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Where is Spain?
The Kingdom of Spain (Reino de
España) is located in southwestern Europe
on the Iberian Peninsula. It’s mainland is
bordered to the south and east by the
Mediterranean Sea except for a small land
boundary with the British Overseas
Territory of Gibraltar; to the north by
France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and
to the northwest and west by the Atlantic
Ocean andPortugal.
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. With an area of 504,030 km,
Spain is the second largest country in
Western Europe and the European Union
after France. Since January 1, 2010, Spain has
held the Presidency of the Council of the
European Union. The population in 2010 is
estimated around 46,030,109 and the
dinsity is 93/km2 .
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Climate
Due to Spain's geographical situation and geographic conditions, we can find three main climatic zones :
The Mediterranean climate, characterized by dry and warm summers. According to the Köppen climate classification, it is
dominant in the peninsula, with two varieties : the typical Mediterranean climate (Csa climate), present in most of the
country, and the Galician variant (Galicia and North-West Castilla), with summers less hot due to the proximity of the ocean
(Csb climate ) or the altitude.
The semiarid climate (Bsk), located in south-eastern quarter of the country, especially in the region of Murcia and in the Ebro
valley. In contrary to the Mediterranean climate, the dry season extends beyond the summer.
The Oceanic climate Winter and summer temperatures are ponderated by the ocean, and have no seasonal drought. In the
coastal strip near the Basque Country, the Asturias, and in some highlands, we find essentially a "southern" nuance
(sometimes called "Aquitanian"), which differs from the typical type by hotter summers (mean temperature of July between
20 °C (68.0 °F) and 22 °C (71.6 °F)) , and much stormy than in north-west Europe - (average July temperature of 21 °C (69.8 °F)
in Santander , vs 16 °C (60.8 °F) in Brest or Liverpool).
For some authors, Galicia presents an oceanic climate too, because of lower temperatures in summer than in the typical
Mediterranean climate. Nevertheless, North-west Spain is often concerned by forest fires due to the summer drought, and has
more sunshine duration than the typical oceanic regions.
In a less extend, we can find other sub-types like the alpine climate in the Pyrenees,
and a Humid subtropical climate in the Canary Islands.
The rain in Spain does not fall mainly in the plain. It falls mainly in the northern mountains. 4
After a long and hard conquest, the Iberian Peninsula became a region of
the Roman Empire known as Hispania. During the early Middle Ages it came
under Germanic rule but later was conquered by Muslim invaders. Through a
very long and fitful process, the Christian kingdoms in the north gradually
rolled back Muslim rule, finally extinguishing its last remnant in Granada in
1492, the same year Columbus reached the Americas. A global empire began
which saw Spain become the strongest kingdom in Europe and the leading
world power in the 16th century and first half of the 17th century.
Continued wars and other problems eventually led to a diminished status.
The French invasion of Spain in the early 19th century led to chaos, triggering
independence movements that tore apart most of the empire and left the
country politically unstable. In the 20th century it suffered a devastating civil
war and came under the rule of an authoritarian government, leading to years
of stagnation, but finishing in an impressive economic surge. Democracy was
restored in 1978 in the form of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. In
1986, Spain joined the European Union, experiencing a cultural renaissance
and steady economic growth.
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Ferdinand and his wife, Isabella of Castille ,
underwrote the voyages of Christopher Columbus
and so established Spain as a powerful force in the
New World. Their 1469 marriage was politically
arranged as an effort to unite their two kingdoms,
an effort which proved successful; under their rule
Spain emerged as a unified and newly powerful
country.. Ferdinand and Isabella moved to
establish Roman Catholicism as Spain's dominant
religion, expelling Jews and Muslims and creating
the infamous Spanish Inquisition.. (Their efforts
earned them the nickname Les Rois Catholiques ,
or the Catholic Monarchs.) Ferdinand oversaw
multiple wars, most famously with the Moors of
Grenada and with France in the so-called Italian
Wars. Ferdinand outlived Isabella and upon his
death in 1516 power passed to his grandson,
Charles, who later became the Holy Roman
Emperor CharlesV.
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Languages of Spain
The languages of Spain are the languages spoken or
once spoken in Spain. In terms of number of speakers and
dominance, the most prominent of the languages of Spain is Spanish,
which nearly everyone in Spain can speak as either first or second
language. But there are robust regional languages figuring
prominently in a series of regions:
Basque in parts of the Basque Count ry and Navarre (Basque and
mixed zones). Basque is the only non Romance language in
mainland Spain.
Catalan in Catalonia, Aragon (La Franja), and the Balearic Islands
and, as a distinct variant, Valencian in the Valencian Community.
Galician in Galicia and adjacent western parts of Asturias and
Castilla y León.
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Sagrada Família is a large Roman
Catholic church in Barcelona,
Catalonia, Spain, designed by
Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí
(1852–1926).
The Plaza de Cibeles is a square
with a neo-classical complex of
marble sculptures with fountains
that has become an iconic symbol
for the city of Madrid.
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Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety
of dishes which stem from differences in
geography, culture and climate. It is heavily
inf luenced by seafood available from the
waters that surround the country, and
ref lects the country's deep Mediterranean
roots. Spain's extensive history with many
cultural inf luences has led to a unique
cuisine. In particular, three main divisions
are easily identified:
Mediterranean Spain – all such coastal
regions, from Catalonia to Andalusia: heavy
Paella is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its
use of seafood, such as pescaíto frito; several modern form in the mid-19th century near lake Albufera,
cold soups like gazpacho; and many rice- a lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.
based dishes like paella from Valencia and
arroz negro from Catalonia.
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The Camp Nou, in Barcelona, the largest football stadium in Europe
Sport in Spain has been dominated by football since the early 20th century. Real Madrid C.F. and F.C. Barcelona
are two of the most successful football clubs in the world. The country's national football team won the UEFA
European Football Championship in 1964 and 2008 and the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
Basketball, tennis, cycling, handball, motorcycling and, lately, Formula One are also important due to the
presence of Spanish champions in all these disciplines. 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
tourism industry has led to an improvement in sports infrastructure, especially for water sports , golf and skiing.
Rafael Nadal is the leading Spanish tennis player and has won several Grand Slam titles including the
Wimbledon 2010 men's singles. In north Spain is the game of pelota is very popular.
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Fiesta Nacional de España
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. Spain's National Day
(Fiesta Nacional de España) is October 12, the anniversary of the Discovery of America and commemorate
Our Lady of the Pillar feast, patroness of Aragón and throughout Spain.
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We are Baciu Florin and Motriuc Sebastian and we have
enjoyed working on this project. We hope that we will have more friends
with this program . Come and visit us because we believe in the idea that
“Europe has no borders”.
Teacher : Gabriela Ionescu
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www.wikipedia.com
www.scribd.com
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