Spain
TheSpanish , in long form the Kingdom of Spain , in Spanish España and Reino de España , is a country of Southern Europe and, according to the definitions of the West , which occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula . In 2009, there were 46 million inhabitants, making it the 29 th country in wedding rings the world in terms of population. Second oldest after the European colonial power Portugal , the country was a major world power in the xv th to the xvi th century , but began to lose influence thereafter, particularly throughout the xix th century with the loss of colonies .
Spain is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and east, with the exception of the territory the British in Gibraltar and the Strait auto insurance quotes of the same name mining australia which separates the continent of Africa . To the north, the Pyrenees form a natural border with France , the Andorra and the Bay of Biscay . The Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean along the west and northwest. Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic server monitoring Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa , Ceuta and Melilla , bordering Morocco . With an area of 504,030 km ², Spain is the largest country of Western Europe and the European Union after France.
Because of its location, Spain has been the subject of many external influences, often simultaneously, since prehistoric times until the birth of Spain as a country. Conversely, the country itself was an important source of inspiration for other regions, especially during the modern era , when it became a colonial empire that has left a legacy of more than 400 million Hispanics in that day.
Spain is a constitutional monarchy regime democratic Parliament . It is a developed country with the ninth largest world economy by GDP nominal ( twelfth to purchasing power parity ), and a standard of living very high (15 th in the HDI ranking in 2007) . It is a member of the United Nations , the European free ipad Union , the Latin Union , of NATO , the OECD and the WTO .
History
Main articles: History of Spain and Chronology of Spain .
Prehistoric discovery of America and Unification (until 1512)
Main articles: United Visigoth , Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula , Al-Andalus Nutrisystem Coupon Code and Reconquista .
Indigenous peoples of the Iberian peninsula were called Iberians . But people Celts hcg diet plan , known as Celtiberian , it will then be aggregated. From the ix th century BC. BC , the Phoenicians , Greeks and Carthaginians settled counters on the Mediterranean coast.
The Romans conquered the peninsula in the ii th century BC. AD . The main language, religion and laws are derived largely from the Roman period.
In the fall of the Roman Empire in the v th century Germanic barbarians, the Suevi , the Vandals and Visigoths invaded Spain. The Vandals, temporarily installed in the south of the peninsula passed rapidly in North Africa denver accident lawyer (now Tunisia ), and the Visigoths imposed their law until the Muslim conquest.
The Arab – Berbers led by Tariq ibn Ziyad conquered the country in 711 . In 756, Muslim Spain took its independence during the reign of the Umayyads of Cordoba . In 929, the 
country turns martial arts denver into a caliphate . In the xi th century , the caliphate collapses and fragments into micro-states, taifas , we will have up to 25.
The Christian refugees in the north in the kingdom Medifast coupon codes of Asturias , took advantage of this weakening Muslim and began the Reconquista ( Reconquest in Spanish) which ended in 1492 with the elimination of the last Muslim stronghold, the kingdom of Granada , in the reign the Catholic Monarchs . At the end of that year, Christopher Columbus reached the America on behalf of the latter. The unification of Spain took formal shape in the current 1512 . At the same time, the conquistadors conquered for Spain vast territories to form a vast colonial empire .
The greatest power of Europe ( xvi th century)
Main articles: House of Habsburg Spain , Spanish Catholic monarchy and the Spanish Empire .
Charles V , King of Spain and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire .
Caught in the religious exaltation of the Reconquista , the Spanish sovereigns decided by the decree of Alhambra (1492) to force the Jews from Spain online snow gear to choose between conversion and exile. Most of them found refuge in the Ottoman Empire . Muslims remained in Spain, or Moors , will be forcibly converted early in the xv th century , and are finally expelled in 1609 . In 1801, Spain seized the district of Olivenza south of Badajoz , a territory still claimed by Portugal and bone of contention between the two countries.
At the xvi th century , the empire of the Hapsburgs , including Spain was one of the essential elements, becomes the first European power. Indeed, in addition to its European possessions colonial empire born of the discovery of the New World . Spain gained its political, economic and military by a large influx of precious metals from the Americas, and through access to a supply of money .
The Spanish Empire lasted from 1516 to 1898, and is one of the greatest empires that Europe has ever known, and one of the first global empires. This is due to possession by Spain, Europe, the territories of Aragon in the Mediterranean (including much of present-day Italy), and most of present-day Germany and Franche-Comte d a large part of South America, Central America and North car transport America today, and the Philippines . For over a century, Spain was the first European power.
