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There are 63 Listings ...

... in Spain Directory

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New Business Type (1)
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Bar (6)
Bed And Breakfast (1)
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Butchers Shop (1)
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Chinese Restaurant (1)
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Dog Kennel (1)
Estate Agent (5)
Fish and Chip Shop (1)
Greeting Card Shop (1)
Holiday Home (1)
Hostel (1)
Human Resource Consultants (1)
Internet Cafe (1)
Internet Website Publisher (1)
Mortgage And Insurance (1)
Newspaper (5)
Nightclub (1)
Paint Shop (1)
Property Management (2)
Radio Station (1)
Recruitment Consultant (1)
Restaurant (4)
Riding Stable (1)
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525 Hotel
       ... Los Alcazares,
525 Hotel
       ... Los Alcazares,
987 Barcelona Hotel
       ... Barcelona,
A And H Suite Madrid
       ... Madrid,
A.s. Bellaterra
       ... Cerdanyola Del Valles,
Aas Suite Hotel - El Parque
       ... Madrid,
Ab Viladomat Hotel
       ... Barcelona,
Abad Toledo
       ... Toledo,
Abades Loja
       ... Loja,
Abades Nevada Palace
       ... Granada,
Abades Reina Maria
       ... Guadix,
Abalu
       ... Madrid,
Abama Hotel
       ... Guia De Isora,
Abando
       ... Bilbao,
Abarracin Hotel
       ... Albarracin,
Abba Acteon Hotel
       ... Valencia,
Abba Atocha
       ... Madrid,
Abba Burgos
       ... Burgos,
Abba Castellon
       ... Castellon,
Abba Castilla Plaza
       ... Madrid,
Abba Centrum Alicante
       ... Alicante,
Abba De Londres Yde Inglaterra
       ... San Sebastian,
Abba Fonseca
       ... Salamanca,
Abba Madrid
       ... Madrid,
Abba Parque
       ... Bilbao,
Abba Playa Gijon
       ... Gijon,
Abba Rambla
       ... Barcelona,
Abba Reino De Navarrara
       ... Pamplona,
Abba Santander
       ... Santander,
Abba Sants Hotel
       ... Barcelona,
Abeiras Hotel
       ... O Grove,
Abelux
       ... Palma De Mallorca,
Aben Humeya Hotel
       ... Granada,
Abrat Hotel
       ... San Antonio Abad,
Ac A Coruna
       ... La Coruna,
Ac Aitana
       ... Madrid,
Ac Alcala
       ... Alcala De Henares,
Ac Algeciras
       ... Algeciras,
Ac Alicante
       ... Alicante,
Ac Aravaca
       ... Madrid,
Ac Arganda
       ... Madrid,
Ac Avenida De America
       ... Madrid,
Ac Badajoz
       ... Badajoz,
Ac Burgos
       ... Burgos,
Ac Castellon
       ... Castellon De La Plana,
Ac Ciudad De Sevilla
       ... Seville,
Ac Ciudad De Toledo
       ... Toledo,
Ac Ciudad De Tudela
       ... Tudela,
Ac Ciutat De Alcoy
       ... Alcoy,
Ac Ciutat De Palma
       ... Palma De Mallorca,
Ac Cordoba
       ... Cordoba,
Ac Coslada
       ... Madrid,
Ac Cuenca
       ... Cuenca,
Ac Cuzco
       ... Madrid,
Ac Diplomatic
       ... Barcelona,
Ac Elche
       ... Elche,
Ac Elda
       ... Elda,
Ac Forum
       ... Madrid,
Ac Forum Oviedo
       ... Oviedo,
Ac Gava
       ... Gava,
Ac Getafe
       ... Getafe,
Ac Gijon
       ... Gijon,
Ac Gran Canaria
       ... Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Spain,
Ac Granada
       ... Granada,
Ac Guadalajara
       ... Guadalajara,
Ac Hotel Jerez
       ... Jerez De La Frontera,
Ac Hotel La Linea
       ... La Linea De La Concepcion,
Ac Hotel Murcia
       ... Murcia,
Ac Hotel Rivas
       ... Madrid,
Ac Hotel Santa Justa
       ... Sevilla,
Ac Hotel Valencia
       ... Valencia,
Ac Huelva
       ... Huelva,
Ac Irla
       ... Barcelona,
Ac La Finca
       ... Pozuelo De Alarcon,
Ac La Rioja
       ... Logrono,
Ac Lleida
       ... Lleida,
Ac Los Enlaces
       ... Zaragoza,
Ac Los Vascos
       ... Madrid,
Ac Madrid Feria
       ... Madrid,
Ac Malaga Palacio
       ... Malaga,
Ac Martorell
       ... Martorell,
Ac Miramar
       ... Barcelona,
Ac Monte Real
       ... Madrid,
Ac Mostoles
       ... Mostoles,
Ac Nuevo Portil Golf
       ... Huelva,
Ac Palacio De Santa Ana
       ... Arroyo,
Ac Palacio De Santa Paula
       ... Granada,
Ac Palacio Del Carmen
       ... Santiago De Compostela,
Ac Palacio Del Retiro
       ... Madrid,
Ac Palacio San Esteban
       ... Salamanca,
Ac Palacio Universal
       ... Vigo,
Ac Palau De Bellavista
       ... Gerona,
Ac Palencia
       ... Palencia,
Ac Ponferrada
       ... Ponferrada,
Ac Recoletos
       ... Madrid,
Ac Salymar
       ... San Fernando,
Ac San Antonio
       ... Leon,
Ac San Sebastian De Los Reyes
       ... San Sebastian De Los Reyes,
Ac Santa Justa
       ... Seville,
Ac Santo Mauro
       ... Madrid,
Ac Som
       ... Lhospitalet De Llobregat,
Ac Tarragona
       ... Tarragona,
Ac Victoria Suites
       ... Barcelona,
Ac Vila De Allariz
       ... Allariz,
Ac Vilamari
       ... Barcelona,
Ac Zamora
       ... Zamora,
Ac Zizur Mayor
       ... Zizur Mayor,
Acacias Hotel
       ... Lloret De Mar,
Acapulco
       ... Lloret De Mar,
Acevi Villarroel
       ... Barcelona,
Acosta Centro
       ... Almendralejo,
Acuario
       ... Tenerife,
Acueducto
       ... Segovia,
Adler
       ... Madrid,
Adonis Resort
       ... Adeje,
Adsubia
       ... Denia,
Agh Canet
       ... Canet De Berenguer,
Agh Estepona
       ... Estepona,
Agir
       ... Benidorm,
Aguamar
       ... Los Cristianos,
Aguamarina Apart Hotel
       ... Torremolinos,
Aguamarina Golf Hotel
       ... Golf Del Sur,
Aguas Santas Golf
       ... Panton,
Agumar Hotel
       ... Madrid,
Ah Agora Caceres
       ... Caceres,
Ah Agora World Trade Center
       ... Zaragoza,
Ah Granada Palace
       ... Monachil,
Ah San Fermin Suites
       ... Pamplona,
Ai Bahia Principe Costa Adeje
       ... Tenerife,
Aimia Hotel
       ... Port De Soller,
Aisia Balea
       ... Oirio,
Aisia Kresala
       ... Deba,
Aisia Laia
       ... Derio,
Aisia Zita
       ... Lekeitio,
Al Andalus
       ... Nerja,
Alameda Palace
       ... Salamanca,
Alanda Club Marbella
       ... Marbella,
Alaska
       ... Alsasua,
Alay
       ... Malaga,
Albahia
       ... Alicante,
Albero Lodge
       ... Estepona,
Albir Garden
       ... Alicante,
Albir Playa Hotel
       ... Alfaz Del Pi,
Alboran
       ... Algeciras,
Alboran Chiclana
       ... Chiclana De La Front,
Albret
       ... Pamplona,
Alcala Plaza
       ... Madrid,
Alcazaba Mar
       ... Retamar,
Alcazar De La Reina
       ... Carmona,
Alcoba Del Rey De Sevilla
       ... Seville,
Alcoceber
       ... Alcoceber,
Alcomar
       ... Gijon,
Aldea Calan Bosch
       ... Ciutadella,
Aldea Del Mar
       ... Torrevieja,
Alexandra Hotel
       ... Barcelona,
Alfonso V Hotel - Leon
       ... Leon,
Alfonso Vi
       ... Toledo,
Alfonso Viii
       ... Cuenca,
Alguer
       ... Barcelona,
Alhama
       ... Navarra,
Alhambra Santa Susana Hotel
       ... Santa Susanna,
Alhaurin Golf
       ... Alhaurin El Grande,
Alisas
       ... Santander,
Alixares Hotel
       ... Granada,
