, although affirming the
sovereignty of the Spanish Nation, recognizes
historical nationalities.
The Castilian-derived Spanish (called both
español and castellano in the language itself)
is the official language throughout Spain, but
other regional languages are also spoken.
Without mentioning them by name, the Spanish
Constitution recognizes the possibility of
regional languages being co-official in their
respective autonomous communities. The following
languages are co-official with Spanish according
to the appropriate Autonomy Statute (Spain)|Autonomy
Statutes.
Catalan (català) in Catalonia (Catalunya), the
Balearic Islands (Illes Balears), Valencia (València)
and Aragon's eastern strip (Aragó).
Basque (euskara) in Basque Country (Euskadi),
and parts of Navarre (Nafarroa). Basque is not
known to be related to any other language.
Galician (galego) in Galicia (Galicia or Galiza).
Occitan (the Aranese dialect). Spoken in the Val
d'Aran in Catalonia.
Catalan, Galician, Aranese (Occitan) and Spanish
(Castilian) are all descended from Latin and
have their own dialects, some championed as
separate languages by their speakers (the
Valencià of València, a dialect of Catalan, is
one example).
Spain's legacy: a map of the Hispanophone
world.There are also some other surviving
Romance minority languages: Asturian / Leonese,
in Asturias and parts of Leon, Zamora and
Salamanca, and the Extremaduran in Caceres and
Salamanca, both descendants of the historical
Astur-Leonese dialect; the Aragonese or fabla in
part of Aragon; the fala, spoken in three
villages of Extremadura; and some Portuguese
dialectal towns in Extremadura and Castile-Leon.
However, unlike Catalan, Galician, and Basque,
these do not have any official status.
In the touristic areas of the Mediterranean
costas and the islands, German and English are
spoken by tourists, foreign residents and
tourism workers.
Many linguists claim that most of the Spanish
language variants spoken in Latin America
(Mexican, Argentinian, Colombian, Peruvian, etc.
variants) descended from the Spanish spoken in
south-western Spain (Andalusia, Extremadura and
Canary Islands).
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Background:
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Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th
centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to
England. Subsequent failure to embrace the
mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the
country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany
in economic and political power. Spain remained
neutral in World Wars I and II, but suffered through
a devastating civil war (1936-39). In the second
half of the 20th century, Spain has played a
catch-up role in the western international
community. Continuing concerns are Basque Fatherland
and Liberty (ETA) terrorism and further reductions
in unemployment. |
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Location:
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Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay,
Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and
Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France |
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Nationality:
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noun: Spaniard(s)
adjective: Spanish |
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Ethnic groups:
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composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 94%, other 6% |
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Languages:
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Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%,
Galician 7%, Basque 2% |
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Currency:
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euro
(EUR); Spanish peseta (ESP)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European
Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common
currency to be used by the financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became
the sole currency for everyday transactions with the
member countries |
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Currency code:
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EUR;
ESP |
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Exchange rates:
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euros
per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175
(2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); pesetas per US
dollar - 149.40 (1998), 146.41 (1997) |
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