Spain is an eclectic and beautiful country. Spain was ruled from 1939 to 1975 by Dictator Francisco Franco. This regime wanted to unify Spain and outlaw regional languages and promoting the Roman Catholic Church. He also wanted to cut off Spain from other countries. After his death in 1975, King Juan Carlos I returned to democracy. So began a night culture called La Movida and artistic expressions including music, art and fun.
The currency in Spain is the Euro. €
Spain has 4,964 km of coastline.
Spain’s population is around 45 million.
Spain is 5 times bigger than the UK and has two thirds of its population.
Spain produces 44% of all the earth’s olive oil.
Spain’s symbol of Granada is the pomegranate.
The night life is jumping with 344.000 bars!
Spain has over 8,000 km of beaches.
Spain’s climate is varied. Some areas resemble desert and in winter it can rain 20 days out of the month.
There are many animals in Spain. However, bats are prevalent and the symbol of Valencia. Scientists found that one bat actually eats birds!
Madrid is Spain’s capital city and it is located directly in the centre of the country.
You may not be aware but Spanish food is not spicy! They use a lot of Chile peppers but the food has more of a tangy flavour than hot. However, you can taste the garlic.
If you drink hot chocolate in Spain you will find it very thick almost like drinking warm pudding! It is also accompanied with Churros (similar to doughnuts).
Each household in Spain buys fresh bread every day! They are called barras or pistolas.
If you are in Spain you won’t find corn or flour tortillas because they are so popular! If you do visit Spain you will probably notice that there are other languages being spoken like Galician, Basque and Catalan.
You may have heard the phrase, “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the Plain.” Well that is not true. In 2007, it rained every day ending a drought.
Spain is the country closet to Africa!
Spain likes its sports but in particular football is the most popular sport!
Some popular and well known artists have come from Spain like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro and not forgetting of course the famous buildings of Barcelona by Gaudi.
Bullfighting is also considered an art in Spain. It is one of the popular attractions and the biggest and most controversial sports in Spain. It is actually a part of the Spanish history, art and culture. There are bull rings in all major cities and outlying areas!
The tooth fairy is not recognized in Spain. Instead, they have a tooth mouse named Ratoncito Perez!
Flamenco is the musical genre in Spain that uses rapid passages and intricate footwork.