Almadraba Park Hotel
       ... Roses,
Almenara Golf, Hotel & Spa
       ... Sotogrande,
Almerimar
       ... Almeria,
Almoneda
       ... Vitoria,
Almonsa Platja Apartamentos
       ... Salou,
Almudaina
       ... Palma De Mallorca,
Aloha Gardens
       ... Marbella,
Alqueria Hotel
       ... Burguillos,
Altos De Istan
       ... Istan,
Alva Park Resort And Spa
       ... Lloret De Mar,
Amadeus
       ... Valladolid,
Amanhavis Hotel
       ... Benahavis,
Amaraigua Hotel
       ... Malgrat De Mar,
Ambos Mundos
       ... Playa De Palma,
America
       ... Igualada,
America
       ... Calas De Mallorca,
America Hotel
       ... Seville,
Ametlla Mar
       ... Lametlla De Mar,
Amic Horizonte Hotel
       ... Palma De Mallorca,
Amrey Sant Pau
       ... Barcelona,
Amura Alcobendas Hotel
       ... Alcobendas,
Amura Alcobendas Hotel
       ... Madrid,
Amura Azuqueca
       ... Azuqueca De Henares,
Anabel Hotel
       ... Lloret De Mar,
Andalucia Center Hotel
       ... Granada,
Andarax
       ... Aguadulce,
Andia
       ... Pamplona,
Andromeda
       ... Madrid,
Antemare Hotel
       ... Sitges,
Antequera Golf
       ... Antequera,
Ap Turisticos Principe
       ... Madrid,
Apart. Tur. Palmera Beach
       ... Pilar De La Horadada,
Apartahotel Nh Las Rozas
       ... Las Rozas,
Apartamentos Alta
       ... Puerto De La Cruz,
Apartamentos Althay
       ... Costa Calma, Spain,
Apartamentos Barcelona Center
       ... Barcelona,
Apartamentos Baulomar
       ... Can Picafort,
Apartamentos Benal Beach
       ... Benalmadena Costa,
Apartamentos Brisamar
       ... Corralejo,
Apartamentos Ca�os De Meca
       ... Los Ca�os De Meca,
Apartamentos California
       ... Playa De Las Americas,
Apartamentos Carmen
       ... Playa Del Ingles,
Apartamentos Coral Beach
       ... Calpe,
Apartamentos Dausol
       ... San Jose,
Apartamentos Don Miguel
       ... Puerto De Pollensa,
Apartamentos Dos Playas
       ... Son Serra De Marina,
Apartamentos Ebano
       ... Ibiza,
Apartamentos El Puerto
       ... Ibiza,
Apartamentos Eldorado
       ... Puerto Del Carmen,
Apartamentos Europa
       ... Blanes,
Apartamentos Ferrera Blanca
       ... Cala D Or,
Apartamentos Ficus
       ... Costa Teguise,
Apartamentos Fuentepark
       ... Corralejo,
Apartamentos Granada Park
       ... Playa De Las Americas,
Apartamentos Guarapo
       ... Costa Teguise,
Apartamentos Hawaii Torrenova
       ... Palma Nova,
Apartamentos Hg Cristian Sur
       ... Los Cristianos,
Apartamentos Hg Guacimeta
       ... Puerto Del Carmen,
Apartamentos Hg Tenerife Sur
       ... Los Cristianos,
Apartamentos Hotetur Lago Park
       ... Cala Ratjada,
Apartamentos Ibb Mar/ Playa Blanc
       ... Ciudadella De Menorca,
Apartamentos Isla Porrassa
       ... Magalluf,
Apartamentos Jabeque
       ... Playa Den Bossa,
Apartamentos Jard�n Del Atl�ntico
       ... Playa Del Ingles,
Apartamentos Lagos De Fa�abe
       ... Adeje,
Apartamentos Las Palomas
       ... Palma Nova,
Apartamentos Levante Club
       ... Benidorm,
Apartamentos Lobosol Paradise
       ... Fuerteventura,
Apartamentos Los Cocoteros
       ... Puerto Del Carmen,
Apartamentos Los Pueblos
       ... Puerto Del Carmen,
Apartamentos Los Tulipanes
       ... Puerto Del Carmen,
Apartamentos Mar Blau
       ... Alayor,
Apartamentos Mar Y Paz
       ... Can Picafort,
Apartamentos Marina
       ... Ciudadella De Menorca,
Apartamentos Maxorata Beach
       ... Corralejo,
Apartamentos Mediterraneo
       ... Nerja,
Apartamentos Minarete
       ... Roquetas De Mar,
Apartamentos Minerva Jupiter
       ... Benalmadena Costa,
Apartamentos Montebello
       ... Mogan,
Apartamentos Mur Mar
       ... Barcelona,
Apartamentos Noelia Playa
       ... Puerto De La Cruz,
Apartamentos Olano
       ... Madrid,
Apartamentos Parque Mar
       ... Cala Dor,
Apartamentos Playa Club
       ... Puerto Del Carmen,
Apartamentos Playa Sol I
       ... Ibiza,
Apartamentos Playa Sol Ii
       ... Ibiza,
Apartamentos Playas Ca's Saboners
       ... Palma Nova,
Apartamentos Poseidon Ii
       ... Es Vive,
Apartamentos Punta Jabillo
       ... Costa Teguise,
Apartamentos Regina Mar
       ... Playa Del Ingles,
Apartamentos Resitur
       ... Sevilla,
Apartamentos Roc Lago Park
       ... Ciudadella De Menorca,
Apartamentos Roc Portonova
       ... Palma Nova,
Apartamentos Sabinas
       ... Zaragoza,
Apartamentos Sol Radiante
       ... Canyamel,
Apartamentos Sorrall
       ... Blanes,
Apartamentos Sotavento
       ... Magalluf,
Apartamentos Stil Aucanada
       ... Alcudia,
Apartamentos Tartessus Sancti P
       ... Chiclana De La Front,
Apartamentos Terralta
       ... Benidorm,
Apartamentos Tribunal
       ... Madrid,
Apartamentos Venus
       ... San Antonio,
Apartamentos Vistamar
       ... Benalmadena Costa,
Apartamentos Waikiki
       ... Palma Nova,
Apartamentos Zafiro
       ... Calpe,
Aparthotel Mediterraneo
       ... Sitges,
Aparthotel Africa Mar
       ... Can Picafort,
Aparthotel Africamar
       ... Can Picafort,
Aparthotel Alcudia Garden
       ... Puerto De Alcudia,
Aparthotel Ascarza Badajoz
       ... Badajoz,
Aparthotel Atenea Aventura
       ... Vila-seca De Solcina,
Aparthotel Atenea Valles
       ... Granolles,
Aparthotel Bahia
       ... San Pedro Dpinatar,
Aparthotel Beta Albufera
       ... Alfafar,
Aparthotel Caledonia Park
       ... Playa De Las Americas,
Aparthotel Castillo San Jorge Ant ...
       ... Antigua,
Aparthotel Citadines Ramblas
       ... Barcelona,
Aparthotel City Senator
       ... Barcelona,
Aparthotel Ciudad De Lugo
       ... Lugo,
Aparthotel Club Cala Millor
       ... Cala Millor,
Aparthotel Club Eurocalas
       ... Calas De Mallorca,
Aparthotel Club Garbi
       ... Ibiza,
Aparthotel Comtat Sant Jordi
       ... Platja De Aro,
Aparthotel Coral Beach
       ... Arona,
Aparthotel Costa Encantada
       ... Lloret De Mar,
Aparthotel Costa Mar
       ... Puerto Del Carmen,
Aparthotel El Duque
       ... Costa Adeje,
Aparthotel Flacalco
       ... Cala Ratjada,
Aparthotel Folias
       ... San Agustin,
Aparthotel Fontanellas Playa
       ... Palma De Mallorca,
Aparthotel Green Field
       ... Playa Del Ingles,
Aparthotel Green Garden
       ... Cala Ratjada,
Aparthotel Guitart La Molina Reso ...
       ... Alp,
Aparthotel Hesperia Fira Suites
       ... Lhospitalet De Llobregat,
Aparthotel Hg Cala Llonga
       ... Mahon,
Aparthotel Hg Jardin De Menorca
       ... Alayor,

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	Spain
	Introduction Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Spain

Introduction

Top of Page

Background:

Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II, but suffered through a devastating Civil War (1936-39). In the second half of the 20th century, it has played a catch-up role in the western international community. Continuing concerns are large-scale unemployment and the Basque separatist movement.

