reasons for that intense interest in the Spanish lands are the fertility of the country's lands, natural beauty, and favourable climate. Spain has been attracting great attention for its crystal clear blue flag beaches, climate conditions, and holiday-like lifestyle throughout the year, lively ambiance

chose Spain as my representing country since, this magnificent country has been the homeland of many civilizations for centuries. The main

This natural setting attracts the attention of nature lovers visiting the country from all over the world. Because of the mountainous structure of the ground, many settlements in the inland parts of Spain are nestled in the foothills of the mountains.

and historical ambiance. Thus, Spain is famous for its easy-going culture, delicious food and stunning scenery

Major cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia all

offer unique traditions, languages and must-see sites. Spain is a mild oceanic country that is home to countless natural beauties. The natural environment and habitat in Spain are carefully protected and secured by natural parks.

T

he Kingdom of Spain is a country whose territory is mostly located on the Iberian Peninsula, in the far south-west of Europe. It comprises a total area of 504,642 km² and includes territories on both the mainland peninsula and nearby islands, such as the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands, the cities of Ceuta and Melilla and the so-called Plazas de Soberanía [Places of Sovereignty] in North Africa.

Spain is a country with profound historical roots in Europe. Its identity and unique idiosyncrasies have been forged by a variety of phenomena, such as the discovery of the Americas and its neutral position during the two world wars.

At the same time, however, there are strong parallels between Spanish history and the history of other European countries; although it never renounced its diversity, Spain emerged as a unified state at a very early stage and played a crucial role in some of the most brilliant episodes in modern European history.Given its geographic location. Spain has experienced a rich and varied history.

The first modern humans settled in what is now Spain over 35,000 years ago. The Roman conquest began in 218 BC and led to a far-reaching process of cultural assimilation, the repercussions of which continue to be felt today. Following the fall of the Western Empire, Hispania was conquered by Germanic tribes (Visigoths, Suevi and Vandals) and then by the Moors. The Moorish presence on the peninsula lasted until 1492 and the fall of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. The marriage of the Catholic Kings led to a dynastic union between the territories of the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon. After the discovery and conquest of America, Spain became the leading powerhouse in Europe and formed a great empire that extended across four continents. The Spanish presence in America forged strong ties between the two shores of the Atlantic, with Spanish becoming a common language shared by over 500 million people. Rome populated Spain in the third century BC and the country was key to the Roman Empire. While the Roman Empire fell, the Visigoths (among other barbarians) built settlements in spain. The country takes up Catholicism from 589 AD but the Moors began to expand, including into Spain.

In 711, Tariq ibn Ziyad, went to Europe at the head of a Berber army and seven years later they were in Barcelona, with the Arabs staying in Spain for seven centuries. A huge part of southerh Portugal and Spain became Al-Andalus, part of the Muslim empire; its influences can still be seen everywhere in architecture and design. This system thrived - even keeping Viking invaders at back in the ninth century - and peaking in power under the leadership of Abd-ar-Rahman III in the 10th century who gained independence of Al-Andalus from Egypt and Syria. In the mid ninth century, Magyars invaded and Christianity started to spread, but Al-Andalus remained the main power. However, by 1250, nearly the whole of the Iberian region was under Christian rule with the exception of the Muslim kingdom of GranaIn the 15th century there were three key Christian kingdoms with the Kingdom of Castile (northern and central portions of the Iberian Peninsula); the Kingdom of Aragon (northeastern parts of the peninsula); and the Kingdom of Portugal occupying the far western Iberian Peninsula.

King Henry IV of Castile’s death (1474) sparked the War of the Castilian Succession (1475–1479) and the outcome was that his half-sister Queen Isabella I of Castile (supported by the Kingdom of Aragon) gained power and the throne. She married Ferdinand (from Aragon) and their marriage united the two families, meaning that the start of Spain as we know it now began. Although there was relative religious freedom previously, their rule saw the spread of Catholicism and many converted.

