SPAIN Nation Power Point Assignment by: Autumn Adams

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Spain is a country in western Europe. The country capitol is Madrid. It is one of the largest countries in

Europe.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION CONT.

Spain has a well developed economy based on service industries, such as tourism and on manufacturing.

Spain is mostly famous for colorful

bullfights, flamenco music, sunny climate, and beautiful castles.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION CONT.

Spain’s flag consists of three, horizontal, parallel lines. There is a yellow line in between two red lines. On the yellow line is the coat of arms.

The anthem of Spain is Marcha Real Granadera (March of the Royal Grenadier).

The metric system is used for measuring.

CLIMATE

The Meseta and other inland regions of Spain have dry, sunny weather throughout the year.

These regions have hot summers and cold winters and make up most of Spain.

Summer and winter droughts are common and are occasionally broken by rainstorms.

Dry soil is often whipped up by steady winds. During most of the winter, snow covers upper

mountain slopes in the Meseta region.

THE PEOPLE OF SPAIN

The people of Spain are called Spaniards. They live in an increasingly modern and urban

society. Compared with people in other countries,

Spaniards have a long life expectancy. Most Spaniards eat, dress, and live better,

compared to the earlier generations.

THE PEOPLE OF SPAIN CONT.

Carried out by the CIA in 2011, the estimates of Spain's net migration rate, came up to 3.89 migrants per 1,000 citizens. There was a total of about 1.37 million emigrants. The total number of immigrants living in Spain is 6.9 million.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Spain is not the richest in natural resources. There is poor soil and limited rainfall in most of

Spain. That makes it difficult to raise crops. The country does not have many industrial raw

materials that are important.

NATURAL RESOURCES CONT.

The high-grade iron ore found in the Cantabrian Mountains is one of Spain's chief mined resources.

These mountains also contain mostly low quality coal.

Copper, fluorspar, gypsum, potash, and zinc are other products mined in Spain.

COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORTATION

Renfe, a government-owned agency, operates an extensive railway system.

AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) is a high speed train network that Spain is building.

Madrid-Barajas is Spain’s chief international airport. Barcelona, Málaga, and Palma de Majorca are other

leading international airports. Other major international airports include The islands of La Palma and Tenerife.

Algeciras, Bilbao, Barcelona, Valencia, and Tarraguna have large seaports.

COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORTATION

Spain’s radio and television stations are operated by both private companies and the government.

Among the world’s largest communications companies is Telefonica, a communications company based in Madrid.

A wide variety of political opinions can be viewed in Spain’s dozens of daily newspapers.

ABC, El Mundo, El País, all published in Madrid, and La Vanguardia, published in Barcelona are the largest newspapers.

Cell phone usage and the internet have rapidly increased since the mid-1990's.

POLITICAL PARTIES

The first Political Party is the center-right Partido Popular (Popular Party).

The second, is the leftist Partido

Socialista Obrero Español (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party).

POLITICAL PARTIES CONT.

Thirdly, is the Izquierda Unida (United Left), a coalition of several left-wing parties, including the Communist Party of Spain.

Finally, the Catalonia region in northeastern Spain and the Basque region in the north-central part of the country have their own local nationalist parties.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Spain is divided into 50 provinces. The Constitution of 1978 grouped these provinces into 17 regions.

These 17 regions are called autonomous (self-ruling) communities. This creates a federal system.

Each autonomous community has a popularly elected government.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONT.

There are wide powers in such areas as education and culture.

Defense and foreign policy are taken care of by the

national government. Cities and towns have mayors and town councils elected

by the people. The national and regional governments share many

other areas of responsibility.

CITY LIFE

Almost all city people live in apartments. More people own rather than rent their dwellings.

Most families own television sets and computers.

Most families own automobiles, but the public transportation is efficient too.

Pollution and traffic jams are a problem that city people face.

CONTINUING CUSTOMS

Even though there are newer trends, older customs survive alongside them.

Until the late 1900’s, most Spanish stores and

offices closed for lunch breaks that would last about two to three hours.

Because the lunch breaks were so long, the store

would have then stayed open until 7 p.m. or later.

CONTINUING CUSTOMS CONT.

Some businesses still keep these hours. Though most people no longer follow this

custom, some Spaniards still take a siesta (nap) after lunch.

Because they often do not eat until 9 or 10 pm,

Spaniards enjoy a paseo (walk) before their evening meal.

