Information About Spain for Kids

Spain is a large country in Western Europe.

Spain is a country located in Western Europe. The roots of Spanish history lie in the prehistoric civilization of Iberia, and can be traced to modern day. Currently, Spain is a member country of the European Union, with a population of 40,525,002 in July of 2009, according to the CIA World Factbook. The official language in Spain is Castilian Spanish, although 17 percent of the population speaks Catalan, 7 percent speak Galician and 2 percent speak Basque. These languages are official regionally.

History

Spain's history is long and complex. From the beginning of recorded history, several groups of people inhibited the Iberian Peninsula, on which the country of Spain is located. Primarily, the Iberians inhabited the area, although the Libyan peoples, the Celts, Phoenicians and Visigoths came along to inhabit Spain as well. In the 700s, Arabs entered Spain from the south, where they defeated the Visigoths and effectively ruled Spain until 1492. In 1492, two Catholic monarchs of separate kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille, married and united their kingdoms. This kingdom is the cornerstone of the modern-day Spanish empire. In 1492, Grenada, the last Arab stronghold in Spain, was defeated, giving way to the unity of the Spanish kingdom. Isabella and Ferdinand were the monarchs that commissioned Christopher Columbus, who went on to discover America. From this point until the 1600s, Spain was a powerful empire with many colonies around the world. In the early 1700s, Spain lost many of her colonies due to the War of Spanish Succession. From then on, the monarchy has had to struggle in Spain to keep control. In 1978, Spain became a Parlimentary Monarchy, similar to the United Kingdom. The capital is located in Madrid.

Politics

The King of Spain is currently Juan Carlos I, and the heir to the throne is Prince Filipe. Currently, the President is Jose Luis Roderiguez Zapatero. In Spain, there are three vice presidents, who also act as ministers of the Presidency, Economy and Finance and Regional Affairs, respectively. The monarchy is hereditary, but the leader of the majority party following elections for parliament is generally chosen as president by the monarch and elected by the parliament, called the National Assembly. The National Assembly is bicameral, meaning that there are two houses: the Senate, where members are elected by popular vote and appointed by regional legislatures, and the Congress of Deputies. The Congress of Deputies represents specific districts in Spain; elections are therefore held within each district to elect congressmen and women.

Natural Resources and Hazards

According to the CIA Factbook, Spain has a variety of natural resources, including coal, iron ore, lead and numerous acres of arable land for agricultural development. Since Spain is in a temperate zone, the country is known to have periodic droughts.

Transportation

Spain is known for its very sophisticated railway system connecting many of the country's large cities with smaller cities, as well as major cities throughout the rest of Europe. The country has 15,288 km of railway track, and is ranked 18th in the world for railway transportation. Spain's railway travel is a fast and easy way to travel throughout the country. Some trains are AVE high speed trains, which can take you very long distances, such as Madrid to Seville, about 530 km, in a very short amount of time, about two hours. By car, the same distance can be traveled in about five hours.

Weather

Spain's weather depends on the season. Spain is in the temperate zone, meaning that it has four distinct seasons. According to CIA Factbook, in the interior of Spain, summer weather is hot and clear, with more moderate, cloudy summers along the coasts. In the winter, both the interior and coastline get cool and cloudy.

References

• Spanish Fiestas: Travel Information
• Spainish History
• CIA Factbook: Spain