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The Kingdom of Spain is a country located in the southwest of Europe. It shares the Iberian Peninsula with
Portugal and Gibraltar. To the
northeast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, it borders France and the tiny principality of Andorra. It includes the Balearic
Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in the north of Africa, and a number of minor uninhabited
islands on the Mediterranean side of the strait of Gibraltar,
such as the Chafarine islands, the "rocks" (es: peñones)
of Vélez and Alhucemas, and the tiny Parsley Island.
Spain has been a constitutional monarchy and a
parliamentary democracy since the Spanish Constitution of 1978 was approved.
History
Main article: History of Spain
The original peoples of the Iberian peninsula (in the sense
that they are not known to have come from elsewhere), consisting of a number of separate tribes, are given the generic name of
Iberians. This includes the Basque, the
only pre-Roman Iberian
people surviving to the present day as a separate ethnic group. The most
important culture of this period is that of the city of Tartessos. Beginning in
the 9th century BC, Celtic
tribes entered the Iberian peninsula through the Pyrenees and
settled throughout the peninsula, becoming the Celt-Iberians.
The seafaring Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians successively settled along the
Mediterranean coast and founded trading colonies there over a period of several centuries.
Around 1,100 BC Phoenician merchants founded the trading colony of Gadir (modern day
Cádiz) near Tartessos. In the 8th century BC the first Greek colonies, such as Emporion (modern Empúries), were founded along the Mediterranean
coast on the East, leaving the south coast to the Phoenicians. The Greeks are responsible for the name Iberia, after the river
Iber (Ebro in Spanish). In the 6th century BC the Carthaginians arrive in Iberia as while struggling with the Greeks for control of the Western Mediterranean.
Their most important colony is Carthago Nova (Latin name of modern day
Cartagena).
The Romans arrived in the Iberian peninsula during the second Punic war in the 2nd century BC, and annexed it under Augustus after two
centuries of war with the Celtic and Iberian tribes and the Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginian colonies becoming the province of
Hispania. Some of Spain's present languages, religion, and laws originate from this Roman period.
As the Roman empire declined, the Suebi, Vandals and Alans each took control of part of Hispania. In the 5th century CE the Visigoths, a
romanized germanic tribe, conquered all of Hispania and established a relatively stable kingdom lasting until 711, when it fell to an invasion by Islamic North African Moors and became part of the expanding Umayyad
empire, under the name of Al-Andalus. When the Umayyad empire gave way to the Abbaside empire, an Umayyad exile established the Califate of Cordoba,
effectively making Al-Andalus independent from the empire.
Modern Spain began to take form during the Reconquista, the struggle among
the Christian kingdoms that the moors left unconquered in northern peninsula and the kingdoms into which Al-Andalus had split. In
1492, Granada, the last Moorish kingdom was defeated by the Catholic Monarchs Isabella I of Castile (Isabel La Católica) and Ferdinand II of Aragon (Fernando el Católico or Ferran el Catòlic).
The kingdom of the Catholic Monarchs then imposed the Christian religion: in 1492, Isabella and Ferdinand ordered the
expulsion of all Jews from their dominions, having imposed physical segregation in 1480 (two years after the establishment of the
Inquisition), and in 1502 Muslims were forced to convert to Christianity or be banished.
After the conquest of Granada, Isabella funded Christopher
Columbus' in his attemps to reach Asia through a western route across the Atlantic Ocean what became the arrival of the Spaniards to the "New World".
By 1512, most of the kingdoms of present-day Spain were politically unified (with the
exception of Navarre) although not as a modern centralized state. The grandson of
Isabella and Ferdinand, Charles I, extended his crown to other
places in Europe and the rest of the world. And the unification of Iberia was complete when Charles I's son, Philip II, became King of Portugal in 1580, as well as of the other Iberian Kingdoms (collectively
know as "Spain").
In 1640, under Philip
IV, the centralist policy of the Count-Duke of Olivares provoked wars in Portugal and
Catalonia: Portugal became an independent kingdom again and Catalonia enjoyed
some years of French-supported independence, but was quickly returned to the Spanish Crown.
During the 16th century, Spain became the most powerful nation in
Europe, due to the immense wealth derived from the Spanish colonisation of the
Americas. But a series of long, costly wars and revolts began a steady decline of Spanish power in Europe. Controversy over
succession to the throne consumed the country during the first years of the 18th century (see War of
the Spanish Succession). It was only after this war ended and a new dynasty (the French Bourbons) was installed that a
centralized Spanish state was established.
Spain was occupied by Napoleon in the early 1800s, but the Spaniards raised in arms. After the war of Independence (1808-1812), a series of revolts and armed
conflicts between Liberals and supporters of the Ancient Regime lasted throughout much
of the 19th century, complicated by a dispute over dynastic succession by
the Carlists which led to three civil wars. After that, Spain was briefly a
Republic, from 1871 to 1873, year in which a series of coups reinstalled the monarchy.
In the meantime, Spain lost most of its colonies in the Americas during the 19th
century, a trend which ended with the loss of Cuba and the Philippines after the Spanish-American War of 1898.