COUNTRY LIFE

Country life in Spain has not changed as much as the city life.

Expanded electrical service, modern equipment, and better farming methods have helped make life easier for Spanish farmers since the mid-1900's.

In economic importance, agriculture has fallen behind industry. Rural standards of living generally are lower than those in the cities.

COUNTRY LIFE CONT.

To try to find employment in the mid-1900's, many farmers moved to Spanish cities or to other countries.

Some areas of Spain have successful farms focused on exporting high-quality products. These products are mainly exported to other European nations.

Most farmers live in villages or small towns.

COUNTRY LIFE CONT.

Everyday they travel the roads between their homes and the fields, on foot or in vehicles. Unlike some city people, they take only a short lunch break.

The evening paseo is as popular in rural areas

as in the cities.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

A popular type of food in Spain is seafood, such as crabs, snapper, squid, and sardines.

A dish that most Spaniards enjoy during the

warm weather is gazpacho. It is a cold soup made of strained cucumbers, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, onions and spices.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE CONT.

Popular meats that the people of Spain enjoy include, beef, chicken, goat, lamb, pork, and rabbit.

Wine is usually served with every meal except for breakfast.

They also enjoy sangria, which is wine, soda water, fruit juice, and fruit.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE CONT.

Other beverages include, beer, soft drinks, strong black coffee, and hot chocolate.

Hot chocolate is usually served with

churros, deep-fried strips of dough.

ENJOYING THE OUTDOORS

Spaniards spend most of their time outside. They enjoy sitting for hours at sidewalk cafes,

or in town, or village squares. A lot of summer vacations are spent at Spain’s

beautiful beaches.

ENJOYING THE OUTDOORS CONT.

On the weekends, city people drive to the countryside of Spain for picnics or overnight trips.

Spain’s most popular sport is soccer. Many cities

have soccer stadiums for entertainment. Another activity is bullfighting. Most cities have at

least one bull ring. The leading matadors are usually celebrities who are often show up in the media.

RELIGION AND HOLIDAYS

Most Spaniards are Roman Catholic, but do not actively practice their religion.

The most important holiday in Spain is Holy

week. They celebrate with parades and special events.

One of the best-known celebrations is the

fiesta of San Fermin.

RELIGION AND HOLIDAYS CONT.

San Fermin is celebrated each July in Pamplona. On each morning for eight days Bulls are turned loose in the streets, which lead to a bull ring.

People run in front of the animals into the

ring later in the day to watch the bull fights.

EDUCATION

A system of primary and secondary schools that provide free public education is operated by Spain’s national and regional government.

There are nonreligious private schools and Catholic schools at the primary and secondary levels.

Any child from the age of 6 to 16 must go to school.

Every child 12 and under attend a primary school.

EDUCATION CONT.

Any student from the ages 12 through 16 years old should attend secondary schools.

Sixteen through eighteen year old students may continue their education in either a college preparatory school or a vocational training school.

There are dozens of public and private universities in Spain

The Complutense University of Madrid and the University of Barcelona are Spain’s leading universities.

THE ARTS

Spain has made some the finest painters and writers and has a rich artistic tradition.

Art in Spain flourished in the 1500’s and 1600’s during the Golden Age.

During this time the country ranked among the world’s leading powers.

Art in Spain then declined and then came back in the 1900’s.

LITERATURE, PAINTING, AND MUSIC

The Poem of the Cid and The Play of the Wise Men are the oldest Spanish writings in existence. Scholars believe both of the writings go back to the 1100’s. They do not know who wrote them.

El Greco, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and Diego Velázquez are leading Spanish painters of the Golden Age . Sometimes called the Father of Modern art, Francisco Goya, painted during the late 1700's and early 1800's.

LITERATURE, PAINTING, AND MUSIC CONT.

Folk songs and dances have been popular in Spain for a long time.

Each region has its own special songs and dances.

Castanets, guitars, and tambourines are some of the instruments that musicians play.

A Spanish dance and music that has become world famous is the Spanish flamenco music and dance.

TOURISM

Tourism is a great contribution to Spain’s economy.

Hotels, restaurants, and retail trade

benefit Spain’s service industry.

CITATIONS

Cazorla-Sánchez, Antonio. "Spain." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2014. Web. 25 June 2014.

"Spain." Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations. Ed. Timothy L. Gall and Susan Bevan Gall. 13th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Student Resource Center - Junior. Gale. West Mifflin Area School District. 25 June 2014