THE SPAIN PORTAL
EL PORTAL DE ESPAÑA
Spain (Spanish: España), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España), is a country in southern Europe. It is located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. The country consists of Peninsular Spain which is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, two archipelagos, one in each sea, and two autonomous cities in North Africa. The mainland area of Spain is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the southern and eastern areas, the Cantabric Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Spain is organised as a parliamentary democracy and is a constitutional monarchy. Spain has been a member of the European Union since 1986 and is a developed country, with the ninth largest economy in the world and fifth largest in the EU. With an area of 504,030 km², Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe (behind France).
Spain flourished under the Roman empire Hispania, thus becoming one of the Empire's most important regions at the time. During the times of the Middle Ages, Spain was under Germanic rule, only later to come under the rule of the Islamic caliphate. Spain emerged as a unified country in the 15th century, following the completion of the reconquest of the Iberian peninsula in 1492. 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.
Selected article
The Biblioteca Nacional de España ('The National Library of Spain') is a major public library, the largest in Spain. It is located in Madrid near the Paseo de Recoletos. Founded in 1711, the Library was originally The Royal Public Library of King Philip V. It housed some 60,000 books by 1752, by which time it had become a legal deposit library. The Library continued to grow, and had significant royal patronage throughout the 18th century. By 1836 it had been renamed as The National Library of Spain ('Biblioteca Nacional de España'), and by 1850 it housed some 200,000 items. In 1896 the Library moved to the current location in center Madrid. The Madrid premises are shared with the National Archaeological Museum.
Its current catalog is called the Bibliografía Española. It indexes some 6,000,000 books and journals, 25,000 manuscripts, and 240,000 rare books. In addition to books, maps and manuscripts, it holds collections of visual material such as drawings, posters, and photographs.
Selected picture
An artists portrayal of the Battle of Ravenna (1512). This artwork also shows the death of Gaston de Foix, as well as the general scene during the time of battle.
In the news
Selected biography
Federico Mayor Zaragoza (1934 in Barcelona) is a Spanish scholar and politician. He served as Director-General of UNESCO from 1987 to 1999. Mayor obtained a doctorate in pharmacy from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1958. In 1963 he became professor of biochemistry at the School of Pharmacy of the University of Granada, and in 1968 was elected rector of that university, a post he held until 1972. The following year he was appointed professor in biochemistry at the Community of Madrid. In 1974 he co-founded the Severo Ochoa Centre of Molecular Biology at the Autonomous University of Madrid and of the High Council for Scientific Research.
Did you know?
- ...that the Constitutional Court of Spain is the highest judicial body with the power to determine the constitutionality of acts and statutes of the Spanish Government?
- ...that the Guardia de Asalto patrolled the countryside and rural areas of Spain throughout the time of the Second Spanish Republic?
- ...that that Cuerpo Nacional de Policía uniform was formerly brown, thus leading to their nickname of la madera/los maderos?
- ...that the Professional Association of Magistrates is one of three professional Spanish associations of judges and magistrates
Selected quote
“ | In Spain, the dead are more alive than the dead of any other country in the world. | ” |
Featured content
Battle of Bicocca • Battle of Ceresole • El Greco • Italian War of 1521–1526 • Lince (tank) • Salvador Dalí • Same-sex marriage in Spain • T-26 • War of the League of Cambrai • Verdeja (tank) • War of the Spanish Succession
WikiProjects
- Main project
- Related projects
WikiProject Basque • WikiProject Catalan-speaking Countries • WikiProject Galicia • Spanish Translation of the Week
What are WikiProjects?
Categories
-
- Economy • Education • Environment • Government • Military • People
-
- Deserts • Landforms • Maps • Parks • Protected areas • Settlements • Subdivisions
-
- Brands • Businesspeople • Companies • Currencies • Tourism • Trade unions
Things you can do
- Add {{WikiProject Spain}} to article talk pages which have some relation to Spain
- Help write new Spain-related articles and improve and expand existent ones
- Assess: unassessed Spain-related articles
- Requested articles: Spanish weaponry • Falange Party
- Suggest: selected articles, biographies, pictures, did you knows? and quotes for this Portal
Spain topics
History | Roman Spain | Francoism | Modern Spain |
---|---|
Geography | Cities | Islands | Municipalities | Comarcas | Provinces |
Government | Constitution | Foreign relations | Military | Elections | Autonomous Communities | Honours |
Politics | Political parties (PSOE, PP) | Elections | Prime Minister |
Economy | Companies | Communications | Transport | Central Bank | European System of Central Banks | Stock Exchange |
Culture | Bullfighting | Spanish language | Cinema | Cuisine | Education | Literature | Music | Holidays | Public broadcasting | Football | Wine |
Society | Demographics | Spanish |
Miscellaneous | Time in Spain |
Related portals
Associated Wikimedia
- What are portals?
- List of portals
- Featured portals