Spain

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Chapter 5

• Spain

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Spain

• Country name Kingdom of Spain, Spain
• Capital Madrid
• Location Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay
  of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic
  Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of
  France
• Border countriesAndorra, France, Gibraltar,
  Portugal, Morocco (Ceuta), Morocco (Melilla)

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• Spain includes Balearic Islands, the Canary
  Archipelago, and the Moroccan coastal territories
  of Ceuta and Melilla.
• Government type parliamentary monarchy
• Population 40,217,413 (July 2003 est.)
• Languages Castilian Spanish 74, Catalan 17,
  Galician 7, Basque 2 note Castilian is the
  official language nationwide the other languages
  are official regionally
• Religions Roman Catholic 94, other 6

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• GDP per capita purchasing power parity -
  21,200 (2002 est.) (32nd in the world) (2002
  est.)
• Industries textiles and apparel (including
  footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal
  manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding,
  automobiles, machine tools, tourism
• Currency euro (EUR) (CIA, World Fact Book)

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Important Facts

• The second top destination in the world
• 51,7 million international tourist arrivals
  (second highest after France)
• 33.6 billion international tourism receipts
  (the second after US) (WTO, 2003)
• Coastline 4.964 km
• Terrain large, flat to dissected plateau
  surrounded by rugged hills Pyrenees in north

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• Climate temperate clear, hot summers in
  interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast
  cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy
  and cool along coast (CIA, World Fact Book).
• Europes second most mountainous country (after
  Switzerland). Climate varies dramatically
  according to altitude. True alpine conditions
  prevail from the Pyrenees in the north to the
  Sierra Nevada (above Granada) in the south.
• Spain is divided into two distinctive regions
  (Catalonia and Basque regions), each with its own
  culture, history and language.

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Selling Points

• Historical sites, lively cities, some of the
  finest art in the world, the Alhambra, shopping,
  cultural events, beaches, museums, caves,
  windsurfing, castles, skiing, water sports,
  fishing great food, bullfighting, flamenco,
  spectacular Moorish architecture, golf and tennis.

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Brief History

• The people who were later named Iberians (or
  dwellers along the Rio Ebro) by the Greeks,
  migrated to Spain in the third millennium B.C.
  The origin of the Iberians is not certain, but
  archaeological evidence supports the theory that
  they came from the eastern shores of the
  Mediterranean Sea
• The Phoenicians (by 1100 BC), Romans and Germanic
  tribes had strong influence
• AD 14, Part of the Roman Empire (called Hispania
  by the Romans), conquered by Germanic Tribes in
  419

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• AD 700, The Moors, the Islamic conquerors ruled
  Spain for more than half a millennium
• 1492, Columbuss exploration of the Americas,
  start of the peak of Spains power and influence,
  world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries.
  Failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial
  revolutions caused the country to fall behind
  Britain, France, and Germany in economic and
  political power

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Madrid

• Calle and Plaza Mayor (medieval Madrid)
• The citys oldest church, San Nicolas de los
  Servitas
• Calle Serrano, Gran Via (places for shopping)
• Victory Arc
• Palacio Real (the royal palace art treasurers,
  crown jewels)
• Rastro Flea Market
• Plaza de las Cibeles, Puerto del Sol (major
  intersections fountains, monuments and shops)

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• Paradise for museum-goers.
• 15 important museums and dozens galleries
• The Prado Museum (one of the greatest in the
  world, 18th century building, features the works
  of Rubens, Goya, El Greco, Bosch, Velazquez,
  Titian, Murillo, Durer)
• Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (newest
  art museum in Madrid, features Picassos
  masterpiece Guernica
• The Palacio de Villahermosa, Lazaro Galdiano
  Museum, Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida, and
  Madrids Tiflological Museum, Museum of America.