The 20th century initially brought little peace; colonisation of
Western Sahara, Spanish Morocco and Equatorial Guinea was attempted as a substitute for the loss of the
Americas. A period of dictatorial rule (1923-1931)
ended with the establishment of the Second Spanish
Republic. With increasing political polarisation and pressure from all sides, coupled with growing and unchecked violence,
the Republic ended with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in
July 1936. Following the victory of the nationalist forces in 1939, General Francisco Franco ruled a nation exhausted
politically and economically until his death in 1975.
After World War II, being one of few surviving fascist regimes in Europe, Spain was politically and economically isolated, and
kept out of the United Nations until 1955, when it became strategically important for US president Eisenhower to establish a military presence in the Iberian peninsula. The opening to Spain was aided by
Franco's rabid anticommunism.
In the 1960s, more than a decade later than other western European countries, Spain
began to enjoy economic growth and gradually transformed into a modern industrial economy with a thriving tourism sector. Growth continued well into the 1970s, with Franco's
government going to great lengths to shield the Spanish people from the effects of the oil crisis.
Upon the death of the dictator General Franco in November 1975, his personally
designated heir Prince Juan Carlos assumed the position
of king and head of state. He played a key role in guiding Spain further
in its growth into a modern democratic state, notably in opposing an attempted coup d'etat in 1981. Spain joined NATO in 1982 and became a member of the European Union in 1986.
With the approval of the Constitution of 1978 and the arrival of democracy, the old historic nationalities — Basque Country, Catalonia and
Galicia — were given far-reaching autonomy, which, in due
course, was extended to all Spanish regions.
- See also: List of Spanish monarchs,
Kings of Spain family tree
Politics
Main article: Politics of Spain
Spain is a constitutional monarchy, with a
hereditary monarch and a bicameral parliament, the Cortes or National Assembly. The executive branch consists of a Council of Minister presided over by the
President of Government (comparable to a prime minister), proposed by
the monarch and elected by the National Assembly following legislative elections.
The legislative branch is made up of the Congress of
Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) with 350 members, elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional
representation to serve four-year terms, and a Senate or Senado with 259 seats
of which 208 are directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures to also serve four-year
terms.
Spain is, at present, what is called a State of Autonomies, formally unitary but, in
fact, functioning as a Federation of Autonomous Communities, each one with
different powers (for instances, some have their own educational and health systems, others do not) and laws. There are some
problems with this system, since some autonomous governments (especially those dominated by nationalist parties) are seeking a
more federalist kind of relationship with Spain, while the Central Government is trying to restrict what some see as excessive
autonomy of some autonomous communities (ex. Basque Country and
Catalonia).
Terrorism is a problem of present-day Spain, since ETA (Basque Homeland and Freedom) is
trying to achieve Basque independence through violent means, including bombings and murders. Although Basque Autonomous
government does not condone any kind of violence, the different approaches to the problem are a source of tension between Central
and Basque governments.
Administrative divisions
Administratively, Spain is divided into 50 provinces,
grouped into 17 autonomous
communities and 2 autonomous cities with high degree of autonomy.
Autonomous communities
Main article: Autonomous
communities of Spain
Spain consists of 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autónomas) and 2 autonomous cities (ciudades
autónomas; Ceuta and Melilla).
The Spanish constitution recognises historic nationalities, but does not grant a special status for them. Navarre and the Basque Country have a special tax revenue system.
Provinces
Main article: Provinces of Spain
The Spanish kingdom is also divided in 50 provinces (provincias).
Autonomous communities group provinces (for instance, Extremadura is made of
two provinces: Cáceres and Badajoz). The autonomous communities of Asturias, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, La Rioja, Navarre, Murcia, and Madrid are each composed of a single province.
Places of sovereignty
There are also five places of sovereignty (plazas de
soberanía) on and off the African coast: the cities of Ceuta and Melilla are administered as autonomous cities, an
intermediate status between cities and communities; the islands of the Islas Chafarinas, Peñón de Alhucemas,
and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera are under
direct Spanish administration.
The Canary islands, Ceuta
and Melilla, although not officially historic communities, enjoy a special
status.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Spain
Mainland Spain is dominated by high plateaus and mountain ranges such as the Pyrenees or the Sierra Nevada. Running
from these heights are several major rivers such as the Tagus, the Ebro, the Duero, the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir. Alluvial plains are found
along the coast, the largest of which is that of the Guadalquivir in Andalusia.
Spain is bound to the east by Mediterranean Sea (containing the
Balearic Islands), to the north by the Bay of Biscay and to its west by the Atlantic Ocean, where the Canary Islands off the
African coast are found.
Spain's climate can be divided in four areas:
- The Mediterranean: mostly temperate in the eastern and souther part of the country; rainy seasons are spring and autumn. Mild
summers with pleasant temperatures.
- Inner spain: Very cold winters (frequent snow) and hot summers.
- Northern Atlantic coast: precipitations mostly on winter, with mild summers (slightly cold).
