Spain

Relief and islands:

Spain, the 5th European country as population has a complex relief formed by mountains in north (Cantabrian Mountains and Pyrenees Mountains), center (Castilian Mountains) and south (Penibetico Cordillera) with the highest continental peak, Mulhacen with 3.478 m height situated in south at the Mediterranean Sea and plains and hills with big areas of arable lands and pastures. The central plain is called Meseta and covers almost half of the country’s territory. Spain also has a long coastline at the Atlantic ocean and also at the Mediterranean Sea. It has also the Balearic Islands to the east in Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean where is the highest peak of Spain, a volcano called Pico del Tiede with 3.718 m height.

Name, climate, rivers and agriculture from Spain:

The name of Spain comes from the word Hispania given by Romans to the entire Iberian peninsula. It’s the closest European country to Africa, separated by it through the little Gibraltar Strait. Because of its position, the climate is Mediterranean, wet with oceanic influences where summers are hot and winters mild on the coast but cold in the higher areas. The temperatures vary according to the elevation and the rainfall is between 500 and 800 mm annually. The most important Spanish rivers are Ebro, Duero, Tajo, Guadiana and Guadalquivir. The population is involved in agriculture, but because of the hot weather, they use irrigation systems because the desertification is a real problem in the last years. The inhabitants cultivate sugar cane, vine (more than 5 millions tones of grapes annually and one of the best producers of wine in the world), cereals, citrus and others.

Tourism, tourist objectives and attractions, population and cities:

The country has a very rich history, but also an important culture, well known in the world for its fabulous bull rings, flamenco dancing, the beautiful Spanish football and its very important tourist objectives and attractions. Spain is one of the first’s world countries as the number of tourists with more than 25 million $ earned annually from tourism. (Find more journeys on blog.worldlifetimejourneys.com) Its amazing beaches, warm weather, sunny days, warm water and also the beautiful Spanish cities full of culture and impressive buildings attract millions of tourists annually. More than two thirds of the population live in cities and the largest one is Madrid, the capital and the most important cultural and historic center. Other important cities are Barcelona of Gaudi, the most important port of Spain at the Mediterranean Sea, Valencia, Malaga, Sevilla, Bilbao or La Coruna.

History, industry of Spain and Spanish territories and colonies:

Between the 9th and 14th centuries, it was the center of an important Islamic empire which left some influences in art, culture and science. The country has many cultures among we distinguish the Basques in north and the Catalans in north-east and east. After the Civil War between 1936 and 1939, the country was governed by the dictator Francisco Franco till 1975. It became a constitutional monarchy in 1978. Long time ago, Spain with the help of its explorers and conquerors controlled many territories in North and Central Americas and also in South America, many of the nations following the Spanish culture and language.

The Great Spanish empire had territories and islands in America, but also controlled Portugal, Netherlands, Austria and some parts of France, Germany and Italy. The most important industry is the engineering one (Spain is on the 3rd place in Europe). Unfortunately, nowadays the country has economical problems because of the economic crisis and has a high rate of unemployment. Visit Spain!

Seaside Beach Holidays in Spain please visit our Spain Seaside Holiday Offers

City Breaks in Spain please visit our Spain City Breaks

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Plaza Espanyol in Barcelona, Spain