The decline ( xvii th century – 1975)
Main article: War of Eighty Years , House of Bourbon in Spain , War of Spanish Succession , the Enlightenment Spain , Spanish War of Independence , Restoration absolutist in Spain , Spanish First Republic , Spain Bourbon Restoration , Second Spanish Republic and Franco’s Spain .
The power of Spain declined gradually, not only because it led to costly wars and revolts that broke out, but also because of a prosperous economy artificially due Wire Cart Covers to wealth from the New World.
In 1700 , following the death without heirs of the last Habsburg king, the grand-son of Louis XIV , whose first wife was a Spanish princess, became King of Spain under the name of Philip V , and founded the dynasty Spanish Bourbons , bound by the family compact to Bourbons of France .
In the xviii th century, the struggles between pretenders to the throne weakened the crown. At the beginning of xix th century, Napoleon I first tried to invade Spain , which is deprived of his king and army. This attempt fails because of resistance from civilians, as many revolts and guerilla warfare , the British military intervention and mobilization of a large part of the great army on other fronts (including Russia in 1812 ). Despite the withdrawal of Napoleon I er , this conflict is particularly bloody and causes significant losses for Spain, which could not be permanently pacified.
Because of these impairments, Spain lost most of its colonies in the xix th century, especially from the 1820s. A First Spanish Republic started up briefly in 1873 and 1874.
The last colonies ( Cuba , the Philippines , Puerto Rico , Guam ) separated from the crown in 1898 after the Spanish-American War . Somewhat isolated from the rest of Europe, Spain is experiencing a period of economic stagnation and political.
The Second Spanish Republic drove the Bourbon monarchy in 1931. But after the victory of the Spanish Popular Front in 1936, the extreme right ( Carlist and Falangist ) organize an uprising submitting Spain, after a tragic civil war from 1936 to 1939, the dictatorship of General Franco . This, of that originally monarchist, decided to retain power, and not to restore the monarchy after his death.
Democracy (since 1975)
On the death of Franco in 1975, the monarchy was restored in best auto insurance fact Juan Carlos I st , the new king, quickly restores democracy and the country integration in 1986 the European Union . The new Constitution, very liberal, breaks with the centralism of the time very thorough Franco, and implements a broad decentralization. Many local nationalist parties were again legalized, particularly in outlying provinces, where there have regional languages different from Castilian ( Galicia , Basque Country , Catalonia ). Some website hosting claim more autonomy, others speak of independence (especially in the Basque Country and Catalonia cna certification ). The Communist Party is legal. The most radical independence movement and the more violent is the ETA Basque terrorist organization advocating and practicing the armed struggle, murder and racketeering.
The economic success of Spain between 1975 and 2007 gave rise to the idea of electronic cigarette a Spanish economic miracle . In the mid-90s, with the accelerating reforms Toledo Pact , the consensus of all iPhone Unlock political parties represented in parliament to ensure the economic viability of the pension system in Spain . But the country faces serious economic difficulties since 2008, when it appears that this miracle was based largely on the strength of the construction sector, itself facilitated by real estate speculation that engagement ring has tripled the value of offices and housing in less than ten years.
In 2004 the PSOE returned to power after having recorded his best score since 1989 with 42.6% of the vote and in 2008 he again won the Cell Phone Accessories elections with 43.8% of the vote, further increasing its hold on the Spanish political life. The contrast between the most industrialized areas and those who are late widened after the European Union reduced its structural funds in view of the expansion to 25 countries, Spain is becoming a net contributor of funds after long been a net beneficiary.
Policy
Royal Palace of Madrid
Main article: Politics of Spain .
Since 1978, the political organization of Spain is governed by the constitution of that year , which establishes a system of constitutional monarchy and a welfare state and democratic law and plurality of political parties.
The monarch has political and symbolic power, as defined in Article 62 of the constitution: it is the head of state and army, signs laws, appoints the Prime Minister, dissolve Parliament on the proposal of the latter . In addition (Article 56), it is the representative of the Spanish State in international relations, particularly vis-à-vis ties with the Hispanic world. The current king is Juan Carlos I st . Executive power is still held by the President of the Government.
The President of the Government ( Presidente del Gobierno ) (role comparable to that of a Prime Minister ), is the head of the executive for a period of four years renewable. The President of the Government is appointed by the locksmiths king after the acceptance of its bid by the Congreso de los Diputados , he chairs the Council of Ministers. Mariano Rajoy is from the 20 December 2011 , President of the Government.
Legislative power is vested in the Parliament ( Cortes Generales ), which is the highest representative body of the Spanish people. It consists of a lower house, the Congress of Deputies ( Congreso de los Diputados ) and an Upper House, the Senate ( Senado ). The Congress of Deputies has 350 members elected for four years by direct Discount Judaica products universal suffrage. Currently, the Senate consists of 264 members including 208 directly elected and 56 appointed by the regions.