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• terraza (outdoor cafes)
• parks and lakes (Retiro Park, Victorian
  greenhouse, Crystal Palace small lake and
  swans)
• 26th floor of Edificio de Espana (panoramic view
  of Madrid)
• flamenco shows in nightclubs
• Huertas Street (for shows, jazz clubs etc.)
• Outside Madrid (El Escorial summer house of
  Philip II tapestry, sculpture, and painting
  collections tombs of Spains kings for the last
  500 years)

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Barcelona

• charming port along the Mediterranean coast, art
  and design centre, best quality nightlife
• Picasso Museum (his drawings at the age of five)
• Miro Museum
• La Sagrada Familia (surreal church designed by
  Catalan architecture Antoni Gaudi, not finished
  yet, combination of a dragons cave and a castle
  made from whipped cream)
• Eixample (upscale shopping district, has some art
  nouveau buildings of Gaudi)

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• Palau de Musica - Music Place (famous concert
  hall designed by Domenech i Montaner, another
  art-nouveau great)
• Las Ramblas (pedestrian street with dozens of
  outdoor cafes, best place to people watch)
• Placa Real (bars and restaurants)
• Medieval Gothic quarter
• Els Quatre Gats (Picassos old hangout)
• Barceloneta (waterfront, beach area, full of
  restaurants)
• Montjuic (lovely hill on the edge of the city
  with attractions)

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Balearic Islands

• Mallorca, Ibiza, Formentera, Menorca
• sit in the western Mediterranean, 45 minutes
  flight from Barcelona
• have Greek, Roman, Moor influences
• excellent shopping, nice climate, great food,
  beautiful scenery, not very good beaches
• favorite place for package tours from Northern
  Europe
• Ibiza is the most crowded, and popular
• Formentera and Menorca are more quite.

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Basque Region

• Begins in France, stretches west along the Bay of
  Biscay (north of Spain, Iberian Peninsula)
• a picturesque region with its own language
• Bilbao and San Sebastian are the major towns to
  visit.
• Bilbao
• the largest city in Basque region, industrial,
  not a tourist place
• there are some nice museums for museum goers
  (Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Museum of Archeology
  and Ethnology)

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• 14th century Gothic Church of Santiago
• Ensanche Park
• San Sebastian
• picturesque, expensive, fashionable place in
  Spain to spend the summer
• nice beaches, beautiful old town center, good
  bars and restaurants (Basque cuisine)
• film festival in September
• town of Pamplona, in July, there is the famous
  running of the bulls, bookings should be made a
  year in advance.

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Canary Islands

• Names of the islands Fuerteventura, Gomera, Gran
  Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, El Hierro, La Palma
  
• they are 96 km west of Africa
• all year springlike climate, fairly good beaches
  of white, gold and black, casinos, golf, tennis,
  fishing.
• Fuerteventura
• diving, white-sand beaches
• Gomera
• Historic sites related to Columbus, lush scenery,
  least accessible (do not have airport), ferry
  from Tenerife, not much entertainment

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• Gran Canaria
• the most visited, golfing, yachting, shopping,
  casinos, beaches
• Las Palmas, the principal city of islands
• Lanzarote
• white, black and gold beaches, 300 volcanoes,
  crowded
• Tenerife
• beaches, mountains
• Carnival celebrations
• La Palma
• El Hierro

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Costa Blanca

• Southeast Mediterranean shore with popular resort
  towns
• Alicante, Benidorm, Altea, Denia
• Benidorm
• center of action like Miami Beach or Waikiki
• high rise buildings, bars and restaurants, party
  atmosphere

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Costa del Sol

• The famous coastal are running along the
  Mediterranean from east of Malaga to Gibraltar,
  finest beaches in Spain
• overdeveloped,
• spreads inland and include some lakes, beautiful
  fishing and agricultural villages, cobble-stone
  streets, flowers every windowsill, whitewashed
  houses

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• known for flamenco dancing, reflects Arab
  influence
• Malaga
• pleasant large city with great scenery, polluted
  sea
• Marbella
• whitewashed buildings, shopping, good nightlife,
  acceptable beaches, strong Arab influence
• Some other towns Estepona, Mijas, Nerja and
  Torremolinos

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Granada

• main attraction is the 13th century Moorish
  Alhambra
• palaces (open at night in warmer months),
  fortress and gardens
• Court of the Lions in moonlight
• The Generalife Gardens and the Royal Chapel (the
  tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella)
• Sierra Nevada ski station

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Seville

• most important city during Spanish colonial
  period
• one of the worlds largest Gothic style cathedral
  with Christopher Colombus Mausoleum (some say he
  is buried in Dominican Republic)
• Santa Cruz Jewish Quarter - twisting medieval
  streets, clubs, bars and restaurants
• famous for its festivals - Semana Santa, La Feria

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Toledo

• was the capital of Roman Spain
• place where El Greco lived and painted, El
  Grecos home (now museum)
• especially beautiful at night

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Things to Remember

• Prado Museum is closed on Mondays
• Dinner is eaten after 10 pm
• Vineyards are present more than anywhere else