Spain colonised the Canary Islands in the 14th and 15th centuries and their empire grew and grew, until they were the largest empire in the world. Trade flourished across the Atlantic between Spain and the Americas and across the Pacific between East Asia and Mexico via the Philippines. In the 16th and 17th centuries, arts and literature flourished in what is coined as the Golden Age. The royal house of Habsburg, in particular, were great patrons of art and some of the best music, painting and sculpture came from this time. Throughout all of this time, the economy in Spain fluctuated but their power still grew, especially with the backing of the Catholic Church.

Physical landmarks

Sierra Nevada

Pyrenees

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

After the defeat of the Muslims during the Christian Reconquista ("Reconquest") period between 718 and 1492, Spain became an entirely Roman Catholic country. In addition, the nation's history and its Mediterranean and Atlantic environment have played a significant role in shaping its culture, and also in shaping other cultures, such as the culture of Latin America through the colonization of the Americas. Spain has the third highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world, after Italy and China, with a total of 47.

The culture of Spain is based on a variety of historical influences, primarily based on the culture of ancient Rome, Spain being a prominent part of the Greco-Roman world for centuries, the very name of Spain comes from the name that the Romans gave to the country, Hispania. Other ancient peoples such as Greeks, Tartessians, Celts, Iberians, Celtiberians, Phoenicians and Carthaginians also had some influence. In the areas of language and also religion, the Ancient Romans left a lasting legacy in the Spanish culture because Rome created Hispania as a political, legal and administrative unit. The subsequent course of Spanish history added other elements to the country's culture and traditions.

The Visigothic Kingdom left a united Christian Hispania that was going to be welded in the Reconquista. The Visigoths kept the Roman legacy in Spain between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Early Middle Ages.Muslim influences remained during the Middle Ages in the areas conquered by the Umayyads, however, these influences had not been completely assimilated into the Spanish culture. Spanish culture before and after the arrival of the Muslims was based heavily on Roman heritage and the primary religion practised was Catholicism.

POPULATION

Spain, a country on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula, includes 17 autonomous regions with diverse geography and cultures. Capital city Madrid is home to the Royal Palace and Prado museum, housing works by European masters. Segovia has a medieval castle (the Alcázar) and an intact Roman aqueduct. Catalonia’s capital, Barcelona, is defined by Antoni Gaudí’s whimsical modernist landmarks like the Sagrada Família church.

Castilians

Catalans

Basques

The Kingdom of Castile and that of Aragon in the Iberian Peninsula were combined to form contemporary Spain. The Castilians ethnic group in Spain is a descendant of the Kingdom of Castile. After the formation of the Kingdom of Spain, Castilians were one of the ethnic groups in Spain who dominated because of their wide presence throughout the state.

The Catalans represent the provinces in the north-eastern region of Spain. The provinces which have a concentrated population of Catalans include Barcelona, Tarragona, Lerida, and Gerona. These provinces together form the autonomous community of Spain called Catalonia, which has Barcelona as its capital. As Catalonia is located close to France, there are several Catalans found in France.

The Basque ethnic group in Spain has existed for several thousand years in a region that is now part of contemporary Southern France and Northern Spain. They are considered to be one of the oldest ethnic groups in Europe. The Basques in Spain today are concentrated in the autonomous community of Basque Country and the province of Navarre.

Spain is a predominantly Roman Catholic country with approximately 94% of the population affiliated to that religion. During the history of Spain, there have been long periods where different religious groups have coexisted, including Muslims, Jews and Christians.Some traditions are more a cultural event rather than a religious one. During Holy Week, processions take place when participants wear a capirote which is a pointed hat of conical form and is part of the uniform of some brotherhoods and fraternities. They walk barefoot and carry a burden which is symbolic of a penitent. Religious history is apparent in every small town, where the most grandiose building is typically the church. In the large cities the Cathedrals are almost museums.

