2. Spain is a sovereign state located on the Iberian
Peninsula in southwestern Europe, with two large archipelagoes,
the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary
Islands off the North African Atlantic coast, two
cities Ceuta and Melilla in the North African mainland and several small
islands in the Alboran Sea near the Moroccan coast.
3. The flag of Spain as it is defined in the Spanish Constitution
of 1978, consists of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and
red, the yellow stripe being twice the size of each red stripe.
Traditionally, the middle stripe was defined by the more
archaic term of gualda, and hence the popular
name rojigualda (red-weld).
4. With an area of 505,990 km2 (195,360 sq mi), Spain is the largest
country in Southern Europe, the second largest country in
Western Europe and the European Union, and the fourth largest
country in the European continent. By population, Spain is
the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union.
Spain's capital and largest city is Madrid; other major urban
areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao and Málaga.
10. At 505,992 km2 (195,365 sq mi), Spain is the world's fifty-
second largest country and Europe's fourth largest country. It
is some 47,000 km2 (18,000 sq mi) smaller than France and
81,000 km2 (31,000 sq mi) larger than the US state
of California. Mount Teide (Tenerife) is the highest mountain
peak in Spain and is the third largest volcano in the world from
its base. Spain is a transcontinental country.
11. Madrid is the capital city of the Kingdom of Spain and the
largest municipality in both the Community of Madrid and
Spain as a whole. The city has a population of almost
3.2 million with a metropolitan area population of
approximately 6.5 million. It is the third-largest city in
the European Union (EU) after London and Berlin, and
its metropolitan area is the third-largest in the EU after those
of London and Paris.
12. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol commonly known as Real Madrid,
or simply as Real outside Spain frontiers, is a
professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. Founded in
1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally worn a
white home kit since inception. The word Real is Spanish
for Royal and was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in
1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem.
13. Spain is one of the world’s oldest cultures with a
rich heritage that has influenced entire continents. It
is the birthplace of the Spanish language, Pablo
Picasso and Miguel Cervantes, and attracts millions
of people every year.
14. Flamenco in its strictest sense, is a professionalized art-form based on
the various folkloric music traditions of Southern Spain in autonomous
community of Andalusia, Extremadura and Murcia. In a wider sense, it
refers to these musical traditions and more modern musical styles which
have themselves been deeply influenced by and become blurred with the
development of flamenco over the past two centuries. It
includes cante (singing), toque (guitar
playing), baile (dance), jaleo (vocalizations), palmas (handclapping)
and pitos (finger snapping)
15. "Torero" or "toureiro" is the Spanish word for
bullfighter and describes all the performers in the
sport of bullfighting as practised in Spain, Portugal,
Mexico, Peru, France and other countries
influenced by Spanish culture.
16. Paella is a Valencian rice dish. Paella has ancient roots, but
its modern form originated in the mid-19th century near
the Albufera lagoon on the east coast of Spain adjacent to the
city of Valencia. Many non-Spaniards view paella as
Spain's national dish, but most Spaniards consider it to be a
regional Valencian dish. Valencians, in turn, regard paella as
one of their identifying symbols.
17. Spanish omelette is the English name for a traditional dish
from Spanish cuisine called tortilla española or tortilla de
patatas. It is an omelette made with eggs and potatoes,
sometimes also with onion and/or chives or garlic; fried in oil
and often served cold as an appetizer. It is part of the cuisine
of Spain and many South American countries, especially in
the zone of Rio de la Plata.
18. Gazpacho is a soup made of raw vegetables and served
cold, originating in the southern Spanish region of
Andalusia. Gazpacho is widely eaten in Spain and
neighbouring Portugal, particularly during the hot
summers, as it is refreshing and cool.
19. Spanish wines are wines produced in Spain. Located on
the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over 2.9 million acres
(over 1.17 million hectares) planted—making it the most
widely planted wine producing nation but it is the third
largest producer of wine in the world, the largest
being France followed by Italy.