Quick Facts About Spain
- Official name: Kingdom of Spain
- Independence date: National Day of Spain – October 12, 1492. Spain is unique in that it does not have a day of independence, so instead Spain celebrates the day Christopher Columbus reached the Americas and established Spain as an overseas empire.
- Member of the EU?: Yes
- Capital: Madrid
- Currency: The Euro
- Official Language: Spanish
- Prevalence of English: 27% of Spaniards speak English
- Power Adapter: Type C or Type F
- Population: 47.5 million (2024 est.)
- Yearly tourist visits: 85.1 million (2023 est.)
- Best known for: Culture, food (like Paellas and Tapas), wine (like Tempranillo, Matt’s favorite!), beaches, and iconic landmarks like the Sagrada Familia
A very short history of Spain:
Before the Roman conquest, the Iberian Peninsula was inhabited by several peoples including the Iberians, Celts, and Lusitanians, while Mediterranean powers like the Greeks, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians established trading posts along the southern and eastern coasts. Carthage increasingly dominated the region until 219 BC, when the growing Roman Republic sought more influence in the Western Mediterranean. This led to the Second Punic War, whereby Carthage was expelled from Iberia. Rome eventually established full domination of the peninsula by 19 BC, which would remain under Roman control until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th Century.
With the fall of the Roman Empire, much of modern-day Spain came under the control of Gothic tribes, though this did not bring about a destruction of the classical society that Rome had established. The Visigoth Kingdom remained until the Muslim conquests of the 8th Century, and Hispania would remain under Moorish control for the next several centuries. Starting from the Kingdom of Asturias in the far north of the Iberian Peninsula, Christian armies gradually reconquered Hispania, finally gaining full control in 1492.
Two powerful kingdoms, the Kingdom of Castille and the Kingdom of Aragon, were united in the marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand, finally establishing the Kingdom of Spain. Starting with the expedition of Christopher Columbus to the New World in 1492, Spain would establish itself as a global empire, indeed the first truly global empire with colonies throughout the Americas. Over the next 100 years, Spain would have a cultural golden age, reaching a peak in the late 16th Century before gradually declining. In the early 19th Century, Napoleon invaded Spain and overthrew the monarchy, though it would be restored following his eventual defeat. However, Spain would quickly lose all of her American colonies (except for Cuba and Puerto Rico), ending it’s status as a global empire.
In 1931, Spain declared itself a republic, though it would be short-lived. In 1936, after a military coup, Spain descended into a civil war which would become a precursor to the Second World War, as the two sides were supported by ideological enemies. The fascist element, led by Franco, would be the victor and Franco would rule until his death in 1975. Under a new constitution signed in 1978, Spain was declared a constitutional monarchy, which it remains to this day.
Check out our 15 day trip to Spain (Madrid) and Portugal (Azores, Lisbon, Porto) to help you plan your next trip!