The languages of Spain (Spanish: lenguas de España), or Spanish languages (Spanish: lenguas españolas), are the languages spoken in Spain. Most languages spoken in Spain belong to the Romance language family, of which Spanish is the only language which has official status for the whole country. Various other languages have co-official or recognized status in specific territories, and a number of unofficial languages and dialects are spoken in certain localities.

LANGUAGE

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It is characterized by the dominance of the Catholic branch of Christianity, with high levels of secularization as of 2022. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution. 56% of Spaniards declare themselves Catholic, 39% non-religious, 2.8% follow other religions and 2.3% did not answer.

The Pew Research Center ranked Spain as the 16th out of 34 European countries in levels of religiosity. Only 3% of Spaniards consider religion as one of their three most important values, lower than the 5% European average.

Judaism and Christianity were introduced in the Iberian Peninsula in Roman times, with the latter absorbing many elements from "pagan" practices that survived for a while even among Christianized populations. Islam was introduced in the Iberian Peninsula after the Muslim conquest in the 8th century. In the late 15th to early 16th century, Jews and Muslims were forced to choose between conversion or expulsion, with the fostering of Catholic uniformity across the territory remaining a major concern for both State and Church authorities throughout the two following centuries. Connected to the Old Regime, the Catholic Church became the most controversial institution in Spain in the 19th and 20th centuries, struggling to find ways to relate to the nascent liberal society as well as clashing with governments seeking to find an acceptable delimitation of the role of religion in public affairs.

Most Spaniards do not participate regularly in weekly religious worship. A July 2021 study shows that of the Spaniards who identify themselves as religious, 36% never attend mass, 20.8% barely ever attend mass, 19% attend mass a few times a year, 6.8% two or three times per month, 13.4% every Sunday and holidays, and 2.9% multiple times per week. According to a 2021 survey, those who go to church several times a year are 17.3% of the total population; those who go several times a month, 9.3%; those who go every Sunday and all holy days of obligation, 14.9%; and those who go several times a week, 4.3%.

Although a majority of Spaniards self-identify as Catholics, younger generations tend to ignore the Church's moral doctrines on issues such as pre-marital sex, homosexuality, same-sex marriage or contraception. The total number of parish priests shrank from 24,300 in 1975 to 18,500 in 2018, with an average age of 65.5 years. By contrast, many expressions of popular religiosity still thrive, often linked to local festivals. Several instances of Catholic cultural practices are present among the general population, such as Catholic baptisms and funerals, Holy Week processions, pilgrimages (such as the Way of St. James), patron saints and many festivals.

A Survey published in 2019 by the Pew Research Center found that 54% of Spaniards had a favorable view of Muslims, while 76% had a favorable view about Jews.

According to the Spanish Center for Sociological Research, 57.6% of Spanish citizens self-identify as Catholics, (38.7% define themselves as not practicing, while 18.9% as practicing), 2.8% as followers of other faiths (including Islam, Protestant Christianity, Buddhism etc.), and 38.1% identify as atheists (13.9%), agnostics (10.6%) or non-believers (13.6%) as of January 2022.

SETTLE PATTERN

The Law of the Indies, which was passed in 1573, decreed that all Spanish settlements be modeled on the plan of a Spanish village. It was required that the center of the town be about five-and- a-half acres, with a church at one end and either a military or government building on the other.

tHE ECONOMY OF SPAIN

Major Industries: Textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment.

Agricultural Products: grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish

Natural Resources: Coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land.

Major Exports: Machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods.

Major Imports: Machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments.

Currency: Euro (EUR)

National GDP: $1,406,000,000,000

SOURCES:

•https://www.ducksters.com/geography/country/spain.php#:~:text=The%20Geography%20of%20Spain&text=Major%20landforms%20include%20the%20Andalusian,Mountains%2C%20and%20the%20Canary%20Islands.

•https://spainhomes.com/blog/area-guide/why-is-spain-the-most-popular-holiday-destination#:~:text=Spain%20has%20been%20attracting%20great,of%20many%20civilizations%20for%20centuries.

•https://www.workingabroad.com/travel/spain-geography-and-climate/