Spain

Geography

Top of Page

Location:

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France

Geographic coordinates:

40 00 N, 4 00 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 504,782 sq km

land: 499,542 sq km

water: 5,240 sq km

note: includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - Ceuta, Melilla, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Land boundaries:

total: 1,917.8 km

border countries: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km

Coastline:

4,964 km

Maritime claims:

contiguous zone: 24 NM

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:

temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast

Terrain:

large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m

Natural resources:

coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 30%

permanent crops: 9%

permanent pastures: 21%

forests and woodland: 32%

other: 8% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:

34,530 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification

Geography - note:

strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

Spain

People

Top of Page

Population:

40,037,995 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.62% (male 3,015,851; female 2,835,763)

15-64 years: 68.2% (male 13,701,065; female 13,605,314)

65 years and over: 17.18% (male 2,881,334; female 3,998,668) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:

9.26 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:

9.13 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

4.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.93 years

male: 75.47 years

female: 82.62 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.15 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.58% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

120,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

2,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Spaniard(s)

adjective: Spanish

Ethnic groups:

composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Religions:

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Languages:

Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97%

male: NA%

female: NA%

Spain

Government

Top of Page

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain

conventional short form: Spain

local short form: Espana

Government type:

parliamentary monarchy

Capital:

Madrid

Administrative divisions:

17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares (Balearic Islands), Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencian, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country)

note: there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco: Ceuta and Melilla are administered as autonomous communities; Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera are under direct Spanish administration

Independence:

1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)

National holiday:

Hispanic Day, 12 October

Constitution:

6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Legal system:

civil law system, with regional applications; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968

head of government: President of the Government Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez (since 5 May 1996); First Vice President Juan Jose LUCAS (since 28 February 2000) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy) Rodrigo RATO Figaredo (since 5 May 1996)

cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president

note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government

elections: the monarch is hereditary; president proposed by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly following legislative elections; election last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on proposal of the president

election results: Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez (PP) elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 44%

Legislative branch:

bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); Congress of Deputies - last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PP 127, PSOE 61, CiU 8, PNV 6, CC 5, PIL 1; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PP 44.5%, PSOE 34%, CiU 4.2%, IU 5.4%, PNV 1.5%, CC 1%, BNG 1.3%; seats by party - PP 183, PSOE 125, CiU 15, IU 8, PNV 7, CC 4, BNG 3, other 5

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo

Political parties and leaders:

Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Xabier ARZALLUS Antia]; Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Paulino RIVERO]; Convergence and Union or CiU [Jordi PUJOL i Soley, secretary general] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Jordi PUJOL i Soley] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN y LLEIDA]); Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Xose Manuel BEIRAS]; Party of Independents from Lanzarote or PIL [Dimas MARTIN Martin]; Popular Party or PP [Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU (a coalition of parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Gaspar LLAMAZARES]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; Euskal Herritarok or EH [Herri BATASUNA]; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977); on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty or ETA and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group or GRAPO use terrorism to oppose the government; Opus Dei; Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; university students; Workers Confederation or CC.OO

International organization participation:

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Francisco Javier RUPEREZ

chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340

FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Edward L. ROMERO

embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid

mailing address: APO AE 09642

telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200

FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303

consulate(s) general: Barcelona

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar

Spain

Economy

Top of Page

Economy - overview:

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 1 January 1999. The AZNAR administration has continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, 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 14%. The government intends to make further progress in changing labor 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. Adjusting to the monetary and other economic policies of an integrated Europe - and further reducing unemployment - will pose challenges to Spain in the next few years.

GDP:

purchasing power parity - $720.8 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:

purchasing power parity - $18,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4%

industry: 31%

services: 65% (1999)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.8%

highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.4% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

17 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:

services 64%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 28%, agriculture 8% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:

14% (2000 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $105 billion

expenditures: $109 billion, including capital expenditures of $12.8 billion (2000 est.)

Industries:

textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

4.5% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:

197.694 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 57.71%

hydro: 12.1%

nuclear: 28.28%

other: 1.91% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:

189.57 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:

6.23 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:

11.945 billion kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:

grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish

Exports:

$120.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, other consumer goods

Exports - partners:

EU 71% (France 20%, Germany 12%, Italy 9%, Portugal 9%, UK 8%), Latin America 6%, US 5% (2000)

Imports:

$153.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods; foodstuffs, consumer goods (1997)

Imports - partners:

EU 68% (France 18%, Germany 16%, Italy 9%, UK 7%, Benelux 8%), US 8%, OPEC 5%, Latin America 4%, Japan 3% (1999)

Debt - external:

$90 billion (1993 est.)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $1.3 billion (1995)

Currency:

Spanish peseta (ESP); euro (EUR)

note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Spain at a fixed rate of 166.386 Spanish pesetas per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002

Currency code:

ESP; EUR

Exchange rates:

euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); pesetas per US dollar - 149.40 (1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66 (1996)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Spain

Communications

Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use:

17.336 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

8.394 million (1999)

Telephone system:

general assessment: generally adequate, modern facilities; teledensity is 44 main lines for each 100 persons

domestic: NA

international: 22 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

13.1 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

224 (plus 2,105 repeaters)

note: these figures include 11 television broadcast stations and 88 repeaters in the Canary Islands (1995)

Televisions:

16.2 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.es

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

56 (2000)

Internet users:

4.6 million (2000)

Spain

Transportation

Top of Page

Railways:

total: 13,950 km

broad gauge: 12,781 km 1.668-m gauge (6,358 km electrified; 2,295 km double track)

standard gauge: 525 km 1.435-m gauge (525 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 644 km 1.000-m gauge (438 km electrified) (1998)

Highways:

total: 346,858 km

paved: 343,389 km (including 9,063 km of expressways)

unpaved: 3,469 km (1997)

Waterways:

1,045 km (of minor economic importance)

Pipelines:

crude oil 265 km; petroleum products 1,794 km; natural gas 1,666 km

Ports and harbors:

Aviles, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Ceuta, Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Malaga, Melilla, Pasajes, Gijon, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands), Santander, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo

Merchant marine:

total: 135 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,208,730 GRT/1,773,378 DWT

ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 26, chemical tanker 10, container 9, liquefied gas 2, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 35, short-sea passenger 8, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 3 (2000 est.)

Airports:

110 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 75

over 3,047 m: 15

2,438 to 3,047 m: 10

1,524 to 2,437 m: 18

914 to 1,523 m: 19

under 914 m: 13 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 35

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 9

under 914 m: 25 (2000 est.)

Heliports:

2 (2000 est.)

