Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about Spain?
If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…
It’s time to chat about Spain facts.
Let’s dive right in…
Facts About Spain
1 – Spain is the fourth largest country in Europe (after Russia, Ukraine and France). It has a population of 46.94 million.
2 – The Spanish language is spoken by more than 572 million (it’s also spoken to Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru, Uruguay and Guatemala.
3 – There are three main religions practiced in Spain – Christianity (88%), Islam (5%), Judaism (less than 1%).
4 – In 1868 King Alfonso XII was overthrown by an uprising led by General Primo de Rivera who then became Prime Minister until he died two years later.
5 – The capital of Spain, Madrid, has a population of over 3.223 million people. The capital city of Madrid is located in the center of Spain.
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6 – Catalonia is an autonomous region that includes Barcelona as well as other major cities like Tarragona and Lleida.
7 – The Spanish language was introduced to the world by Christopher Columbus when he discovered America and named it after King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I of Castile (Spain).
8 – There are many different dialects spoken all across Spain that vary depending on where you live or what region you’re from – some examples include Catalan, Basque, Galician, Valencian/Valenciano.
9 – Barcelona has been declared to have UNESCO World Heritage Sites due to its architecture and art nouveau style. These includes: Park Guell, Casa Mila, Guell Palace, La Sagrada Familia and Casa Batlio.
10 – Spain’s currency is the Euro (EUR).
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11 – It has an area of 170.9 square kilometers while Spain has an area 505,990km2.
12 – The Spanish Constitution of 1978 states that all Spaniards are born free and equal in dignity and rights, without distinction of origin, race or religion.
13 – Spain’s national anthem The Royal March does not contain any lyrics – it was written by Manuel de Espinosa de los Monteros.
14 – In the 1960s, Francisco Franco became dictator for 36 years until his death in 1975. He was succeeded by Juan Carlos I (the King of Spain) who reigned from 22 November 10975 to19 June 2014.
15 – Spain ranks 2nd on Forbes list for best countries for business growth out of 137 countries ranked-ahead of France (ranked 3rd), Italy (ranked 4th), Canada (ranked 10th).
These rankings were based on factors such as corruption levels, property rights protection level, ease of starting a new business.
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16 – The most popular boys names in Spain are Jose, Antonio, Manuel and Francisco while the most popular girls names are Maria, Ana, Carmen and Dolores.
17 – There are six different autonomous communities within Spain that have their own regional governments. These Autonomous Communities include Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Basque Country (Euskadi), Canary Islands (Islas Canarias), Cantabria, Castile and León (Castilla y León), Catalonia (Catalunya), Extremadura (Extremadura).
18 – The national dish of Spain is paella. Spaniards enjoy a Mediterranean diet which consists mostly of fish, vegetables, fruit, olive oil and breads. Some popular dishes include paella (a rice dish), tapas (small appetizers) and gazpacho (Spanish cold soup).
19 – It borders with France, Portugal, Andorra, Morocco and Gibraltar.
20 – The Spanish government consists of a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy.
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21 – The Basque language has no connection to any other European languages but it does have its own alphabet called Euskara Batua which was created by Bernard Lazare who was a Jewish writer during the 19th century.
22 – What we know today as “Spanish” was not unified until 1492 when Ferdinand II of Aragon conquered Granada, uniting all peninsular kingdoms under one crown for the first time since Islamic expansion had begun centuries earlier.
23 – There are three main cultural regions in Spain – Andalusia, Catalonia and Basque Country.
24 – The Spanish language, also known as Castilian Spanish is based on Latin and was brought to Iberia by Roman conquerors after defeating Carthage during the Punic Wars.
25 – The average life expectancy in Spain is 82.34 years. old