Autonomous Communities
Inhabitants
( 2000 ) Inhabitants
( 2005 )
Andalusia 7340052 7849799
Aragon 1189909 1269027
Asturias 1076567 1076635
Balearic Islands 845 630 983 131
Canary Islands 1716276 1968280
Cantabria 531 159 562 309
Castilla-La Mancha 1734261 1894667
Castile and León 2479118 2510849
Catalonia 6261999 6995206
Valencia 4120729 4692449
Extremadura 1069420 1083879
Galicia 2731900 2762198
Madrid 5205408 5964143
Murcia 1149329 1335792
Navarre 543 757 593 472
Basque Country 2098596 2124846
La Rioja 264 178 301 084
Autonomous scrabble word finder cities
Ceuta 75 241 75 276
Melilla 66 263 64 488
Elections are normally held every 4 years. The last general elections were held in March 2008.
Spain is a member of NATO and the chiropractic marketing EU .
Geography
Main article: Geography of Spain .
Physical Geography
Location and topography
Relief of Spain
Borders of Spain
Country Length
Portugal 1 214 km
France 623 km
Andorra 65 km
Morocco 15.9 km
Gibraltar custom t shirts 1.25 km
Located in Western Europe, Spain occupies the greater part of the Iberian Peninsula , which it shares with Portugal .
Outside the peninsula, the kingdom also includes two islands (one of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and that of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea ) and two cities ( Ceuta and Melilla ) and few islands and islets to the north of Morocco , such as islands Chafarinas , Rock of Alhucemas , Penon de Velez de la Gomera or the island Parsley . Furthermore, Spain claims sovereignty over the Rock of Gibraltar .
The island of Alboran in the Mediterranean from the west, also belongs to Spain.
Spain is the fourth largest country in Europe, after Russia , the Ukraine and France , and the second of the European Union .
The physical limits of Spain are: west, Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Strait of Gibraltar , which separates it from Africa ( Morocco ) to the north, the Pyrenees , which form a natural border with France and Andorra , and the Bay of Biscay .
The main mountain systems are the Pyrenees , the Iberian System , the Cantabrian mountain range , the central system and the Betic Cordillera .
Many rivers across Spain including Duero , the Ebro , the Tagus engagement rings river , the Guadalquivir , the Guadiana , the Jucar and Segura , his relief many trays gives many coastal rivers whose Bidassoa .
Climate
The climate of the Iberian Peninsula according to the Köppen climate classification. Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia (Spain) and Instituto de Meteorologia (Portugal). 7
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Color legend
There are three main climatic zones 7 :
The Mediterranean climate : characterized by a dry and hot summer. According to the Köppen classification , it is Bankruptcy dominant in the peninsula, with two main grades: type Mediterranean climate (Csa climate), present in the southern part of the country, and in the north-west, with scorching summers of the least Due to the proximity of the ocean or altitude (climate Csb).
The semi-arid climate (Bsk) is located in the southeast quarter of the country (especially in the region of Murcia ), but also around Valladolid . Unlike the Mediterranean climate, the dry season extends beyond the summer.
The oceanic climate : winter temperatures and were weighted payday loan by the ocean, and not knowing of drought (rainfall in autumn and winter). Ocean climate model is virtually absent from Spain. In some areas above sea level in Galicia, and Basque and Asturian coasts, it was mainly the shade Aquitaine, which differs from oceanic climate type Criminal Defense Attorney Chicago by the hot summer’s largest and most stormy in the north-west of the Europe – mean July laser hair removal temperature of 21 ° to Santander against 16 ° to Brest or Liverpool .
Apart from some wet areas of mountain, low rainfall and lack of water is a problem in much of Spain. Forest fires are a problem for all the forests of the peninsula 8 .
Environment
Main article: Environment in Spain .
Human Geography
Demography
Main article: Demographics of Spain .
Distribution of the Spanish population in 2005
Spain had 40,499,799 inhabitants in a st January 2000 , and 45,116,000 inhabitants in a st January 2007 . The population density of 87.41 inhabitants / km ², is less than that of most other countries of Western Europe and its distribution throughout the country is very irregular. Most densely populated areas are concentrated corporate clothing on the coast and around Madrid , while the rest of the interior is very poorly served.
The Spanish population has risen sharply since the late 1980s with the arrival of more than three million immigrants. Between 2000 and 2005, Spain experienced the highest immigration rates in the world, coming mainly from Latin America , from Eastern Europe and the Maghreb . Between 2001 and 2006 the country hosted an average of 600,000 people per year 9 . In 2006, five million people, or 11% of the Spanish population were foreign nationals 9 .