Spain

Military

Top of Page

Military branches:

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Civil Guard, National Police, Coastal Civil Guard

Military manpower - military age:

20 years of age

Military manpower - availability:

males age 15-49: 10,551,945 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:

males age 15-49: 8,448,150 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:

males: 281,043 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:

$6 billion (FY97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

1.1% (FY97)

Spain

Transnational Issues

Top of Page

Disputes - international:

Gibraltar issue with UK; Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Morocco contests, as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas

Illicit drugs:

key European gateway country for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin

WikiPedia Information About Spain

Information from the WikiPedia.Com Website for Spain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Export/Spain
/_TheTownGuide/Index_Layout_Leaders_wiki_Process.xsl

{{About
the country}} {{pp-semi-indef
small=yes}} {{Infobox Country
native_name = ''Reino de Espa�a''
conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Spain
common_name = Spain
image_flag = Flag of Spain.svg
image_coat = Escudo de Espa�a (mazonado).svg
image_map = EU-Spain.svg
map_caption = {{map_caption
location_color=dark green
region=Europe
region_color=dark grey
subregion=the European Union
subregion_color=light green
legend=Location Spain EU Europe.png}}
national_motto = {{lang
la
"Plus Ultra (motto)
Plus Ultra"}}{{spaces
2}}(Latin)
"Further Beyond"
national_anthem = {{lang
es
"Marcha Real"}}{{spaces
2}}(Spanish language
Spanish)Also serves as the Royal anthem
"Royal March"
official_languages = Spanish language
SpanishIn some autonomous communities of Spain
autonomous communities, Aranese (Occitan language
Occitan), Basque language
Basque, Catalan language
Catalan/Valencian, and Galician language
Galician are co-official languages.

Bable and Leonese language
Leonese are officially recognised
regional_languages = Aranese language
Aranese, Basque language
Basque, Catalan language
Catalan/Valencian and Galician language
Galician
officially_recognised_languages = Asturian language
Asturian and Leonese language
Leonese
ethnic_groups = 88ǌ% Spanish people
Spanish, 12ǌ% (Romanian people
Romanian, Moroccan people
Moroccan, Ecuadorian) other (2009){{cite web
url=http://www.ine.es/prensa/np551.pdf
title=Spain
publisher=www.focus-migration.de
date=2009-01-01
accessdate=2009-09-22}}
demonym = Spanish people
Spanish, Spanish people
Spaniard
capital = Madrid
latd=40
latm=26
latNS=N
longd=3
longm=42
longEW=W
largest_city = capital
government_type = Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy
leader_title1 = Spanish monarchy
King
leader_title2 = Prime Minister of Spain
Prime Minister
leader_name1 = Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I
leader_name2 = Jos� Luis Rodr�guez Zapatero (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
PSOE)
sovereignty_type = Formation
sovereignty_note = 15th century
established_event1 = {{spaces
2}}Dynasty
Dynastic
established_date1 = Catholic Monarchs
1479
established_event2 = {{spaces
2}}''de facto''
established_date2 = Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
1516
established_event3 = {{spaces
2}}''de jure''
established_date3 = Nueva Planta decrees
1716
established_event4 = {{spaces
2}}Spanish transition to democracy
Constitutional democracy
established_date4 = Spanish Constitution of 1978
1978
accessionEUdate = 1 January 1986
EUseats = 54
area_km2 = 504,030
area_sq_mi = 195,364
area_rank = 51st
area_magnitude = 1 E11
percent_water = 1ᇼ
population_estimate = 46,661,950{{cite web
url=http://www.ine.es/prensa/np551.pdf
title=Official Population Figures of Spain.

Population on the 1 January 2009
publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estad�stica de Espa�a
accessdate=2009-06-03}}
population_estimate_year = 2009
population_estimate_rank = 27th
population_density_km2 = 90 people
population_density_sq_mi = 231
population_density_rank = 106th
GDP_PPP_year = 2008
GDP_PPP = $1딻 trillion{{cite web
url=http://www.imf.or g/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/02/weodata/weorept 6aspx?sy=2006&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&d s=.&br=1&c=184&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=33&pr.y=6
title=Spain
publisher=International Monetary Fund
accessdate=2009-10-01}}
GDP_PPP_rank = 12th
GDP_PPP_per_capita = $30,588
GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 28th
GDP_nominal = $1똊 trillion
GDP_nominal_rank = 9th
GDP_nominal_year = 2008
GDP_nominal_per_capita = $35,116
GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 25th
HDI_year = 2007
HDI = {{increase}} 0띫
HDI_rank = 15th
HDI_category = very high
Gini = 32{{cite web
url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2172.html
title=CIA World Factbook
accessdate=2008-08-13}}
Gini_year = 2005
currency = Euro (Euro sign
�)Prior to 1999 (by law, 2002) : Spanish Peseta.
currency_code = EUR
time_zone = Central European Time
CETExcept in the Canary Islands, which are in the Western European Time
WET time zone (Coordinated Universal Time
UTC, Coordinated Universal Time
UTC+1 in summer).
utc_offset = +1
time_zone_DST = Central European Summer Time
CEST
utc_offset_DST = +2
date_format = dd.mm.yyyy (Spanish; Common Era
CE)
drives_on = right
cctld = .esThe .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.

Also, the .cat domain is used in Catalan-speaking territories.
calling_code = Telephone numbers in Spain
34 }} '''Spain''' ({{pron-en
'spe?n
en-us-Spain.ogg}} {{respell
spayn}}; {{lang-es
'''Espa�a'''}}, {{IPA-es
es'pa?a
pron
Es-Espa�a.ogg}}), officially the '''Kingdom of Spain''' ({{lang-es
Reino de Espa�a}}), is a member state of the European Union located in Southern Europe
southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Constitution of Spain
Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though ''Espa�a'' (Spain), ''Estado espa�ol'' (Spanish State) and ''Naci�n espa�ola'' (Spanish Nation) are used interchangeably.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an Ordinance published in 1984, declared that "''denominations "Spain" and "Kingdom of Spain" are equally valid to designate the Spain in international treaties...''" Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.

Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two Autonomous cities of Spain
autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco.

With an area of 504,030 km�, Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France.

Since January 1, 2010, Spain has held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Because of its location, the territory of Spain was subject to many external influences, often simultaneously, since prehistory
prehistoric times and through the dawn of Spain as a country.

Conversely, the country itself has been an important source of influence to other regions, chiefly during the Modern Era, when it became a Spanish empire
global empire that has left a legacy of over 400 million Spanish speakers today�making it the world's second List of languages by number of native speakers
most spoken language by native speakers. Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a parliamentary government under a constitutional Monarchy of Spain
monarchy.

It is a developed country with the List of countries by GDP (nominal)
ninth or tenth largest economy in the world by nominal GDP, and very high living standards List of countries by Human Development Index
(15th highest Human Development Index), including the seventeenth-highest Quality-of-Life Index
quality of life index rating in the worldwww1.internationalliving.com/qofl2010/.

It is a member of the United Nations, European Union, NATO, OECD, and World Trade Organisation
WTO. {{TOC limit
limit=3}}

Etymology

The true origins of the name ''Espa�a'' and its cognates "Spain" and "Spanish" are disputed.

The ancient Ancient Rome
Roman name for Iberia, ''Hispania'', may derive from poetic use of the term ''Hesperia'' to refer to Spain, reflecting Ancient Greece
Greek perception of Italy as a "western land" or "land of the setting sun" (''Hesperia'') and Spain, being still further west, as ''Hesperia ultima''.{{cite book
last = Anthon
first = Charles
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = A system of ancient and medi�val geography for the use of schools and colleges
publisher = Harper & Brothers
year = 1850
location = New York
page = 14
url = http://book s.google.com/books?id=hm0rAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA14& dq=hesperia&lr=&ei=vlWfSvb1DYnokATLjtFw&client=safari#v=onepage&q=hesperia&f=false
doi =
id =
isbn = }} It may also be a derivation of the Punic ''Ispanihad'' meaning "land of rabbits" or "edge", a reference to Spain's location at the end of the Mediterranean; Roman coins struck in the region from the reign of Emperor Hadrian
Hadrian show a female figure with a rabbit at her feet.{{cite book
last = Burke
first = Ulick Ralph
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = A History of Spain from the Earliest Times to the Death of Ferdinand the Catholic, Volume 1
publisher = Longmans, Green & Co
date = 2nd edition, 2008
location = London
page = 14
url = http://books.google.com/book s?id=DuiyyWGg-KEC&pg=PA410&dq=spain+hispania&ei=L 1GfSseWNp_4lATVpMWLAQ&client=safari#v=onepage&q=hispania&f=false
doi =
id =
isbn = }} There are also claims that ''Espa�a'' derives from the Basque language
Basque word ''Ezpanna'' meaning "edge" or "border", another reference to the fact that the Iberian peninsula constitutes the southwest of the European continent. The humanist Antonio de Nebrija proposed that the word ''Hispania'' evolved from the Iberian language
Iberian word Hispalis, meaning "city of the western world". According to a new research by Jes�s Luis Cunchillos published in 2000 with the name of ''Gram�tica fenicia elemental'' (''Basic phoenician grammar''), the root of the term ''span'' is ''spy'', meaning "to forge metals".

