Spain is a constitutional monarchy, located on the Iberian Peninsula which it occupies most of, almost entirely surrounded by water: to the West the Atlantic Ocean, hosting the Canary Islands archipelago; to the East the Mediterranean Sea, where the Balearic Islands are located; it borders France and Andorra to the North, Portugal to the West, and Gibraltar, a British territory, to the South.
The 17 autonomous communities that make it up differ significantly from each other in language, culture, and landscape. Visiting Spain can mean admiring the rias, characteristic inlets typical of the Atlantic coast, or the white beaches of Formentera; strolling among the citrus groves of Murcia or on the suggestive plateaus of the Pyrenees; remembering the legendary Don Quixote immersed in the spectacle of the windmills of Castilla or immersing yourself in the exotic “Islamic Spain,” from Cordoba to Seville, among minarets and lush gardens.
Naturally, a holiday in Spain should always include encounters with the many temples of art, to name just a few: the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona with Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia and Carrer Montcada, home to the Picasso Museum; in Toledo a tour along the cigarrales will allow you to appreciate its evocative architecture in an imaginary journey through time. Far from being a crude synthesis of stereotypes made of tortillas and flamenco, Spain is a true kaleidoscope of cultural and landscape scenarios.
Spain Fact Sheet
- Country: Spain
- Area: 505,811 km²
- Capital: Madrid
- Population: 44 million inhabitants
- Language: Spanish
- Religion: majority Catholic
- Form of Government: constitutional monarchy
- Major cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga, Murcia, Bilbao, Valladolid, Cordoba, Alicante, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca
Useful Information about Spain
- Currency: Euro
- International dialing code: +34
- International vehicle registration: E
- Driving side: right
- Entry documents: Identity card or passport
- Required vaccinations: None
- Electric current: 220 V 50 Hz
- Units of measurement: metric system
- Time zones: same time as Italy
- Fixed-date holidays: January 1: New Year’s Day; January 6: Epiphany; March 17; March-April: Easter Monday; March-April: Easter; May 1: Labor Day; August 15: Assumption; October 12: National Day; November 1: All Saints’ Day; December 6: Constitution Day; December 25: Christmas
- Climate: The climate is continental: northern regions have an Atlantic climate, mild and rainy; in the South and the Balearic Islands, the climate is Mediterranean, with little rainfall and high average temperatures. A very dry climate but refreshed by the ocean is found in the Canary Islands.
- Average temperatures: The coldest month is January, with an average temperature of 4 degrees; the hottest is August with an average of 32°
- Transportation: national airlines Iberia, Air Madrid; all airlines have direct flights to Spain: Alitalia, Air Europa, EasyJet, Vueling, Myair.com, Ryanair and many more. Renfe and Elipsos trains; from all destinations: Artesia-Trains from Paris, also Trenitalia, Deutsche Bahn.
- Airports: many Spanish cities have an airport: Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Malaga, Zaragoza, Seville, Valencia, Tenerife, Bilbao, Menorca, Ibiza, etc.