The territorial government of Spain
Main article: Territorial Administration of Spain .
Spain has a central government and three levels of local government:
17 Autonomous Communities (Comunidad Autónoma);
50 provinces (provincia);
8112 municipalities (municipio).
Main cities
Paseo de la Castellana , Madrid.
The largest cities are (in 2007 ):
Madrid 5.9 million
Barcelona 4856579
Valence 1764970
Seville 1417098
Malaga 1104074
Bilbao 946 000
Asturias ( STD Test Gijón , Oviedo , Avilés , Mieres and Langreo ) Plastic Storage Bins 910 199
Alicante – Elche 741 215
Bay of Cadiz ( Cadiz – Jerez ) 688 076
Zaragoza 683 763
Las Denver Divorce Lawyer Palmas de Gran Canaria 656 903
Murcia 633 272
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Spain and Spanish companies list .
Long remained a country farm , Spain has experienced significant socio-economic changes in the last quarter of the xx th century . It now has a diversified economy, thanks to the rapid growth of the industry since the electronic cigarettes fifties and the development of tourism. Between 1995 and 2001 , industrial employment increased by 38%. From 1964 , a series of development plans has contributed to the country’s economic expansion. The development of metallurgical and textile industries, shipbuilding and mining was privileged. Spain cambodia travel became in less than twenty years a major industrial power and agriculture. Tourism is also important, representing 5% of gross domestic product . The country remains dependent on the housing.
Spain is experiencing a serious crisis. It first started with the construction of a crisis due to falling prices and the global economic crisis of 2008 aggravated the situation. This crisis is characterized by a sharp rise in unemployment , which now affects nearly 21% of the workforce in the second quarter 2011 10 , against 8% a year earlier. The Spanish unemployment rate is now the highest in the EU after that of Latvia .
Culture
The Cabo Menor , bathed by the waters of the Cantabrian Sea , and, basically, the city of Santander , the capital of Cantabria .
The deck of the Kursaal in San Sebastian , capital of the province Basque of Guipuzcoa and city tourism.
The Elche palm grove , the World Heritage by the UNESCO .
Main article: Culture of Spain .
According to a recent survey by the Public Centre for Sociological Research 11 , wedding suits 82.4% of Spaniards say they are Catholic and 47.7% were practicing.
Among the most famous of Spanish popular culture, we can cite the flamenco , and a cultural event sometimes controversial, bullfighting .
The welfare state is weak in Spain 12 e cigarette : The country has a tax burden low (37% of GDP) and social spending among the lowest in the euro area (20.3% of GDP) 12 .
Public Holidays
Date French name Local name Comment
1 st January New Year’s Day Año Nuevo Celebrates the New Year
January 6 Epiphany Epifania Feast of Three Kings
March 19 Saint Joseph San Jose Except in Andalusia , the Balearic , Canary Islands , Valencia , Catalonia and La Rioja
Holy Thursday Thursday Santo Except in Catalonia casino and the Valencian Community
Good Friday Viernes Santo
1 st May Labour Day Día del Trabajo
July 25 Jacques the Major Santiago Apostol Except in Andalusia, Aragon, Catalonia, Ceuta , Melilla and Navarre .
August 15 Assumption Asunción
October 12 Day of the Hispanic Día de la Hispanidad National day
1 st November Toussaint Día de Todos los Santos
December 6 Day of Constitution Día de la Constitución
December 8 Immaculate Conception Inmaculada Concepción
December 25 Christmas Navidad
The official language of Spain is the Spanish ( Castilian ). However, this is not the only language that is spoken, some Autonomous Communities have their own official language alongside Spanish, here is their list:
Main article: Languages of Spain .
Catalonia: Catalan and Aranese
Valencia: Valencia (local name of Catalan )
Balearic Islands: Catalan
Galicia: Galician
Basque Country and part of Navarre: Basque
Sport
Main article: Sport in Spain .
Codes
Spain has the codes:
E , according to the list of international codes of plates ,
EC , according to the list of prefixes ICAO aircraft registration ,
ES , according to standard ISO 3166-1 (list of country codes), alpha-2 code,
. Es , according to the Storage Containers list of Internet TLDs ( Top Level Domain )
ESP , according to the list of country codes used by NATO , alpha-3 code,
ESP , according to standard ISO 3166-1 (list of country codes), alpha-3 code,
ESP according to the list of country codes IOC ,
GC , GE & LE , according to the list of prefixes ICAO airport Relevant Life Insurance codes ,
SP , according to the list of country codes used by How to lose weight NATO , alpha-2 code,