Therefore ''i-spn-ya'' would mean "the land where metals are forged".# ? Linch, John (director), Fern�ndez Castro, Mar�a Cruz (del segundo tomo), Historia de Espa�a, El Pa�s, volumen II, La pen�nsula Ib�rica en �poca prerromana, pg.

40.

Dossier.

La etimolog�a de Espa�a; �tierra de conejos?, ISBN 978-84-9815-764-2

Geography

{{Main
Geography of Spain}} File:Ll�via flors.jpg
thumb
left

Ll�via, Catalonia At {{convert
504782
km2
sqmi
0
abbr=on
lk=out}}, Spain is the world's List of countries and outlying territories by area
51st-largest country.

It is some {{convert
47000
km2
sqmi
abbr=on}} smaller than France and {{convert
81000
km2
sqmi
abbr=on}} larger than the U.S.

state of California. File:Playa Sardinero - Santander - Spain.jpg
210px
thumb
right
El Sardinero, Santander, Cantabria
Santander, Cantabria On the west, Spain borders Portugal; on the south, it borders Gibraltar (a British overseas territory) and Morocco, through its cities in North Africa (Ceuta and Melilla).

On the northeast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, it borders France and the tiny principality of Andorra.

Spain also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and a number of uninhabited islands on the Mediterranean side of the strait of Gibraltar, known as {{lang
es
''Plazas de soberan�a''}}, such as the Islas Chafarinas
Chafarine islands, the Isla de Albor�n
isle of Albor�n, the "rocks" ({{lang
es
''pe�ones''}}) of Pe��n de V�lez de la Gomera
V�lez and Pe��n de Alhucemas
Alhucemas, and the tiny Isla Perejil.

Along the Pyrenees in Catalonia, a small exclave town called Ll�via is surrounded by France.

The little Pheasant Island in the River Bidasoa is a Spanish-French condominium (international law)
condominium. Mainland Spain is dominated by high plateaus and mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada (Spain)
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.

Climate

File:Spain-climate-en.png
thumb
Spain's climatic areas. Due to Spain's geographical situation and orography
orographic conditions, the Geography of Spain#Climate
climate is extremely diverse; discounting the mountain climate, it can be roughly divided into five areas: * A Continental Mediterranean climate in the inland areas of the Peninsula (largest city, Madrid). * An Oceanic climate in Galicia and the coastal strip near the Bay of Biscay or (largest city, Bilbao).

This area is often called Green Spain. * A Semiarid climate or arid Mediterranean in the southeast (largest city, Murcia). * A Mediterranean climate region extends from the Andalusian plain along the southern and eastern coasts up to the Pyrenees, on the seaward side of the mountain ranges that run near the coast.

Also in Ceuta and Melilla (largest city, Barcelona).

Localized Subtropical climate areas exist in the coasts of Granada and M�laga (Costa Tropical).

* A Subtropical climate in the Canary Islands (largest city, Las Palmas). The Rain in Spain
The rain in Spain does ''not'' stay mainly in the plain.

It falls mainly in the northern mountains.{{cite web
url=http://maps 6howstuffworks.com/spain-annual-precipitation-map.htm
title=HowStuffWorks "Maps of Spain Annual Precipitation"
publisher=Maps.howstuffworks.com
date=
accessdate=2010-01-27}}

History

{{Main
History of Spain}} After a long and hard conquest, the Iberian Peninsula became a region of the Roman Empire known as Hispania.

During the early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule but later was conquered by Muslim invaders.

Through a very long and fitful process, the Christian kingdoms in the north gradually rolled back Muslim rule, finally extinguishing its last remnant in Granada in 1492, the same year Columbus reached the Americas.

A global empire began which saw Spain become the strongest kingdom in Europe and the leading world power in the 16th century and first half of the 17th century.

Continued wars and other problems however, eventually led to a diminished status.

The French invasion of Spain in the early 19th century led to chaos, triggering independence movements that tore apart most of the empire and left the country politically unstable.

In the 20th century it suffered a devastating civil war and came under the rule of an authoritarian government, leading to years of stagnation, but finishing in an impressive economic surge.

Democracy was restored in 1978 in the form of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.

In 1986, Spain joined the European Union; experiencing a cultural renaissance and steady economic growth.

Prehistory and pre-Roman peoples

{{Main
Prehistoric Iberia}} File:Reproduction cave of Altamira 02.jpg
thumb
205px
Altamira Cave paintings[http://www.timesonline.co.uk /tol/travel/specials/artistic_spain/article5904206.ece ]{{Dead link
date=January 2010}} Archaeological research at Atapuerca indicates the Iberian Peninsula was populated by hominids 1ǎ million years ago.{{cite news
u rl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6256356.stm
title='First west Europe tooth' found
publisher=BBC
date=30 June 2007
accessdate=2008-08-09}} Modern humans first arrived in Iberia, from the north on foot, about 32,000 years ago.Typical Aurignacian items were found in Cantabria (Mor�n, El Pendo, Castillo), the Basque Country (Santimami�e) and Catalonia.

The radicarbon datations give the following dates: 32,425 and 29,515 BP. The best known artifacts of these prehistoric human settlements are the famous paintings in the Altamira (cave)
Altamira cave of Cantabria in northern Spain, which were created about 15,000 BCE by cro-magnons. Archaeological and genetic evidence strongly suggests that the Iberian Peninsula acted as one of three major refugia from which northern Europe was repopulated following the end of the last ice age.

The two main historical peoples of the peninsula were the Iberians and the Celts, the former inhabiting the Mediterranean side from the northeast to the southwest, the latter inhabiting the Atlantic side, in the north and northwest part of the peninsula.

In the inner part of the peninsula, where both groups were in contact, a mixed, distinctive culture�known as Celtiberians
Celtiberian�was present.

In addition, Basque people
Basques occupied the western area of the Pyrenees mountains.

Other ethnic groups existed along the southern coastal areas of present day Andalusia.

Among these southern groups there grew the earliest urban culture in the Iberian Peninsula, that of the semi-mythical southern city of Tartessos (perhaps pre-1100 BC) in the location of present-day triangle between Seville, Huelva and Jerez.

The flourishing trade in gold and silver between the people of Tartessos and Phoenicians and Greeks is documented in the history of Strabo and in the biblical book of king Solomon.

Between about 500 BC and 300 BC, the seafaring Phoenicians and Greeks founded colonies in antiquity
trading colonies all along the Spanish Mediterranean coast.

Carthaginians briefly took control of much of the Mediterranean coast in the course of the Punic Wars, until they were eventually defeated and replaced by the Ancient Rome
Romans.

Roman Empire and the Gothic Kingdom

{{Main
Hispania}} File:Teatro Romano de M�rida (Badajoz, Espa�a) 02.jpg
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left
230px
M�rida, Spain
Archaeological Roman Ensemble of M�rida During the Second Punic War, an expanding Roman Empire captured Carthaginian trading colonies along the Mediterranean coast from roughly 210 BC to 205 BC, leading to eventual Roman control of nearly the entire Iberian Peninsula; this lasted over 500 years, bound together by law, language, and the Roman road.{{cite web
last=Payne
first=Stanley G.

title = A History of Spain and Portugal; Ch.

