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Spain

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Population: 47,190,493 (est.)

Language: Spanish

Capital: Madrid

National Dish: Paella

Interesting Facts:

The Euro (€) is the official currency of Spain.
Roman Catholicism is the largest denomination of Christianity present in Spain by far. About 70.1% of Spaniards self-identify as Catholics, 2.7% other faith, and about 25% identify with no religion.
Spain is one of the top three most visited countries in the world.
In Spain the King of Spain nominates a candidate for presidency.
Spain is Europe‘s fourth largest country.
Spain has the ninth largest economy in the world.
The name Spain diverged from the word Ispania, which means the land of rabbits.
Spain has over 8000 km of beaches.
Spaniards are famous for their contributes to art, with famous Spanish artists including Dali, Picasso, Gaudi, el Greco, and Goya
Spain produces around 44% of the world’s olive oil.
Spanish is the only official language of Spain, though some of the ‘autonomous communities’ have other official languages such as Catalan.
In theory, nudity is legal anywhere in Spain.
In Spain, you drive on the right hand side of the road.
Spain remained neutral (didn’t fight) in both world wars.
Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Spain, and they are the current World and European champions.

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a sovereign state and a member of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, to which Spain lays claim; to the north and north east 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 in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco plus Alborán island, the Chafarinas islands (Islas Chafarinas), Alhucemas island and Perejil (Parsley island). Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 505,992 square kilometres (195,365 sq mi), it’s the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union and the fifth largest country in Europe.

Because of its location, the territory of Spain was subject to many external influences since prehistoric times and through to its dawn as a country. Spain emerged as a unified country in the 15th century, following the marriage of the Catholic Monarchs and the completion of the reconquest, or Reconquista, of the Iberian peninsula in 1492. Conversely, it has been an important source of influence to other regions, chiefly during the modern era, when it became a global empire that has left a legacy of over 500 million Spanish speakers today, making it the world’s second most spoken first language.

Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a parliamentary government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a developed country with the twelfth largest economy in the world by nominal GDP, and very high living standards, including the tenth-highest quality of life index rating in the world, as of 2005. It is a member of the United Nations, NATO, OECD, and WTO.

Source: Wikipedia