Capital: Madrid
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Borders: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km,
Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km
The Kingdom of Spain is a Mediterranean country, bordered on its
western side by Portugal and on its eastern side by France. The
north coast faces the Bay of Biscay and the south coast looks out to
the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean Sea and the Balearic
Islands. The total coastline measures 4,964 km. Spain has a total
landmass of 499,542 sq km and a further 5,240 sq km of inland water.
Spain’s largest environmental concern is drought, and many areas of
the country are dry and arid. That said, some areas of Spain,
especially the Pyrenees are mountainous with the highest mountain
being Mulhacen at a height of 3476m. The Pyrenees span nearly all of
the French border, with a length of 400km and a height of up to
3400m. Southern Spain is home to mile upon mile of beautiful
Mediterranean coastline. Cataluna is a region in the northwest of
Spain and Barcelona is the capital of this region. Cataluna has its
own language, separate from Spain. The city of Barcelona is home to
a unique collection of bizarre Antoni Gaudi architecture, not least
the Sagrada Familia cathedral or Church of the holy Family.
The official language is Spanish and the national unit of currency
is the Euro. The Spanish enjoy a good bullfight, and although this
often distresses visitors, it is worth bearing in mind that bull
fighting is an important part of Spanish culture even today. One
peculiar event held each year is the ‘running of the bulls’ in
Pamplona, during which people enjoy being chased through the city’s
streets by angry bulls. People often become impaled during this
festival!
Spain is a member of the European Union and has a modern capitalist
economy. Industry and services are the biggest earners and 93% of
the national workforce is employed within these two sectors. The
industries of Spain are textiles, food and beverages, metals,
chemicals, shipbuilding, cars, machine tools and tourism. The
principal agricultural crops are olives, grapes, lemons and oranges.
The transport network consists of 15,171 km of railways and 346,858
km of highways.
Spain boasts a year round warm climate, which often exceeds 35°C in
some areas during summer. The central region of Spain experiences
hotter summers and colder winters than the north and south of the
country. The coastal regions experience cooler summer weather with
sea breezes. The highest ever recorded temperature in Madrid was
39°C. |