1 Ancient Hispania
publisher=The Library of Iberian Resources Online
year=1973
url=http://libro.uca.edu/payne1/spainport1.htm
accessdate=2008-08-09}} File:Catedral de Oviedo 3.jpg
thumb
upright
right
Cathedral of San Salvador, Oviedo
Cathedral of the Holy Saviour, Asturias The base Celt and Iberian population remained in various stages of Romanization (cultural)
Romanisation, and local leaders were admitted into the Roman aristocratic class.The ''latifundia'' (sing., ''latifundium''), large estates controlled by the aristocracy, were superimposed on the existing Iberian landholding system.{{cite web
last=Rinehart
first=Robert
coauthors=Seeley, Jo Ann Browning
title = A Country Study: Spain - Hispania
publisher=Library of Congress Country Series
year=1998
url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/estoc.html
accessdate=2008-08-09}} Hispania served as a granary for the Roman market, and its harbors exported gold, wool, olive oil, and wine.

Agricultural production increased with the introduction of irrigation projects, some of which remain in use.

Emperors Trajan, Theodosius I, and the philosopher Seneca the Younger
Seneca were born in Hispania.The poets Martial, Quintilian and Lucan (poet)
Lucan were also born in Hispania. Christianity was introduced into Hispania in the 1st century CE and it became popular in the cities in the 2nd century CE. Most of Spain's present languages and religion, and the basis of its laws, originate from this period. Rome's loss of jurisdiction in Hispania began in 409, when the Germanic tribes
Germanic Suevi and Vandals, together with the Sarmatian Alans crossed the Rhine and ravaged Gaul until the Visigoths drove them into Iberia that same year.

The Suevi established a kingdom in what is today modern Galicia (Spain)
Galicia and northern Portugal.

The Alans' allies, the Hasdingi Vandals, established a kingdom in Gallaecia, too, occupying largely the same region but extending farther south to the Duero river.

The Silingi Vandals occupied the region that still bears a form of their name � ''Vandalusia'', modern Andalusia, in Spain.

The Byzantines established an enclave, Spania, in the south, with the intention of reviving the Roman empire throughout Iberia.

Eventually, however, Hispania was reunited under Visigothic Kingdom
Visigothic rule.

Muslim Iberia

{{Main
Al-Andalus}} File:80525560 0eb2c1d54a o.jpg
thumb

The Alhambra
Alhambra palace complex in Granada. In the 8th century, nearly all of the Iberian Peninsula was Umayyad conquest of Hispania
conquered (711�718) by Muslim armies (see Moors) from North Africa.

These conquests were part of the expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate
Islamic Empire.The Moorish armies continued northwards until they were defeated in central France at the Battle of Tours in 732. Only a number of areas in the mountainous north of the Iberian Peninsula managed to resist the initial invasion and they were the starters of the Reconquista.

These areas roughly correspond to modern Asturias, Cantabria, Navarre, northern Aragon and northern Catalonia. Under Islam in Spain
Islam, Christians and History of the Jews in Spain
Jews were recognised as People of the Book
"peoples of the book", and were free to practice their religion, but faced a number of mandatory discriminations and penalties as dhimmis.{{cite web
url=http://www.jewishvirtuall ibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/Jews_in_Arab_lands_(gen).html
title=The Treatment of Jews in Arab/Islamic Countries
accessdate=2008-08-13}} See also: {{cite web
url=http://www&# 46theforgottenrefugees.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=66&Itemid=39
title=The Forgotten Refugees
accessdate=2008-08-13}} and {{cite web
url=http://www.myjewishle arning.com/history_community/Medieval/IntergroupTO/JewishMuslim/Almohads.htm
title=The Almohads
accessdate=2008-08-13}} Conversion to Islam proceeded at a steadily increasing pace.

The ''muladies'' (Muslims of ethnic Iberian Peninsula
Iberian origin) are believed to have comprised the majority of the population of Al-Andalus by the end of the 10th century .[http://libro.uca.edu/ics/ics5.htm Islamic and Christian Spain in the Early Middle Ages.

Chapter 5: Ethnic Relations], Thomas F.

Glick{{cite web
last=Payne
first=Stanley G.

title = A History of Spain and Portugal; Ch.

2 Al-Andalus
publisher=The Library of Iberian Resources Online
year=1973
url=http://libro.uca.edu/payne1/spainport1.htm
accessdate=2008-08-09}} File:001 giralda.jpg
thumb
left
140px

La Giralda, the bell tower of Seville Cathedral. The Muslim community in the Iberian peninsula was itself diverse and beset by social tensions.

The Berber people of North Africa, who had provided the bulk of the invading armies, Berber Revolt
clashed with the Arab leadership from the Middle East.The Berbers soon gave up attempting to settle the harsh lands in the north of the Geography of Spain#Meseta Central
Meseta Central handed to them by the Arab rulers. Over time, large Moorish populations became established, especially in the Guadalquivir River valley, the coastal plain of Valencian Community
Valencia, the Ebro River valley and (towards the end of this period) in the mountainous region of Granada. C�rdoba, Spain
C�rdoba, the capital of the caliphate, was the largest, richest and most sophisticated city in western Europe.It was not until the 13th century that western High Middle Ages
medieval Christendom began reaching comparable levels of sophistication, and this was due in to a great extent to the stimulus coming from Muslim Al-Andalus. Mediterranean trade and cultural exchange flourished.

Muslims imported a rich intellectual tradition from the Middle East and North Africa.

Muslim and Jewish scholars played an important part in reviving and expanding classical Greek culture
Greek learning in Western Europe.

The Romanization (cultural)
Romanized cultures of the Iberian peninsula interacted with Muslim and Jewish cultures in complex ways, thus giving the region a distinctive culture. Outside the cities, where the vast majority lived, the land ownership system from Roman times remained largely intact as Muslim leaders rarely dispossessed landowners, and the introduction of new crops and techniques led to a remarkable expansion of agriculture. However, by the 11th century, Muslim holdings had fractured into rival Taifa kingdoms, allowing the small Christian states the opportunity to greatly enlarge their territories and consolidate their positions. The arrival of the North African Muslim ruling sects of the Almoravids and the Almohads restored unity upon Muslim holdings, with a stricter, less tolerant application of Islam, and saw a revival in Muslim fortunes, but after more than a century of successes, including invading the north of the country, finally fell to the increasing military strength of a Christian alliance.

Fall of Muslim rule and unification

{{Main
Reconquista}} File:�vila 24-8-2002.jpg
thumb
right
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�vila, Spain
�vila city walls File:Castiello de Lobarre.jpg
thumb
right
200px
Loarre Castle File:Alc�zar de Segovia 1-7-07.JPG
thumb
right
200px
Alc�zar of Segovia The ''Reconquista'' ("Reconquest") is the centuries-long period of expansion of Spain's Christian kingdoms; ''Reconquista'' is viewed as beginning with the battle of Covadonga in 722 and being concurrent with the period of Muslim rule on the Iberian peninsula.

The Christian army's victory over the Muslim forces led to the creation of the Christian Kingdom of Asturias along the northern coastal mountains.

Muslim armies had also moved north of the Pyrenees, but they were defeated at the Battle of Tours
Battle of Poitiers in France.

Subsequently, they retreated to more secure positions south of the Pyrenees with a frontier marked by the Ebro and Duero valleys in Spain.

As early as 739 Muslim forces were driven from Galicia (Spain)
Galicia, which was to host one of medieval Europe's holiest sites, Santiago de Compostela.

A little later Frankish forces established Christian counties south of the Pyrenees; these areas were to grow into kingdoms, in the north-east and the western part of the Pyrenees.

These territories included Navarre, Aragon and Catalonia.{{cite web
last=Rinehart
first=Robert
coauthors=Seeley, Jo Ann Browning
title = A Country Study: Spain - Castile and Aragon
publisher=Library of Congress Country Series
year=1998
url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/estoc.html
accessdate=2008-08-09}} In 842, another group of Germanic tribe, Vikings or Norsemen, invaded the peninsula.

