Spain Economy

People of Spain:

the Spanish people are an amalgam of Mediterranean, Nordic or Scandinavian, Celtic, Latin and Gothic ancestors. The cultural groups in Spain are Castilians, Asturians, Basques, Catalans, Galicians and Andalusians. There are also a considerable number of Gypsies in the country too.

Arts, Culture and Music of Spain:

• Art: having a rich and diverse cultural history, art in Spain too is profuse and exemplary. The art in Spain derives contributions from Christian-European, Moorish and Arabic cultures; and as a result each of the artifacts are stark, bold, unparalleled and, of course, beautiful. There are paintings, sculptures, ceramic arts and gold works done by illustrious personalities like Diego Velazquez, Salvador Dali, Francisco Goya, El Greco, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso.
  
  
  
• Culture: Spain has a rich cultural tradition that results from centuries of ethnical impact. Moreover, the different parts of the country sport different cultural traits. As a result, different towns and cities in Spain have different celebratory days. Festivals and fiestas, which are generally religious and have Catholic essence, are a regular feature of Spanish life. Some of the important ones which are also generally celebrated are Christmas, Easter Week, All Saints Day, Carnival, LAS FALLAS, SEMANA SANTA, Navidad, San Juan and La Candelaria. The other landmark feature of the culture of Spain is Bullfighting, which is held in high esteem and is originally a royal sport. The Matadors are almost looked upon as national heroes.
  
  
• Music: the thought of Spanish music inevitably brings flamenco to the mind, even though it is a dance. However, music in Spain is a rich and diverse cultural aspect of the country. The original variety of music in the country was ‘Andalusian’. However, subsequent historical impacts led to the advent of new forms and also the evolution of existing genres. The Renaissance era introduced instrumental music to Spain. However, this instrumental variety was different from the one popular in Europe. It mainly carried an Arabian flavor; due to Spain’s proximity to the African Arab nations.There is also a native breed of opera in Spain, dating from the late 16th century and early 17th century, called the “Zarzuela”. However, there are different and distinct folk genres to be found in most of Spain’s regions like Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Cantabria and Galicia, Balearic Islands.

Flag of Spain:

Spain has a flag which is deeply steeped in its historical and cultural heritage. The colors that dominate this rectangular flag are red and golden yellow. The two colors appear in three horizontal stripes running from end to end. The golden yellow stripe, which is double the width of the red stripes, appears in the middle of the flag, and is sandwiched between the two red stripes. On the central golden yellow stripe, slightly off center to the left, is superimposed the country’s coat-of-arms which has the royal seal in between the two “Pillars of Hercules”. The color scheme of the flag has its origins in the 1700s when the king found in it the only way to distinguish between his kingdom’s ships and those of other kingdoms. Incidentally, two regions of Spain - Castile and Aragon – too have these colors in their insignia. As fro the coat of arms, the two “Pillars of Hercules” are representative of the two headlands of Gibraltar and Ceuta that lie on the either side of Strait of Gibraltar’s eastern edge.

Economy of Spain:

once primarily under agrarian dependency, the country of Spain underwent a revolutionary change between the years 1961 and 1973 to become one of the premiere industrial nations in the world. The country, however, still has quite a diversified economy. Agriculture, industry and service sectors are all important players in the national economy. The important agricultural produces of the nation includes olives, wine grapes and sugar beets and citrus. Spain does not lag behind in the department of natural resources either. The chief minerals that are mined are tungsten, kaolin, coal, uranium, sepiolite, lignite, gypsum, iron ore, fluorspar, copper, magnesite, lead, pyrites, zinc, mercury and potash. The other natural resource of importance, aside of fertile land, is hydropower. The industries in Spain are mostly engaged in the manufacture of textiles, garments, footwear, food packaging, beverage brewing, processing metal ores, manufacturing chemicals, shipbuilding, automobile parts and also assembling, machinery and medical equipment. Another important booming industry is that of tourism. All of these also feature in the list of export commodities.

Keep surfing Mapsofworldfor all the information you need about the Kingdom of Spain and any other place in the world.