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Country Description

Spain is located in Southern Europe, the mainland of Spain is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and east, by the Bay of Biscay to the north and by the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands off the African coast. Spain is a largely mountainous country, consisting of various geographically diverse regions and known for its culturally diverse heritage, having been influenced by many nations and people throughout its history.

The Spanish culture is very diverse due to the history of the nation and its Mediterranean and Atlantic environment have played strong roles in shaping its culture. Spain has roots in Celtiberian, Latin, Visigothic, Roman Catholicism and Islam which causes some tension between the centralized state (dominated in recent centuries by Castile) and numerous regions and minority peoples. Due to historic, geographic and generational diversity, Spanish art has known a great number of influences and is an important and influential type of art in Europe. The Moorish heritage in Spain, especially in Andalusia is still evident today in cities like Córdoba, Seville, and Granada. The Spanish invented the novel and the guitar, gave the world flamenco, Picasso and gazpacho and dreamed up some of the world's most fabulously outrageous architecture. Their influence on 20th-century art and design has been inestimable, and if all that's not enough, they're relentlessly well dressed, insouciant and have a contagious knack for enjoying life.

Spain is an impressive, diverse country, offering a lot more than just bullfights and flamenco dancers. The north resembles the rolling, green hills of Ireland and the south giving you a taste of Moroccan landscapes and architecture. Its tremendous history is reflected in its prehistoric cave paintings, Moorish palaces, crumbling castles, Roman ruins, Gothic and Renaissance cathedrals. In the cities, narrow twisting old streets suddenly open out to views of daring modern architecture, while spit-and-sawdust bars serving wine from the barrel rub shoulders with blaring, glaring discos. The uniqueness of Spain lies in the separate kingdoms which made up the original Spanish nation. These regions remain diverse in their language, culture, cuisine and art. They include: Andalucía, Aragon, Asturias, Basque Country, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla León, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra and Valencia.

Busier, developed resort towns can be found on the Costa de la Luz and the Costa del Sol. Travel further south to Malaga, Huelva and Almería and to the coasts of La Manga, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Euskadi you will find quieter, excellent beaches. Interesting is the harbour of Almerimar with cosy bars, just south of El Ejido (Almeria).

Away from the beach, Spain has a lot of opportunities to visit wildlife parks as well as hiking. The Pyrenees, especially around the Aragón area, are the best areas for trekking and exploring. Andalucía has its Sierra Nevada mountain chain with luxurious skiing resorts near Granada in the winter and hiking in the summer. Between Guadix and Baza (famous horsemarket) one can find cave-dwellings and beautiful natural parks. North and between these towns still are unexplored desert sceneries, with hamlets not even found on maps! The highway infrastructure in this "wild" part of Andalucia is excellent.

Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety of dishes which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. Seafood is found on most menus due to the availability from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep Mediterranean roots. Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences has led to a unique cuisine with literally thousands of recipes, ingredients and flavours.

Climate

Spain can experience enjoyable weather virtually all year round. The ideal months to visit are May to September (plus April and October in the south); at these times you can rely on good-to-excellent weather. In Andalucía there are plenty of warm, sunny day’s right through winter. In July and August, temperatures can get unpleasant, even unbearable, escape to the northwest, to the beaches or to the high mountains. Snowfalls in the mountains start as early as October and some snow cover lasts all year on the highest peaks. Madrid regularly freezes in December, January and February and temperatures climb above 30°C (86F) in July and August. Valladolid on the northern meseta and Zaragoza in the Ebro basin are drier, with only a little rainfall ever year than Alice Springs in Australia. The Mediterranean coast as a whole, and the Balearic Islands, get a little more rain than Madrid and the south can be even hotter in summer. Barcelona's weather is typical of the coast, milder than in inland cities, but more humid.