They attacked Cadiz in 844. The breakup of Al-Andalus into the competing Taifa kingdoms helped the expanding Christian kingdoms.

The capture of Toledo, Spain
Toledo in 1085 was soon followed by the completion of the Christian powers reconquest of Spain's northern half.Initially, as the ''Reconquista'' advanced south, different religions were respected and several Castilian kings in subsequent years (Ferdinand III of Castile
Ferdinand III, Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X, Peter of Castile
Peter I) named themselves 'king of the three peoples' or 'king of the three religions'.

Only rarely mosques and synagogues were converted into churches before 1492, and some areas of Christian Spain had large Muslim and Jewish populations that were a substantial component in the economic activity.

Indeed they brought many of the Moorish influences in art, architecture and food with them. After a Muslim resurgence in the 12th century, the great Moorish strongholds in the south fell to Christian Spain in the 13th century�C�rdoba, Spain
C�rdoba in 1236 and Seville in 1248�leaving only the Muslim enclave of Granada as a tributary (political)
tributary state in the south.{{cite web
url=http://libro.uca.edu/rc/rc1.htm
title=Ransoming Captives in Crusader Spain: The Order of Merced on the Christian-Islamic Frontier
accessdate=2008-08-13}} See also: {{cite web
last=Payne
first=Stanley G.

title = A History of Spain and Portugal; Ch.

4 Castile-Le�n in the Era of the Great Reconquest
publisher=The Library of Iberian Resources Online
year=1973
url=h ttp://libro.uca.edu/payne1/spainport1.htm
accessdate=2008-08-09}} Marinid invasions from north Africa in the 13th and 14th centuries failed to re-establish Muslim rule.

Also in the 13th century, the Crown of Aragon, formed by Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands expanded its reach across the Mediterranean to Sicily.{{cite web
last=Payne
first=Stanley G.

title = A History of Spain and Portugal; Ch.

5 The Rise of Arag�n-Catalonia
publisher=The Library of Iberian Resources Online
year=1973
url=http://libro.uca.edu/payne1/spainport1.htm
accessdate=2008-08-09}} Around this time the universities of University of Palencia
Palencia (1212/1263) and University of Salamanca
Salamanca (1218/1254) were established; among the earliest in Europe.

The Black Death of 1348 and 1349 devastated Spain.{{cite web
url=http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/a-b/blackdeath.html
title=The Black Death
accessdate=2008-08-13
publisher=Channel 4}} File:Losreyescatolicos.jpg
thumb
left
200px
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand II and Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I In 1469, the crowns of the Christian kingdoms of Crown of Castile
Castile and Crown of Aragon
Aragon were united by the Catholic Monarchs
marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.

In 1478 began the final stage of the conquest of Canary Islands and in 1492, these united kingdoms captured Granada, ending the last remnant of a 781-year Timeline of the Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsula
presence of Islamic rule in Iberia.

The Treaty of Granada guaranteed religious tolerance toward Muslims.{{cite web
url=http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/treaty1492.html
title=The Treaty of Granada, 1492
publisher=Islamic Civilisation
accessdate=2008-08-13}} The year 1492 also marked the arrival in the New World of Christopher Columbus, during a voyage funded by Isabella.

That same year, Sephardi Jews
Spain's Jews were ordered to converso
convert to Catholicism or face Alhambra Decree
expulsion from Spanish territories during the Spanish Inquisition.[http://www.ne wscientist.com/article/dn16200-spanish-inquisition-left-genetic-legacy-in-iberia.html Spanish Inquisition left genetic legacy in Iberia].

New Scientist.

December 4, 2008. Not long after, Muslims were also expelled under the same conditions.For the related expulsions that followed see Morisco.{{cite web
last=Rinehart
first=Robert
coauthors=Seeley, Jo Ann Browning
title = A Country Study: Spain - The Golden Age
publisher=Library of Congress Country Series
year=1998
url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/estoc.html
accessdate=2008-08-09}} As Renaissance New Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand centralized royal power at the expense of local nobility, and the word ''Espa�a'', whose root is the ancient name ''Hispania'', began to be commonly used to designate the whole of the two kingdoms. With their wide-ranging political, legal, religious and military reforms, Spain emerged as the first historical powers#Spain
world power.

Imperial Spain

{{Main
Spanish Empire}} File:Spanish Empire Anachronous 0.PNG
thumb
270px
Spanish Empire The unification of the crowns of Crown of Aragon
Aragon and Crown of Castille
Castile laid the basis for modern Spain and the Spanish Empire.{{cite web
url=http: //www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/Imperial.html
title=Imperial Spain
accessdate=2008-08-13
publisher=University of Calgary}} Spain was Europe's leading power throughout the 16th century
16th century and most of the 17th century
17th century, a position reinforced by trade and wealth from colonial possessions.

Spain reached its apogee during the reigns of the first two Habsburg Spain
Spanish Habsburgs � Charles I of Spain
Charles I (1516�1556) and Philip II of Spain
Philip II (1556�1598).

This period also saw the Italian Wars, the revolt of the comuneros, the Dutch revolt, the Morisco revolt, clashes with the Ottoman-Habsburg wars
Ottomans, the Anglo-Spanish War (1585)
Anglo-Spanish war and wars with Early Modern France#The French Renaissance
France.{{cite web
last=Payne
first=Stanley G.

title = A History of Spain and Portugal; Ch.

13 The Spanish Empire
publisher=The Library of Iberian Resources Online
year=1973
url=http://libro.uca.edu/payne1/spainport1.htm
accessdate=2008-08-09}} The Spanish Empire expanded to include great parts of the Americas, islands in the Asia-Pacific area, areas of Italy, cities in Northern Africa, as well as parts of what are now France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

It was the first empire about which it was said that the empire on which the sun never sets
the sun never set.

This was an age of discovery, with daring explorations by sea and by land, the opening-up of new trade routes across oceans, conquests and the beginnings of European colonialism.

Along with the arrival of precious metals,By the late 16th century American silver accounted for one-fifth of Spanish government's total revenue (the rest came mainly from taxes in Spain, especially Castile) [http://encarta.msn&# 46com/encyclopedia_761575057_13/spain.html].

From Europe, American silver was shipped to India, China, Levant and the Ottoman Empire.

The silver was used to purchase goods, as European manufactured goods were not in demand in Asia and the Middle East.

From the mid-17th Century around 28 million kilograms of silver was imported to China.

The Manila Galleon brought in far more silver direct from South American mines to China than the overland Silk Road, or even European trade routes in the Indian oceans could. spices, luxuries, and new agricultural plants, Spanish and other List of explorers
explorers brought back knowledge from the New World, playing a leading part in transforming European understanding of the globe.{{cite book
last=Thomas
first=Hugh
authorlink=Hugh Thomas
title = Rivers of gold: the rise of the Spanish Empire
publisher=George Weidenfeld & Nicholson
year=2003
location=London
pages=''passim''
isbn=978-0297645634}} The cultural efflorescence witnessed is now referred to as the Spanish Golden Age.

The rise of humanism, the Protestant Reformation and new geographical discoveries raised issues addressed by the influential intellectual movement now known as the School of Salamanca. File:Spanish Galleon.jpg
thumb
left
upright
A sixteenth century Spanish galleon. In the late 16th century and first half of the 17th century, Spain was confronted by unrelenting challenges from all sides.

Barbary pirates under the aegis of the rapidly growing Ottoman empire, disrupted life in many coastal areas through their slave raids and renewed the threat of an Muslim conquests
Islamic invasion.The coastal villages and towns of Spain and List of islands in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean islands were frequently attacked by Barbary pirates from North Africa, who were under the aegis of the Ottoman empire.

The Formentera was even temporarily left by its population and long stretches of the Spanish and Italian coasts were almost completely abandoned by their inhabitants.