- The Canary Islands: subtropical weather, with mild temperatures (18º to 24 º celsius) throughout the year.
Territorial disputes
Spain has called for the return of possession of Gibraltar, a tiny British possession on its southern coast. It changed hands during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713. The most recent talks dealt with the idea of "total shared sovereignty" over Gibraltar,
subject to a constitutional referendum by Gibraltarians, who have expressed opposition to any form of cession to Spain. The talks
have been frozen, after the result of a referendum in Gibraltar where 91% of the people opposed them. See Gibraltar for more information.
Morocco disputes the enclaves of Ceuta and
Melilla and the uninhabited Vélez, Alhucemas, Chafarinas, and Perejil ("Parsley") islands, all on the northern coast of Africa.
The town of Olivenza (Extremadura) and its country is claimed by Portugal, but the
Spanish public is not generally aware of that claim.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Spain
Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that
on a per capita basis is 80% that of the four leading West European economies. Its center-right government successfully worked to
gain admission to the first group of countries launching the European single currency on
January 1, 1999. The administration of
José María Aznar has continued to advocate liberalisation,
privatisation, and deregulation of the economy and has introduced some
tax reforms to that end. Unemployment has been steadily falling under the
Aznar administration but remains the highest in the EU at 11.7%. The government intends to make
further progress in changing labour laws and reforming pension schemes, which are key
to the sustainability of both Spain's internal economic advances and its competitiveness in a single currency area. A general
strike in mid-2002 reduced co-operation between labor and government. Growth of 2.4% in 2003 was satisfactory given the
background of a faltering European economy. Adjusting to the monetary and other economic policies of an integrated Europe —
and reducing unemployment — will pose challenges to Spain over the next few years.
Spain is the second tourism destination in the World after France. They welcome 52
million tourists per year.
- See also: List of Spanish
companies
Languages
Main article: Demographics of Spain
The Spanish Constitution, although affirming the sovereignty of the Spanish Nation, recognises historical nationalities.
Along with Spanish (official language throughout Spain), other
major languages are spoken in Spain, which are official in certain autonomous communities:
Catalan, Galician, Aranese (Occitan) and Spanish (Castilian) are all descended from Latin and have their own dialects; there are also some other surviving Romance minority languages such as Asturian, Astur-Leonese or Bable in Asturias and
part of León; and Aragonese or fabla in part of Aragon. However, unlike
Catalan, Galician, and Basque, these do not have any official status. Berber language is spoken among Muslims in Ceuta and Melilla. In the touristic areas of the Mediterranean
costas and the islands, German and
English are spoken by tourists, foreign residents and tourism workers.
Many linguists claim that most of the Spanish language variants spoken in Latin America (Mexican, Argentinian, Columbian, etc. variants) descended from the Spanish spoken in
southwestern Spain (Andalusia).
Identities
Spain is considered by many, including a large part of Spanish population, to be a group of nations unified under a single
State, much like Belgium, Switzerland or the United Kingdom. Despite this, the
policy of many Spanish governments has led to a "Spanish nationhood" which is the one people identify with Spain
internationally.
The Spanish Constitution of 1978
recognizes historic entities (such as Catalonia, Galicia ,the Basque
Country or Navarre). In the 19th and 20th centuries, similar recognition was rare
and short-lived.
But Spain's identity is, in fact, an overlap of different national identities, some of them even conflicting.
Castile is considered to be by many the "core" of Spain. However, this may just be a reflection of the fact that the Castilian
national identity was the first one to be quashed by the Spanish Empire in the revolt of the Communards (comuneros). Today,
castilians generally consider themselves to be Spanish first, with regional identity being of lesser importance.
The opposite is the case of Gallicians, Catalans and Basques, who quite frequently identify primarily with Galicia, Catalonia
and the Basque Country first, with Spain only second, or even third, after Europe.
The situation is even more confusing, since there are regions with ambiguous identities, like Navarre, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands etc.
Until 1714, Spain was a loose confederation of kingdoms and statelets, under the same king, until — Philip V —
removed the autonomous status of the Aragonese crown. Moreover, the creation of a unified state in the 19th and 20th centuries
has lead to the present situation, apparently simple, but sometimes extremely confusing. During the First Spanish Republic, the Basque and Catalan were given
limited self-government, which was restored in 1978.
Yet, relationships betweeen Hispanic peoples have created strong ties between them, which are more apparent to foreigners than
differences.
Religion
Spain is a predominantly (94%) Roman Catholic country, although the
recent waves of immigration have lead to an increasing number of Muslims. The second
religion of Spain according to membership is the church of the Jehovah's Witnesses; there are also many protestant branches, all of them with less than 50,000 members,
and about 20,000 Mormons.
Minority groups
The most important minority group in the country are the gipsies.
Culture
Main article: Culture
of Spain
International rankings
Further Reading
John Hickman and Chris Little, "Seat/Vote Proportionality in Romanian and Spanish Parliamentary Elections" Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans Volume 2, Number 2, November
2000.
Miscellaneous topics
External links
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