spain
by: yasmin aguayo
fast facts
capital- madrid
currency-euro (EUR)
population- 47,370,542
total area-195,123 square miles, 505,370 square klometers
government
unitary state,monarchy,constitutional monarchy, parliamentary system
history
the history of spain dates back to the early middle ages.In 1516, Habs burg spain unified a number of disparate predecessor kingdoms; its modern from of a constitutional monarchy was intro duced in 1813, and the current democratic constitutional dates to 1978
landforms/ bodies of water
Significant mountains in Spain include the limestone Cordillera Cantabrica and rugged Sistema Iberico (north); massive Pyrenees(northeast) where many peaks exceed 3,000 meters; the deeply eroded and rocky Sierra de Cuenca(east), and the lower Montes de Toledo andSerrania de Cuenca (south-central)
climate
There are three different climate zones in Spain, due to its large size. Visitors can generally expect a Mediterranean climate, characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The vast central plateau, or Meseta, has a more continental influencedclimate with hot, dry summers and cold winters.
economy
Spain has the fourteenth-largest economy by nominal GDP in the world, and sixteenth-largest by purchasing power parity. Spain is a member of the European Union, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the World Trade Organization
religion
Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution, although the majority of the population is Catholic. Other religions also practised in Spain include Islam, Judaism,Protestantism, and Hinduism, all of which have places where to conduct their rituals.