More About Spain
More About Spain
With a population of over 40 million, the Kingdom of Spain has a Parliamentary monarchy system of governance. The official language is Castilian Spanish and the currency Euro. Apart from Madrid, the capital city, other major cities include Barcelona, Seville and Valencia.
Spain is synonymous with its signature bullfights, fiestas and a host of other unique traditions related to drama, music and fine arts which are widely celebrated across the country. The “Bull Run” conducted in Pamplona on the occasion of the Sanfermines is a sight not to be missed. In the southern region, especially in Andalusia, a classic genre of music tradition called Flamenco is a special attraction.
Among the many carnivals, the most popular is the “Santa Cruz de Tenerife“. Fiestas are held throughout Spain almost in all seasons. Among the most popular fiestas are the La Tamburrada held in San Sebastian (February), Las Fallas de San Jose in Valencia (March), and San Isidro in Madrid (May).
For the connoisseur of architecture–both antique and ultra-modern–Spain has a great deal to offer. Here you will find the world’s best known architectural styles assembled all across this land of history and pageantry–Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Modern, and even Megalithic. Nowhere else perhaps can you find architectural marvels that date back to 3000 BC. Among the landmark monuments of Spain are the following:
- Amphitheatre of Merida and the Aqueduct of Segovia (Roman)
- Camino de Santiago (Romanesque, Visigoth)
- Cathedrals of Burgos, Leon and Toledo (Gothic)
- El Escorial Monastery (Baroque)
- Ganada’s Alhambra and the Great Mosque of Cordoba (Moorish)
- Sagrada Familia Cathedral of Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona (Modern)
- University of Salamanca (Renaissance Plateresque)
Among the cities that you would love to stop over while in Spain are Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Seville and Valencia. Madrid, recognised as the European Cultural Capital, is a modern metropolis that bustles with business, commercial and entertainment activities including numerous bars, casinos and summer terrazas and three world-famous museums.
Barcelona, which hosted the Olympic Games (1992), is noted for its enchanting modernista architectural style popularised by Gaudi, apart from other attractions including top-end designer clubs. Seville, celebrated for its flamenco, hosted a widely acclaimed international exposition (EXPO 92), while Valecia delights the tourist with its lively nights and Levantine art. Do not miss the historic Guggenheim museum of Frank Gehry in the new-fangled city of Bilbao.
Spain is a veritable treasure house of history and crucible of cultures that dates back to 50,000 BC. Among its historical milestones are the landing of Phoenicians (1100 BC); settlement of Celtic tribes (1200 BC), the origins of the Iberian people; beginnings of Greek colonisation; arrival of Carthaginians, followed by the Roman invasion; and the Gothic domination from 419 to 711. Then came the Muslim armies who set up dominion till they lost Granada to the Christians in 1492.
Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand are credited with the unification of Spain. Following the discovery of the Western world by Christopher Columbus (1492), the Golden Age saw Spain emerging as one of the richest and mightiest of nations on the world map. However, its famously known invincible Armada was defeated in 1588. Europe then witnessed several upheavals including the French Revolution, the Battle of Waterloo, the Seven Years War, et al. Spain first became a republic in 1868. After the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939), Franco ruled as a dictator till his death in 1975. Thereafter Spain adopted a system of constitutional monarchy.