In 1514, 1515 and 1521 coasts of the Balearic Islands and the Spanish mainland were raided by the Turkish people
Turkish privateer and Ottoman Empire
Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa.

According to Robert Davis between 1 million and 1ሑ million Europeans were captured by North African pirates and sold as slaves during the 16th and 17th centuries.

These Arab slave trade
slaves were captured mainly from seaside villages in Spain, Italy and Portugal. This at a time when Spain was often at war with France in Italy and elsewhere.

The Protestant Reformation schism from the Catholic Church dragged the kingdom ever more deeply into the mire of religiously charged wars.

The result was a country forced into ever expanding military efforts across Europe and in the Mediterranean.{{cite web
url=http://libro.uca.edu/payne1/payne15.htm
title=The Seventeenth-Century Decline
accessdate=2008-08-13
publisher=The Library of Iberian resources online}} During the 17th century, the Spanish Catholic church kept nearly 20% of the land in the kingdom, and the Castilian clergy were as much as 10% of adult males. By the middle decades of a war- and plague (disease)
plague-ridden 17th century Europe (see Great Plague of Seville),[http://libro.uca.edu/payne1/payne15.htm Chapter 15: A History of Spain and Portugal], Stanley G.

Payne the effects of the strain began to show.At the end of the 16th century, the Spain had nearly 8,500,000 inhabitants, but in 1700 only about 7,000,000.

Epidemic disease was the major cause for this decline, especially bubonic plague
the bubonic plague but also typhus, smallpox, and other diseases.

The other principal causes of population loss were emigration to America, deaths from warfare, and the expulsion of the Moriscos. The Spanish Habsburgs had enmeshed the country in the continent-wide religious-political conflicts.

These conflicts drained it of resources and undermined the European economy generally.

Spain managed to hold on to most of the scattered Habsburg empire, and help the imperial forces of the Holy Roman Empire reverse a large part of the advances made by Protestant forces, but it was finally forced to recognise the Portuguese Restoration War
separation of Portugal (with whom it had been Iberian Union
united in a personal union
personal union of the crowns from 1580 to 1640) and the Netherlands, and eventually suffered some serious military reverses to France in the latter stages of the immensely destructive, Europe-wide Thirty Years War.{{cite web
last=Payne
first=Stanley G.

title = A History of Spain and Portugal; Ch.

14 Spanish Society and Economics in the Imperial Age
publisher=The Library of Iberian Resources Online
year=1973
url=http://libro.uca.edu/payne1/spainport1.htm
accessdate=2008-08-09}} File:El escorial.jpg
thumb

El Escorial, built in Philip II's reign.

In the latter half of the 17th century, Spain went into a gradual relative decline, during which it surrendered a number of small territories to France.

However Spain maintained and enlarged its vast overseas empire, which remained intact until the beginning of the 19th century. The decline culminated in a controversy over succession to the throne which consumed the first years of the 18th century.

The War of Spanish Succession, a wide ranging international conflict combined with a civil war, cost Spain its European possessions and its position as one of the leading powers on the Continent.{{cite web
last=Rinehart
first=Robert
coauthors=Seeley, Jo Ann Browning
title = A Country Study: Spain - Spain in Decline
publisher=Library of Congress Country Series
year=1998
url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/estoc.html
accessdate=2008-08-09}} During this war, a new dynasty�the House of Bourbon
French Bourbons�was installed.

Long united only by the Crown, a true ''Spanish'' state was established when the first Bourbon king Philip V of Spain united the crowns of Castile and Aragon into a single state, abolishing many of the regional privileges (''fueros'').{{cite web
last=Rinehart
first=Robert
coauthors=Seeley, Jo Ann Browning
title = A Country Study: Spain - Bourbon Spain
publisher=Library of Congress Country Series
year=1998
u rl=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/estoc.html
accessdate=2008-08-09}} The 18th century saw a gradual recovery and an increase in prosperity through much of the empire.

The new House of Bourbon
Bourbon monarchy drew on the French system of modernising the administration and the economy.

Age of Enlightenment
Enlightenment ideas began to gain ground among some of the kingdom's elite and monarchy.

Military assistance for the rebellious British colonies in the American Revolutionary War
American War of Independence improved Spain's international standing.{{cite web
last=Gascoigne
first=Bamber
title = History of Spain: Bourbon dynasty: from AD 1700
publisher=Library of Congress Country Series
year=1998
url=http://w ww.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?HistoryID=ab50&ParagraphID=iss#iss
accessdate=2008-08-09}}

Napoleonic rule and its consequences

{{Main
Mid-nineteenth century Spain}} File:Goya - Second of May 1808.jpg
thumb
''Second of May, 1808'': the people revolt against the Napoleonic regime In 1793, Spain went to war against the new First French Republic
French Republic, which had overthrown and executed its Bourbon king, Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI.

The war polarised the country in an apparent reaction against the Francization
gallicised elites.

Defeated in the field, Spain made peace with France in 1795 and effectively became a client state of that country; the following year, it declared war against Britain and Portugal.

A disastrous economic situation, along with other factors, led to the abdication of the Spanish king in favour of Napoleon I of France
Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte. This foreign puppet monarch was widely regarded with scorn.

The The May 2nd Uprising in Madrid (1808)
2nd of May 1808 revolt, was one of many nationalism
nationalist uprisings against the Napoleonic regime across the country.David A.

Bell.

"[http://www.historynet.com/wars_conflicts/napoleonic_wars/6361907.html?page=2&c=y Napoleon's Total War]".

TheHistoryNet.com These revolts marked the beginning of what is known to the Spanish as the War of Independence, and to the British as the Peninsular War.(Gates 2001, pሌ) Napoleon was forced to intervene personally, defeating several badly coordinated Spanish armies and forcing a British army to retreat.

However, further military action by Spanish guerrillas, armies and Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Wellington's British-Portuguese forces, combined with Napoleon's disastrous Napoleon's Invasion of Russia
invasion of Russia, led to the ousting of the French imperial armies from Spain in 1814, and the return of Ferdinand VII of Spain
King Ferdinand VII.(Gates 2001, p떃) The French invasion proved disastrous for Spain's economy, and left a deeply divided country that was prone to political instability for more than a century.

The power struggles of the early 19th century led to the loss of all of Spain's colonies in Latin America, with the exception of Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Spanish�American War

{{Main
Spanish�American War}} Amid the instability and economic crisis that afflicted Spain in the 19th century there arose nationalist movements in the Philippines and Cuba.

Wars of independence ensued in those colonies and eventually the United States became involved.

Despite the commitment and ability shown by some military units, they were so mismanaged by the highest levels of command that the Spanish�American War, fought in the Spring of 1898, did not last long.

"El Desastre" (The Disaster), as the war became known in Spain, helped give impetus to the Generation of 98 who were already conducting much critical analysis concerning the country.

It also weakened the stability that had been established during Alfonso XII's reign.

20th century

The 20th century brought little peace; Spain played a minor part in the scramble for Africa, with the colonisation of Western Sahara, Spanish Morocco and Equatorial Guinea.

The heavy losses suffered during the Rif War (1920)
Rif war in Morocco helped to undermine the monarchy.

A period of authoritarian rule under General Miguel Primo de Rivera (1923�1931) ended with the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic.

The Republic offered political autonomy to the Basque Country (autonomous community)
Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia (Spain)
Galicia and gave voting rights to women. File:Spanish War Children001.jpg
thumb
180px
right
Evacuees give the republican salute. The Spanish Civil War (1936�39) ensued.

Three years later the Nationalist forces, led by General Francisco Franco, emerged victorious with the support of Nazi Germany and Kingdom of Italy (1861�1946)
Fascist Italy.

The Republican side was supported by the Soviet Union and Mexico and International Brigades, including the American Abraham Lincoln Brigade, but it was not supported officially by the Western powers due to the British-led policy of Non-Intervention.

The Spanish Civil War has been called the European Civil War
first battle of the Second World War; Spain under Franco
under Franco, Spain was neutral in the Second World War though Spain in World War II
sympathetic to the Axis.Over a hundred thousand Spanish Civil

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