Officially referred to as the
Kingdom of Spain , this European country is one of the largest countries in Southern Europe . The Kingdom includes two small enclaves in North Africa, bordering Morocco . The mainland is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea on its south and east, covering the Balearic islands, on the north lies the Bay of Biscay and to the west lies the Atlantic Ocean which also include the Canary Islands off the African Coast . The country shares its borders with Portugal , France , Andorra ,Gibraltar and Morocco . It is the
largest country in the Iberian Peninsula .
The origins of the Spanish people is traced back to the Cro-Magnons who settled on the Iberian Peninsula some 35000 years ago. The earliest urban civilization took place with the Greeks who set up trading colonies along the Mediterranean coast. With time these territories went under Roman control who took possession of the Iberian Peninsula for the successive 500 years. The Roman empire brought economic expansion and Christianity in the area and modern culture,religion and laws of
Spain greatly owe their origins to this period. The decay in Roman rule ushered in the age of Islam in the Peninsula . After about 800 years Islam prevalence in the area finally ended in
1492 when the
unified kingdoms of Aragon and Castile overthrew any Islam remnant in the Peninsula . The year also marked the beginning of the
New World with Queen Isabella funding
Christopher Columbus's expeditions. The new economic and political policies laid the foundations of a modern Spanish empire and the vast Jewish community were expelled from Spain following the Spanish Inquisition.
The Renaissance ushered in
Spain 's Golden era when it emerged as Europe 's leading power in the 16 th and 17 th centuries. The Kingdom of Spain then encompassed South and Central America , Mexico and Southern parts of United States , Philippines in eastern Asia,the Portuguese Empire,Southern Italy and Sicily , Germany , Belgium , Luxembourg and the Netherlands . The
Golden era could not last long as religio-political conflicts soon bereft Spain of much of its wealth. Spain 's diminishing stature in world economy demanded a rather heavy price when it was forced to give away most of its territories including Portugal . Spain 's economy faced acute crisis after the
Spanish War of Independence and the economy continued in its handicapped state for over a century. The situation was further aggravated when Spain lost the last of its overseas territories in Latin America following the
Spanish-American War.
The 20 th century could only usher in
little peace in the country with the tragic
Spanish Civil War starting in 1936 and continuing till 1939. The end of the war saw the Nationalist Party rise to power under
Franco's rule . But Spain witnessed little progress in its economy and failed to be a part of the UN until 1955. Spain 's fortune turned with the 1960's when the economy experienced stupendous boom mostly owing to the
tourism sector . The phase is also termed as the
'Spanish Miracle' . Franco's death made Prince Juan Carlos head of state. He established a
constitutional monarchy for Spain in 1978. This ushered an era of democracy and political autonomy in the country. In 1982 Spain witnessed the return of a Leftist government under the PSOE and the nation finally joined the EU.
The
Spanish economy is currently the 8 th largest in the world and the 5 th largest in Europe . The
national currency was changed to Euro from Peseta in the year 2002,this created rapid economic modernization. The
official language in Spain is Spanish and
Roman Catholicism is the main religion of the country. In 2004 Spain recorded being
second highest in the absolute net migration rate right after the US ,which proves its popularity among majority people in the world as a favorable destination for both economic and cultural reasons.
