There is a lot to know about Spain, so start with these facts about the population, people, language and culture of Spain.
Essential facts about Spain
Where is Spain? Spain can be found on the Iberian Peninsula in Europe, a piece of land that it shares with Portugal and Gibraltar. It also has a border to the northeast with France and Andorra.
How big is Spain? Spain measures 505,992 square kilometers, making it the 51st largest country in the world and the third largest in Europe (after France and Ukraine). It is a little smaller than Thailand and a little bigger than Sweden. Spain has an area larger than California but less than Texas. You could put Spain in the United States 18 times!
Country code: +34
Time Zone: Spain’s time zone is Central European Time (GMT + 1), which many believe is the wrong time zone for the country. Neighboring Portugal is at GMT, as is the UK, which is geographically in line with Spain. This means that the sun rises later in Spain than in most other countries in Europe, and sets later, which probably partly explains Spain’s vibrant nightlife culture. Spain changed its time zone before WWII to align itself with Nazi Germany.
Capital: Madrid.
Population : Spain has almost 45 million people, making it the 30th most populous country in the world and the fifth most populous country in the EU (after Germany, France, the UK and Italy). It has the lowest population density in Western Europe (excluding Scandinavia).
Religion: Most Spaniards are Catholic, although Spain is a secular state. For more than 300 years, most of Spain was Muslim. Parts of Spain were under Muslim rule until 1492 when the last Moorish king fell (in Granada).
Largest cities (by population):
- Madrid
- Barcelona
- Valencia
- Seville
- Saragossa
Currency: The currency in Spain is the euro and it is the only currency accepted in the country. The currency until 2002 was the peseta, which in turn had replaced the Escudo in 1869.
Official Language: Spanish, often referred to as Castilian in Spain, or Castilian, is the official language of Spain. Many of the autonomous communities of Spain have other official languages.
Government: Spain is a monarchy; The current king since 2014 is Felipe VI. He was preceded by his father, Juan Carlos I, who inherited the position from General Franco, the dictator who ruled Spain from 1939 to 1975.
Autonomous Regions of Spain
Spain is divided into 19 autonomous regions: 15 continental regions, two collections of islands and two urban enclaves in North Africa. The largest region is Castilla y León, followed by Andalusia. At 94,000 square kilometers, it is roughly the size of Hungary. The smallest continental region is La Rioja.
The full list is as follows (the capital of each region appears in parentheses):
- Madrid (Madrid)
- Catalonia (Barcelona)
- Valencia (Valencia)
- Andalusia (Seville)
- Murcia (Murcia)
- Castilla-La Mancha (Toledo)
- Castile and Leon (Valladolid)
- Extremadura (Mérida)
- Navarra (Pamplona)
- Galicia (Santiago de Compostela)
- Asturias (Oviedo)
- Cantabria (Santander)
- Basque Country (Vitoria)
- La Rioja (Logroño)
- Aragon (Zaragoza)
- Balearic Islands (Palma de Mallorca)
- Canary Islands (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria / Santa Cruz de Tenerife)
Famous things about Spain
Famous buildings and monuments: Spain is home to the Sagrada Familia, the Alhambra, and the Prado and Reina Sofía museums in Madrid.
Famous Spaniards: Spain is the birthplace of artists Salvador, Dali Francisco Goya, Diego Velázquez and Pablo Picasso, opera singers Plácido Domingo and José Carreras, architect Antoni Gaudí, Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso, singers pop Julio Iglesias and Enrique Iglesias, actors Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz, flamenco-pop act The Gypsy Kings, film director Pedro Almodóvar, rally conductor Carlos Sainz, poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, author Miguel de Cervantes, historical leader El Cid , golfers Sergio García and Seve Ballesteros, cyclist Miguel Indurain and tennis players Rafa Nadal, Carlos Moya, David Ferrer, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.
Why else is Spain famous? Spain invented paella and sangria (although Spaniards don’t drink sangria as much as people think) and is home to the Camino de Santiago. Christopher Columbus, although probably not Spanish (no one is sure), was financed by the Spanish monarchy.
Even though the beret is associated with France, the Basques in northeastern Spain invented the beret. The Spanish also eat a lot of snails. However, only the French eat frog legs!
Spanish geography
Spain is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe. Three-quarters of the country is more than 500 meters above sea level, and a quarter is more than a kilometer above sea level. The most famous mountain ranges in Spain are the Pyrenees and Sierra Nevada. The Sierra Nevada can be visited as a day trip from Granada.
Spain has one of the most diverse ecosystems in Europe. The Almeria region in the southeast resembles a desert in some places, while the northwest in winter can expect rain 20 days out of every month.
Spain has more than 8,000 km of beaches. The beaches on the south and east coast are great for sunbathing, but some of the most beautiful are on the north coast. The north is also good for surfing.
Spain has Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. The border between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic is in Tarifa.
Spain has more land covered with vineyards than any other country in the world. However, due to the arid soil, the actual grape yield is lower than in other countries.
Disputed territories: Spain claims sovereignty over Gibraltar, a British enclave on the Iberian Peninsula.
At the same time, Morocco claims sovereignty over the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla in North Africa and the islands of Vélez, Alhucemas, Chafarinas and Perejil. The Spanish try to reconcile the difference between Gibraltar and these territories in a generally confusing way.
Portugal claims sovereignty over Olivenza, a city on the border between Spain and Portugal.
Spain renounced control of the Spanish Sahara (now known as Western Sahara) in 1975.
