SPAIN

The country of my soul

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain is a country and member state

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 the north by France, Andorra,

and the Bay of Biscay; and to thenorthwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.

CLIMATE The climate in Spain is diverse, being affected by altitude (Spain is the second most mountainous county in Europe), the sea (Mediterranean or Atlantic Ocean) and continental effects (central Spain is in effect in a large land mass). •The Mediterranean climate is characterized by dry and warm summers. •The semiarid climate is located in the southeastern quarter of the country, especially in the region of Murcia and in the Ebro valley. In contrast with the Mediterranean climate, the dry season extends beyond the summer.•The oceanic climate is located in north quarter of the country, especially in the region of Basque Country, Asturias, Cantabria and partly Galicia. In contrary to the Mediterranean climate, winter and summer temperatures are influenced by the ocean, and have no seasonal drought.

LITERATUREDue to historic, geographic and

generational diversity, Spanish literature

has known a great number of influences

and it is very diverse.

Miguel de Cervantes is probably Spain's most famous author and his Don Quixote is considered the most emblematic work in the canon of Spanish literature and a founding classic of Western literature.

MUSICSpanish music is often considered abroad to be

synonymous with flamenco, an Andalusian musical genre, which,

contrary to popular belief, is not widespread outside that region. Various

regional styles of folk music abound in Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Castile, the Basque Country, Galicia and Asturias. Pop, rock, hip hop and heavy metal are also popular.

In the field of classical music, Spain has produced a number of noted composers such as Isaac Albéniz, Manuel de Falla and Enrique Granados and singers and performers such as Plácido Domingo, José Carreras.

In Spain there are over forty professional orchestras, including the

Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona, Orquesta Nacional de España and

the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid.

Artists from Spain have been highly influential in the development of Various European artistic movements. The Moorish heritage in Spain, especially in Andalusia, is still evident today in cities like Córdoba, Seville, and Granada. European influences include Italy, Germany and France, especially during the Baroque and Neoclassical periods.

ART

SPORT Sport in Spain has been dominated byfootball since the early 20th century. Real Madrid C.F. and FC Barcelona are two of the most successful football clubs in the world. The country's national football team won the UEFA European

Football Championshipin 1964 and 2008 and the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

Rafael Nadal is the leading Spanish tennis

player and has won several Grand Slam titles

including the Wimbledon 2010 men's singles.

In north Spain, the game of pelota is very popular. Alberto Contador is the leading Spanish cyclist and has won several GrandTour titles including three Tour de France titles.

CUISINE

Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety of

dishes which stem from differences in geography,

culture and climate.

Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences has

led to a unique cuisine.

Spanish cuisine reflects the country's

deepMediterranean roots.

It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country.

The Festival of San Fermin,

or the Pamplona Bull Running

officially begins at midday on

6th July every year with the 'chupinazo' which takes

place on the balcony of the Casa Consistorial in Pamplona. The actual run stretches

fromthe corral at Santo Domingo where the bulls are kept, to

the bullring where they will fight that same afternoon. The length of the run is 825 metres and the average time of the run from start to finish is about three

minutes.

PAMPLONA FESTIVAL

The streets through

the old town which make up the bull

run are walled off so

the bulls can't escape. Each day six fighting bulls run

the route as well as

two herds of bullocks. Runners are

dressed in white with a red hankerchief around their necks. The

bulls and the runners

then proceed along the route.

Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the

autonomous communities of Spain.

The territory is divided into eight provinces: Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva,

Jaén, Málaga and Seville. Its capital is the city of

Seville.

ANDALUSIA

The Andalusian coat of arms shows the figure of Hercules and two lions between the two pillars of Hercules

that tradition situates on either side of the Strait of Gibraltar. An inscription below, superimposed on an image of the flag of Andalusia reads Andalucía por sí, para España y la Humanidad -‘Andalusia by herself, for Spain and Humanity’. The official flag of Andalusia consists of three equal horizontal stripes, colored green (symbolizing hope and union), white (symbolizing peace and dialogue), and green

respectively.

Andalusia sits at a latitude between

36º and 38º44' N, in the warm-temperate region. In general, it experiences a Mediterranean

climate, with dry summers influenced by the Azores High, but subject to occasional torrential rains and extremely hot temperatures. The average temperature in Andalusia throughout the year is over 16 °C.

