National Flag:
Three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms is quartered to display the emblems of the traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise from upper left, Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon) while Granada is represented by the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield; the arms are framed by two columns representing the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar; the red scroll across the two columns bears the imperial motto of “Plus Ultra” (further beyond) referring to Spanish lands beyond Europe; the triband arrangement with the center stripe twice the width of the outer dates to the 18th century.
Note: The red and yellow colors are related to those of the oldest Spanish kingdoms: Aragon, Castile, Leon, and Navarre.
Capital: Madrid
Langauges: Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally.
Currency: Euro
Main Industries:
Did You Know?
- Spain’s powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power.
- Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39).
- Flamenco dancing, based on the gypsy dances of Andalusia, (southern Spain) is very popular.
- Bullfighting is controversial. Animal-rights groups condemn it, but most Spaniards consider it a culturally important art form.
- The traditional ‘running of the bulls’ is held in Pamplona every July. This takes place during an annual week-long festival. The bulls are let loose on a special designated cours in the streets of Pamplona. Young people on the streets show bravado by trying, at risk of being gored and trampled, to outrun the bulls on the way to the bull ring.
- In the Festival of Tomatina in Bunol, Valencia, thousands of people throw tomatoes – about 100 tons of them – at each other.
