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Revision as of 06:45, 8 June 2002
The Kingdom of Spain is a country located in the extreme southwest of Europe. It shares the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal. In the northeast it borders France and the tiny principality of Andorra. It includes the Canary Islands off the Atlantic coast of Morocco, and the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in northern Morocco. The "rock of Gibraltar" is held by Great Britain since the end of the Spanish war of succession in 1714.
Spain is a parliamentary monarchy with a constitution dating from 1978. Spain joined NATO in 1981. Since 1986 it is a member of the European Union.
Administratively, Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities with various levels of self-government. The capital is Madrid.
There are four major languages spoken in Spain, Spanish (Castellano), Catalan (Català), Basque (Euskara) and Galician (Galego). The official language of Spain is Spanish, and each of the other languages is also official in the corresponding regions (Catalan in Catalunya, València and the Illes Balears; Galician in Galiza; and Basque in Euskadi). Catalan, Galician and Spanish are all descenced from Latin and have their own dialects; there are also some surviving dialects of Latin such as Bable in Asturias, Leonés in León and Aragonés in Aragón. The Spanish spoken in America is descended from the dialect of Spanish spoken in southwestern Spain.
National Parks
See also: History of Spain
From the CIA World Factbook 2000. Not Wikified.
- History
- Geography
- People
- Government
- Economy
- Communications
- Transportation
- Military
- Transnational issues
Spanish Cities