CLIMATE

Biogeographically, Andalusia forms part of the Western Mediterranean subregion of the Mediterranean Basin, which falls within the Boreal Kingdom. Five floristic provinces lie, in whole or in part, within Andalusia.

FLORA & FAUNA

The biodiversity of Andalusia extends to its fauna as well. More than 400 of the 630 vertebrate species extant in Spain can be found in Andalusia: the Red-knobbed Coot, the Purple Swamphen and the Greater Flamingo, the Greylag Goose, theSpanish Imperial Eagle the Griffon Vulture, and both the Black and Red Kite.

As throughout Spain, basic education in Andalusia is free and compulsory. Students are required to complete ten years of schooling, and may not leave school before the age of

16, after which students may continue on to a baccalaureate, to intermediate vocational education, to intermediate-level schooling in arts and design, to intermediate sports studies, or to the working world.

EDUCATION

MUSIC & ARTAndalusia has been the birthplace of many great artists: the classic

painters Velázquez and Murillo; the sculptors Juan Martínez Montañés and Alonso Cano; and such modern painters as Daniel Vázquez Díaz and Pablo Picasso.Andrés Segovia helped shape the romantic-modernist approach to classical guitar.

The music of Andalusia includes traditional and contemporary music,

folk and composed music, and ranges from flamenco to rock. Flamenco,

perhaps the most characteristically Andalusian genre of music and dance, originated in the 18th century, but is based in earlier forms

from the region. The influence of the traditional music and dance of the Romani people or Gypsies is particularly clear. The genre

embraces distinct vocal, guitar, and dance styles.

The Andalusian diet varies, especially between the coast and the interior, but in general is a Mediterranean diet based on olive

oil, cereals, legumes, vegetables, fish, dried fruits and nuts, and

meat; there is also a great tradition of drinking wine.

Fried fish—pescaíto frito—and seafood are common on the coast

and also eaten well into the interior under coastal influence. Northern bluefin tuna from the Almadraba areas of the Gulf of

Cádiz, prawns from Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Deepwater Rose

Shrimp from Huelva are all highly prized. Fishing for the Transparent Goby or Chanquete, a once-popular

small fish from Málaga, is now banned because the techniques used

to catch them trap too many immature fish of other species.

CUISINE

MALAGAMálaga is a big city, with a population of 568,507 (in 2010). It is

the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. It is situated in the south of Spain. It lies on the Costa del Sol of the Mediterranean Sea, about 100 km east of the Strait of

Gibraltar and 130 km on north of Africa.

Málaga suffered heavy bombing by Nationalist or Republican air

forces and naval units during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. After the war, Malaga and its old haunts of Torremolinos and the

rest of the Costa del Sol enjoyed the highest growth of the tourism sector

in Spain.

CLIMATE

Malaga enjoys a subtropical-Mediterranean climate. It has got warm winters with 17 C in the day time and 7-8 C at night, since December

till February. It is summer eight months a year from April through

November.

FLORA & FAUNA

There are quite a few natural reserves and protected areas in Malaga, which are great for walks and offer some stunning and breathtaking mountain scenery. From the Torcal de Antequera

Natural Area to Montes de Malaga Natural Park, you can experience a wonderful natural setting of waterfalls, streams and the rugged landscape that has lots of character due to erosion. There is a

variety of flora and fauna for you to see such as flamingos, which are a

common sight and are attracted to the saline lake.

Malaga has a typical Mediterranean cuisine. Fish, shrimp and other

seafood along with sausage, poultry, olive oil and locally grown vegetables are the main ingredients.

Chanquetes is a specialty made with tiny fish, espetos sardines and

boquerones in vinegar.

CUISINE

Gazpacho is a spicy soup served chilled, made with

raw vegetables like tomato, onion, and peppers.

Another regional specialty is

bull's tail called

"Rabo de Toro a la Rondeña".

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Malaga BullFighting RingThe Town HallThe House of the Consulate

Santiago ChurchSagrario ChurchThe Chatedral

Roman Theatre

CULTURAL EVENTS

The Holy Week Celebration

The Málaga Film Festival The August Malaga Fair

Fiestas de Carnaval

The Fiesta Mayor de Verdiales

GRACIAS22 ‘Mircea Eliade’ Team