Kingdom of Spain

Spain (speɪn/; Spanish: España [esˈpaɲa] ), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a sovereign state largely located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, with archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, and several small territories on and near the north African coast. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and northeast by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. Along with France and Morocco, it is one of only three countries to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Extending to 1,214 km (754 mi), the Portugal–Spain border is the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union.

Spanish territory includes two archipelagos: the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean Sea, and the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast. It also includes two major exclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, in continental North Africa; and the islands and peñones (rocks) of Alborán, Alhucemas, Chafarinas and Vélez de la Gomera. With an area of 505,990 km2 (195,360 sq mi), Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, and the fourth largest country in Europe. By population, Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union.

Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a parliamentary government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a middle power and a developed country with the world's fourteenth largest economy by nominal GDP and sixteenth largest by purchasing power parity. It is a member of the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the Council of Europe (CoE), the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and many other international organisations.

Geography

At 505,992 km2 (195,365 sq mi), Spain is the world's fifty-second largest country and Europe's fourth largest country. It is some 47,000 km2 (18,000 sq mi) smaller than France and 81,000 km2 (31,000 sq mi) larger than the US state of California. Mount Teide (Tenerife) is the highest mountain peak in Spain and is the third largest volcano in the world from its base.

Spain lies between latitudes 26° and 44° N, and longitudes 19° W and 5° E.

On the west, Spain is bordered by Portugal; on the south, it is bordered by Gibraltar (a British overseas territory) and Morocco, through its exclaves in North Africa (Ceuta and Melilla, and the peninsula of Vélez de la Gomera). On the northeast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, it is bordered by France and the Principality of Andorra. Along the Pyrenees in Girona, a small exclave town called Llívia is surrounded by France.

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 ("places of sovereignty", or territories under [Spanish] sovereignty), such as the Chafarinas Islands and Alhucemas. The peninsula of Vélez de la Gomera is also regarded as a plaza de soberanía. The isle of Alborán, located in the Mediterranean between Spain and North Africa, is also administered by Spain, specifically by the municipality of Almería, Andalusia. The little Pheasant Island in the River Bidasoa is a Spanish-French condominium.

Mainland Spain is a mountainous country, dominated by high plateaus and mountain chains. After the Pyrenees, the main mountain ranges are the Cordillera Cantábrica (Cantabrian Range), Sistema Ibérico (Iberian System), Sistema Central (Central System), Montes de Toledo, Sierra Morena and the Sistema Bético (Baetic System) whose highest peak, the 3,478 m high Mulhacén, located in Sierra Nevada, is the highest elevation in the Iberian Peninsula. The highest point in Spain is the Teide, a 3,718-metre (12,198 ft) active volcano in the Canary Islands. The Meseta Central (often translated as "Inner Plateau") is a vast plateau in the heart of peninsular Spain. There are several major rivers in Spain such as the Tagus (Tajo), Ebro, Guadiana, Douro (Duero), Guadalquivir, Júcar, Segura, Turia and Minho (Miño). Alluvial plains are found along the coast, the largest of which is that of the Guadalquivir in Andalusia.

Info:

Motto: "Plus Ultra" (Latin) | Further Beyond
Anthem: "Marcha Real" | Royal March
Capital: Madrid
Official Language: Spanish
Writing System: 26-letter Latin alphabet with the addition of ñ
Religion: Roman Catholicism
Demonym: Spanish | Spaniards
Legislature: Cortes Generales
Area: 505,990 km2
Currency: Euro (€) (EUR)
Time Zone: CET (UTC+1) WET (UTC​)
Summer (DST): CEST (UTC+2) WEST (UTC+1)
Date Format: dd/mm/yyyy
Drives on the: right
Calling code: +34
ISO 3166 Code: ES
International TLD: .es

Largest Cities of Spain

1. Madrid
2. Barcelona
3. Valencia
4. Seville
5. Zaragoza
6. Málaga
7. Murcia
8. Palma de Mallorca
9. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
10. Bilbao

Flag of Spain

The new Spanish flag has three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width) and red, with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band. The shield includes the royal seal, which is flanked by two crowned pillars (the Pillars of Hercules) bearing the inscription Plus Ultra.

Official Website: Spain.info

Did You Know?

• The official name of Spain is the "Kingdom of Spain."
• Spain was the third most visited country in the world in 2013.
• 72% of Spain speaks Spanish. The rest speaks Catalan, Galician, Basque and others.
• The national anthem of Spain has no words.
• There's a 47-story skyscraper in Spain that has NO elevator.
• In Catalonia (Spain), a smiley-faced piece of wood called "Shitting Log" poops out the presents in Christmas.
• La Tomatina is an annual festival held in Spain where people throw thousands of tomatoes at each other.
• The Eiffel Tower was originally intended for Barcelona, Spain, but the project was rejected.
• The Sagrada Familia church in Spain, has been under construction for over 130 years and it's only expected to be complete by 2026.
• Spain had more unemployment in 2013 (27.2%) than the US had during the Great Depression (25%).
• Spanish rice is unknown in Spain.
• In 2000, Spain's Paralympic basketball team had to return their gold medals after nearly all of their players were found to have no disability.
• There are no laws against public nudity in Spain.
• The world's oldest existing lighthouse is the Tower of Hercules, in Spain, erected in the first century and still operational.
• There's a town in Spain where 700 people share the surname "Japon" as they are descendants of 17th-century samurais who stayed there after an embassy returned to Japan.
• Two Roman dams in Spain are still in use after 1900 years.
• Spain was neutral in WW1 and WW2, but experienced a civil war (1936-1939) which killed over 500,000 people.
• Spain has two major exclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, in mainland Africa.
• 43% of the world's olive oil production is done in Spain.
• Britain accidentally invaded Spain in 2002. About 20 Royal Marines disembarked in Spain instead of Gibraltar for 5 minutes until the error was recognised and they all withdrew.
• There's a zipline connecting Spain and Portugal. It's 2,365 ft (720 m) and 60 seconds long.
• The youngest king ever was Alfonso XIII of Spain, who became king the day he was born.
• In 2011, a small town in Spain, on the brink of financial ruin, bet on the world's biggest lottery and won.
• In 1894, Japan offered to buy the Philippines from Spain for 40 million pounds.
• The U.S. has more Spanish speakers than Spain.
• Over 16,000 religious festivals across Spain are said to involve animal cruelty. About 60,000 animals die every year on them.
• Slandering or defaming the Royal family in Spain can carry a sentence of up to two years in prison.
• Of all the countries that celebrate an independence day, 58 are independent of the UK, 26 of France, 21 of Russia and 21 of Spain.
• Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (1499-1543) discovered California.
• In 1603, Spanish sailor Gabriel de Castilla (1577-1620) became the first man ever to see Antarctica.
• Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475-1519) was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean.
• The official language of Spain is Castilian Spanish (74%), though Catalan (17%) Galician (7%), and Basque (2%) are also spoken.
• Spanish sailor and engineer Isaac Peral (1851-1895) designed the first fully operative military submarine.
• Spain is one of the most decentralized democracies in Europe. Each of its 17 regions manages its own school, hospitals, and other public services.
• Tipping is not common in Spain, especially for cheap dinners.
• The Rio Tinto River in Spain is so polluted by toxic pollution from 5,000 years of mining that it contains little to no life.
• In 1993, just 1.7% of student enrollment for technical institutes and colleges were women. In 2000, it was up to 40%.

References

• Wikipedia
• Fact Slides
• Wikimedia
• Geo Names
• Random History