Mediterranean Europe-Spain

We just finished up the Iberian Peninsula so we will move just a little to Spain which is located on the Iberian Peninsula and 80% of the peninsula lies in Spain.

~Spain is officially the Kingdom of Spain.  Spain is a sovereign state (a state that administers its own government), a parliamentary monarchy (the monarch acts as head of state but follows constitutional guidelines).

~The capital of Spain is Madrid which is the highest capital in the world rising over 2,000 feet.

~According to 2012 census, there are 47 million people living in Spain.

~The largest river in Spain is the Tagus.

Tagus River.

~The official language is Castilian Spanish.  There are, however, a few sub-languages, if you will, which include Basque (native to Spain and France in Basque county), Catalan (native to Spain, Italy, France, and Andorra), Galician (Galicia, Austurias, Castile and Leon), and Occitan (native to Spain, France, Italy, and Monaco).

~The current king is King Juan Carlos I who has been the reigning king for almost four decades.  His reign began in 1975, and he is currently 75 years old.

Fun factoids about Spain.
~The 1992 summer Olympics were held in Barcelona.

~In Spain, there is no tooth fairy.  Instead, they have a tooth mouse named Ratoncito Perez.  (I think I prefer the fairy).

~The word Spain comes from the word Ispania which means in the land of rabbits.

~Spain is the only country in Europe that produces bananas.

Running of the bulls.

~A famous Spanish event, which I cannot wrap my brain around, is the running of the bulls.

~Famous artists Dali and Picasso are from Spain.

~40% of smokers in Spain are between the ages of 17 and 24.

Current news from Spain.  It appears that Spain has been in the wrong time zone for about 70 years.  You can read more here but I will give you an abbreviated version.  During the Civil War in Spain, Francisco Franco y Bahamonde (the Spanish military leader and dictator of Spain and allegedly not a very nice guy) decided to team up with his buddy, Hitler, and so he switched the clocks in Spain to reflect a time of one hour ahead in order to be in line with Nazi Germany.  Spain is currently trying to decide if they should return to their original time zone or not.

~The Sagrada Familia is a Roman Catholic church located in Barcelona.  This church is one of Spain's most visited attractions.  Construction on the church started in 1882 and is still not complete.

~Another famous attraction is The Alhambra.  The Alhambra sits on a plateau overlooking Granada in Southern Spain.  This fortress/palace/garden was constructed in the 14th century.

You will also find a lot of tourist in Ibiza.  Ibiza is in the Mediterranean Sea.  Ibiza is in the island group with the Balearic Islands and the Pityusic Islands.

A few paragraphs certainly cannot give all the details of Spain's rich history but this is about as much as our brains could absorb at the moment.  I know we will visit Spain again in our geography studies.

To read more:

Science Kids
Buzzle
True Nomads