Spain
is the second largest and sunniest country in Europe and has been described
by the Word Health organisation as one of the healthiest climates in the
world. The population is around 40 million, allowing the country to retain
its beautiful character and landscapes. The average population density is
about 80 people per 200 hundred square miles (which is one third of Britain's)
and one of the lowest in Europe.
The crime rate in Spain
is one of the lowest in Europe - there are however some regions that still
have quite high crime rates, which should be seriously taken into consideration
before making any decision to buy a property (ask one of our team for further
details on crime rates and recommended areas)
Within Spain there are 17
autonomous regions (communidades autónomas) each with its own president,
government, administration and supreme court. All of these are funded by
the central government
Spain has the fifth largest
economy in Europe and accounts for approx 10% of the EU output. It still
is however (even with some of the traditional methods) the worlds largest
producers of olive oil, fourth largest producer of dried fruit and six largest
producer of citrus fruits. Spain still boasts some of the largest vineyards
in the world in fact 60% larger than that of France - and is considered
third largest worldwide wine producer.
Growth in the country is
still running at around 3% with inflation about the same, however unemployment
is still a problem for Spain - and should be a major consideration if you
are looking to move to, and work in Spain.
Food-
- Traditional
dish in Spain is paella. The saffron taste of this rice based dish is best
enjoyed with sea-views, but can be obtained in most places.
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- Most bars serve food with
drinks (known as tapas), and this varies from region to region, and
usually includes jamon serrano (cured ham), chorizo (garlic
sausage) and pulpo gallego (tender pot cooked octopus)
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- Religion
-
- 99% of the Spain's 40 million
population declare themselves Catholic. There are some classic cathedrals,
churches and religious sanctuary's (one of the most renowned being the Sanctuary
in Calasparra)
- Geography
-
- Spain covers approx 492,460km2
of the Iberian peninsula, and 504,740km2 including the Balearic and Canary
islands. The country is a vast plain surrounded by mountains, and is the
second highest country in Europe (Switzerland has the highest range)
-
- Spain is often referred
to as the "old bullhide" as it resembles a stretched-out bullhide.
It has two north African enclaves, Ceuta and Meilla administered by the
provinces of Cadiz and Malaga respectively, and have been held by Spain
since the 15th century
- The Pyrenees in the north
form a natural barrier between Spain, France and Andorra, while to the west
is Portugal.
- The main river flowing through
Spain is the Ebro from which the Iberian peninsula gets its
name, and is the only Spanish river flowing into the Mediterranean.
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- Language
-
- Spanish or Castilian is
spoken as the first language by over 74% of the population. The other 36%
speak regional language with variants from Catalan, Gilician and a small
minority speak Basque. the vast majority of the people who speak regional
languages are also fluent in Castilian as Franco banned the regional languages
during his reign.
Fiestas-
- Throughout Spain you can
still see the Arabic moors influences, having rules Spain for 800 years.
many of the smaller villages begin with "Beni" which
means "son of" in Arabic.
- Fiestas are a common sight
in Spain, and many small villages will be decked with flags and streamers
with bands playing celebrating the fiesta. Each fiesta is celebrated for
different occasions, they can be for religion, harvest etc.. and many
include the running of the bulls
- Heritage
-
- The King of Spain is Juan
Carlos I who married Queen Sofia of the Greek royal family. They have two
daughters, Princesses Alena and Cristina, and one son Price Felipe, who
is the Prince of Asturias and is heir to the throne
-
- The royal family live in
the Palcaio de la Zarzuela which is a few miles north west of Madrid.
They also have a palace in Palma de Mallorca
-
- The King pays taxes, and
the Spanish royal family is one of the least expensive to maintain in Europe.
