La Spain is a constitutional monarchy, belongs to the Iberian Peninsula of which it occupies most of, almost entirely surrounded by waters: to the West the Atlantic Ocean, which hosts the Canary Islands archipelago, to the East the Mediterranean, in which the Balearic Islands are immersed; it borders France and Andorra to the North, Portugal to the East, and Gibraltar, an English colony, 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; walking among the citrus groves of Murcia or on the scenic plateaus of the Pyrenees; recalling the now epic Don Quixote immersed in the spectacle of the windmills of Castilla or diving into the exotic “Islamic Spain,” from Cordoba to Seville, among minarets and lush gardens.
Naturally, a vacation in Spain should always include a meeting with the temples of art that are also very numerous, just to name a few: the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Gothic quarter of Barcelona with Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia and Carrer Montcada, home of the Picasso museum; in Toledo, a tour along the cigarrales will allow you to appreciate its suggestive 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’s Profile
- Country: Spain
- Area: 505,811 km²
- Capital: Madrid
- Population: 44 million inhabitants
- Language: Spanish
- Religion: majority Catholic
- Form of Government: constitutional monarchy
- Main 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: ID card or passport
- Required vaccination: NO
- 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: Labour 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: the northern regions have an Atlantic climate, mild and rainy; in the South and the Balearic Islands the climate is Mediterranean, with low rainfall and high average temperatures. A very dry but ocean-cooled climate is found in the Canaries.
- Average temperatures: The coldest month is January, with an average temperature of 4 degrees, the hottest is August with an average of 32°
- Transport: national airlines Iberia, Air Madrid; all airlines have direct flights to Spain: Alitalia, Air Europa, EasyJet, Vueling, Myair.com, Ryanair and many others. Renfe and Elipsos trains; from all destinations: from Paris Artesia-Trains, also with Trenitalia, Deutsche Bahn.
- Airports: many Spanish cities have an airport: Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Malaga, Zaragoza, Seville, Valencia, Tenerife, Bilbao, Menorca, Ibiza, etc.
