Spain Overview

Spain Overview

Introduction

Spain is a country with a rich, colourful and diverse history, a land of many varied regions and a people who are proud and welcoming. For many first-time visitors to Spain, the expectations are of frequently used and evocative media images of sangria, sombreros and bullfights. While all of these play a part within traditional Spanish culture, there is much more that makes modern Spain a progressive, diverse and cosmopolitan society.

History

The history of Spain has been greatly influenced by its strategic positioning at the entry point to Southern Europe and Northern Africa, with its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and the influence of many ethnicities and religions. Spain, the second largest country in Europe (France is the biggest) is located in south-western Europe in an area known as the Iberian Peninsula (Holman, O, 1996). Spain is surrounded by the Mediterranean to the east and to the south, Portugal to the west, the Atlantic to the southwest, and France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay to the north. The Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands situated in the Atlantic are also part of Spain. Spain is a fascinating country, rich in art and culture. The legacy of the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Muslims and Christians has all left their mark throughout the country (Heywood, P, 1995).

Political Condition

Spain has grown up quickly as a nation since then, and is now ranked as one of the European Union's key players, with a thriving economy and a growing presence on the world stage, as emphasised during recent years by the close relationship between the then-Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and his counterparts in the US and the UK. Indeed, one of the most remarkable political events of recent times took place in Spain immediately following the terrorist bomb blasts in Madrid on March 11 2004. Three days later, Aznar, who had been cruising to victory in the country's general election race, was defeated by his counterpart Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who had committed to the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq as one of his main campaign pledges (Holman, O, 1996).

Demographics & Landscape

Spain is the second largest country in Europe (after France) with a surface area of 505,992 km2 and a population of over 44 million. Spain's landscape varies from the green wetlands of Galicia to the sunbaked plains of ...